Best-bets for Aug. 23: zesty concert and lotsa movies

1) “Great Performances,” 9-10:30 p.m., PBS. Amid the beauty of an Austrian palace (shown here), Here’s a high-octane concert by the Vienna Philharmonic. Conductor Andris Nelsons opens with Wagner, closes with waltzes and has propulsive numbers in between, led by “Sabre Dance.” Lise Davidsen, who often sings of death and despair, gets a burst of Verdi joy. Read more…

1) “Great Performances,” 9-10:30 p.m., PBS. Amid the beauty of an Austrian palace (shown here), Here’s a high-octane concert by the Vienna Philharmonic. Conductor Andris Nelsons opens with Wagner, closes with waltzes and has propulsive numbers in between, led by “Sabre Dance.” Lise Davidsen, who often sings of death and despair, gets a burst of Verdi joy.

2) Comedy movies. There are some clever moments and some silly ones. AMC has the first two “Police Academy” films at 8 and 10 pm. IFC has “Vacation” at 6:30, surrounded by its sequels – “Christmas,” 4:15; “European,” 8:45; “Vegas,” 10:45.

3) “A Man For All Seasons,” 8 p.m. ET. Adapting his own brilliant play, Robert Bolt wrote a towering story of honesty amid duress. He won an Oscar; the movie won five more, including best picture, actor (Paul Scofield) and director (Fred Zinnemann).

4) “Pachinko,” Apple TV+. It’s the second season for this sprawling Korean drama, with English subtitles. That wraps a great week for Apple, which had the season-finale of the clever “Time Bandits” (which is family-friendly) and continued the zesty “Bad Monkey” (which isn’t).

5) “Blue Bloods,” 10 p.m., CBS. While Danny probes hospital deaths, his brother Jamie goes after scammers who cheat the elderly. That’s a rerun, following new hours of “Lingo” and “Let’s Make a Deal.”

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