1) “Burden of Truth” season-opener, 8 p.m., CW. As a big-city lawyer, sleek and smart, Joanna (Kristin Kreuk, shown here) pushed herself too hard. Now life is even harder: She and Billy are back in their hometown, losing sleep with their new baby. She’s also representing a landowner who resists a mining project that this hard-scrabble town wants. There are some moments that seem contrived, to nudge the plot along. Still, this Canadian drama works well, with solid characters and neatly understated performances.
2) Olympics. A week into the Olympics, track-and-field finally shows up. There was a smidgen on Thursday, but now the rush begins – live on Peacock (6-11 a.m. ET), on tape (after 8 p.m. ET) on NBC and USA. NBC also has lots of swimming and women’s beach volleyball, in the afternoon and at night.
3) “Cesar Millan: Better Human Better Dog” debut, 9 and 10 p.m., National Geographic and Nat Geo Wild, rerun at midnight and 1 a.m. For 17 years, Millan has been a strong force on cable, reforming dogs and their people. The first hour has a troubled pitbull and a vicious yorkie; the second has a retiree whose dog has a fixation with bricks. They’re surrounded at 8 and 11 p.m. by reruns – Millan’s “Dog Whisperer” on Wild, the excellent “Shark Beach With Chris Hemsworth” on National Geographic.
4) “Schmigadoon” and more, Apple TV+. It’s another terrific Friday for Apple. There’s the season-finale of “Central Park” … an excellent “Ted Lasso” (Roy tries a new job, Jamie Tartt needs any job) … and a delightful Schmigadoon, with fresh distractions. Melissa (Cecily Strong) is working for the handsome doctor (Jaime Camil). Josh (Keegan-Michael Key) meets the sweet schoolmarm (Broadway’s Ariana DeBose), leading to a great number, with tap-dancing, desk-top schoolkids.
5) ALSO: Suddenly, TV is all about telling stories behind the music. There’s already a buzz for Hulu’s “McCartney 3,2,1,” in which super-producer Rick Rubin digs into the Beatles’ sound. Now another streaming series (Apple’s “Watch the Sound With Mark Ronson”) features another top producer. Meanwhile, PBS continues its terrific “Icon: Music Through the Lens,” this time looking at album-cover art. That’s at 9 p.m., followed at 10 by a “Classic Albums” look at Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours.”