1) “The Blacklist” series finale, 8 and 9 p.m. Thursday, NBC. For 10 seasons, this has given us cleverly tangled stories, backed by James Spader’s stylish performance. Spader (shown here) has had two Golden Globe best-actor nominations, as an ex-criminal (going by the name “Red Redington”) who gives tips to an FBI task force. Now – just as the task force is being investigated by a congressman – we may learn his real identity and the secrets he’s held for a decade.
2) “What We Do in the Shadows” season-openers, 10 p.m. Thursday, FX, repeating at 11 and more . As soon as “Blacklist” ends, switch to this quirky comedy. It focuses on three vampires in Staten Island, but the best moments come from their assistant, wonderfully played by Harvey Guillen. In the first episode, he tries to fulfill his goal of becoming a vampire; the second has a guys’ night at the bar. Both are odd, but have some oments that are hilarious.
3) “Miracle Workers” season-opener, 10 p.m. today, TBS. Like “Shadows,” this has wildly offbeat humor, some of it hilarious. The first three seasons took Daniel Radcliffe and Geraldine Viswnathan to Heaven (literally), to medieval times and to a wagon train. Now – two years after the previous season aired — they’re post-apocalyptic warriors, settling into suburbia. He works for a junk dealer (Steve Buscemi) who has a holographic wife named Holly.
4) Baseball All-Star Game, 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, Fox. The American League arrives with an eight-game winning streak; it also has the overall home run leaders this year (Shohei Ohtani) and last (Aaron Judge). Its starters include four Rangers, two Angels (including Mike Trout, in his 11th All-Star Game) and two Rays. The National League starters include three Braves and three Dodgers — plus Luis Arraex, the Marlin who has been hitting close to .400.
5) More sports, ABC. On Wednesday, the ESPY awards (8-11 p.m.) honor the best in sports. And on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET), it’s the WNBA All-Star Game. A’ja Wilson is in both — an ESPY nominee for best female athlete and a captain (facing Breanna Stewart) in the game. They led the voting, with Brittney Griner third. Bouncing back from nine-plus months in Russian prison, Griner – 32 and 6-foot-9 – has had a strong season, getting her ninth star selection.
6) “MasterChef,” 8 p.m. Wednesday, Fox. Here’s the first “mystery box,” where contestants usually find an odd mix of ingredients. This time, they only find apples – lots of them. Tasked with using them for fine-dining, people emerge with triumphs and a few failures. Gordon Ramsay hosts this … and “Food Stars,” at 9:02. This week, the latter skips cooking; the eight remaining contestants have three hours to craft and produce a recipe on TikTok.
7) “Moonshine,” 9 p.m. Friday, CW. Last week’s opener saw life implode for Lidia (Jennifer Finnigan), a thriving Manhattan architect. On a rare return to Nova Scotia with her two teens, she learned she’d inherited 43 percent of her family’s crumbling resort … and that her husband was cheating, Now she’s decided to stay, alongside an angry sister, a semi-stoned brother and secret-keeping parents. She tries to make changes, starting with the annual “Goat Roast.”
8) “Dawn,” part 2, 8-10 p.m. Saturday, Lifetime. If you missed last week’s start of this four-part, eight-hour series, catch it at 6 p.m. Or we’ll spoil it now: Dawn (Brec Bessinger, who’s excellent) had loving parents – then learned they’d stolen her as a baby. She was returned to a rich family, run by her cruel grandmother (Donna Mills, mostly inept). Learning a secret, she forced her grandma to send her to a music school. That’s where the second part begins.
9) “Ridley,” 8 p.m. Sunday, PBS. In brief glimpses, we learned that Ridley – a retired cop who consults on cases – is a crooner who co-owns a bar. Now that’s a key element: He falls for a singer, who asks him to find her brother. It’s an emotional tale (concluding July 23), backed by great music. And it leads into the best “Grantchester” episode: Will was stunned last week, when he killed a pedestrian in a motorcycle accident; there’s much more to the story.
10) More on Sunday: “The Simpsons” is pre-empted yet again, this time by soccer. But “Equalizer” is back, after being bumped last week; it moves to CBS’ 9 p.m. slot. And there’s a rarity – a crowdsourced series that keeps growing: “The Chosen” views Jesus’ life through those around him, starting with Mary Magdalene and the disciples. CW will show the first three seasons at 8 p.m. Sundays, through Christmas Eve; four more seasons are planned.
You may also like
-
Week’s top-10 for Sept. 9: time to win awards … and the White House
-
Week’s top-10 for Sept. 2: Pro football starts, “Bachelorette” ends
-
Week’s top-10 for Aug. 26: Toby tribute plus “Masters,” “Murders,” Messiah, more
-
Week’s top-10 for Aug. 19: Kamala, Keeley, Jenn & Lise
-
Week’s top-10 for Aug. 12: Post-Olympics, summer shows return