Mike Hughes on TV

1) “Freddie Mercury — The Final Act,” 8-10 p.m., CW. For the second straight year, CW announced it was airing the Miss Teen USA and Miss USA pageants, then bailed out. This time, the reversal was just six days before the teen pageant. Now that reverts to the internet (8 p.m. today, apparently charging about $35); CW reruns a film that focuses on Mercury (shown here) — his death and the massive the memorial concert. Read more…

1) “American Masters,” 9-10:30 p.m., PBS. In her childhood, Mary Oliver (shown here in her early years) found despair at home and joy in nature. She became a poet at 15, worked on Edna St. Vincent Milay’s papers at 17, then became a Pulitzer Prize-winner and the best-selling American poet. This fascinating profile is filled with admirers, from Stephen Colbert to John Waters Read more…

1) “American Ninja Warrior,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. The summertime reality shows are starting to wrap up now. For “Ninja” (shown here in a previous episode), this is the last of three semi-final rounds, with side-by-side races; next week, the survivors go for $250,000. Read more…

1) “The Walking Dead: Dead City,” 9 p.m., AMC. In this post-apocalyptic world, zombies are a mere inconvenience; other problems loom. Last week ended with an earthquake taking away much of the food supply; this one ends with Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, shown here) launching a fresh and intensely personal crisis. It’s well-made, but messy. Read more…

1) “The Run For a Million,” 8-10 p.m., CBS. Two pieces of rodeo life overlap. On CW (7:30-10 p.m.), it’s NBR bull-riding. (An NBR event is shown here.) And on CBS, 16 horse-riders try elaborate courses, competing for $1 million, The latter is produced by Taylor Sheridan, who does both fiction (“Yellowstone,” “Dutton Ranch”) and non-fiction (“The Road,” “Pure Grit,” “The Last Cowboy”). Read more…