Year: 2023

1) “Archer” season-openers, 10 and 10:30 p.m., FXX; rerunning hourly until 3:30 a.m. The 14th and final season of this animated action-comedy finds Sterling Archer still convinced he’s the world’s greatest spy. In this two-parter, however, he’s working with a woman who matches him in skill, beauty and ego. (They’re shown here.) Meanwhile, Lana is the boss, worrying about budgets, human-resource issues and a skeleton in the office wall. That result is erratic, but entertaining. Read more…

1) “Justified: City Primeval” finale, 10 p.m., FX. This started as a light, bright tale, then turned brutal. Now the manic Mansell is pitted against Raylan (Timothy Olyphant, shown here), the stoic U.S. marshal who is sleeping with Mansell’s lawyer. Both men have been hauled away by mobsters, while cops are framing someone else for Manseill’s murders. It’s a complicated story that seems to end early, then re-starts, then DOES end early, leaving room for some warm surprises. Read more…

1) “Claim to Fame” finale, 8 and 9 p.m., ABC. There have been plenty of wrong guesses this year, most aimed at Chris (shown here, left). Despite obvious clues – teen idol, puppy love, Utah, many-colored dreamcoat — people guessed he was related to Elvis Presley, Elton John and Billy Idol. They also linked Karsyn with the wrong race-car driver, Jeff Gordon. Now both remain, with Gabriel (shown here, right) and Monay. One person is ousted the first hour, two more in a fun finale. Read more…

1) “Running Wild With Bear Grylls,” season-finales, 8 and 9 p.m., National Geographic Channel. For eight seasons, Grylls has taken celebrities to harsh places. Now he has takes Daveed Diggs to a desert and then Tatiana Maslany (“Black Orphan”) to rappel down a mountain. Before that, the rest of the season reruns. Starting at 2 p.m., it will be Rita Ora, Russell Brand, Troy Kotsur, Cynthia Erivo, Benedict Cumberbatch and Bradley Cooper (shown here). Read more…

1) College football, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC. For most schools, the season starts next weekend. Each year, however, two historically Black colleges gets a one-week jump. This time, South Carolina State (3-8 last year) faces Jackson State, which was 12-0 in the regular-season (with an average score of 38-11), before losing a bowl game. Now its coach (Deion Sanders) and its star quarterback (his son Shedeur, shown here) have switched to Colorado. Read more…

1) “Great Performances,” 9 p.m., PBS. Each year, PBS wraps up its summer with this elegant Vienna concert. This year, Yannick Nezet-Seguin (shown here at a previous concert) conducts, opening with numbers from “Carmen” – the first show he led at the Metropolitan Opera. Elina Garanca sings beautifully … then returns for two more numbers. Things slow down at times, but close with “Bolero” – beautifully illustrated by silhouette dancers –and, as always, a Strauss waltz. Read more…