1) Football. The first full day of the college season is Saturday, but lots of teams are starting early, including three at 8 p.m. ET on national TV. Fox has North Carolina (shown here), 8-5 last season, and Minnesota, 6-7 … ESPN has Colorado, with the father-son Sanders duo, and North Dakota State … CBS Sports Network has Coastal Carolina and Jacksonville State. Read more…
1) “Toby Keith: American Icon,” 9-11 p.m., NBC. By one count, Keith (shown here) had 42 top-10 country songs, including 20 at No. 1. In a tribute to Keith (who died of cancer at 62), his music is sung by Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Lainey Wilson, Darius Rucker, Trace Adkins, Ashley McBryde, Jamey Johnson and more. Read more…
1) “American Masters,” 8-9:30 p.m., PBS. Blake Edwards was known for cinema silliness — “Pink Panther” films (shown here), “The Great Race,” lots of sight gags. But before that was “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” later came films (including “10”) reflecting his depression and mid-life crisis. Here’s a superb portrait of a talented and complicated guy. Read more…
1) “The Bachelorette,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. Jenn Tran (shown here) takes her final three guys — Devin Strader,.Marcus Shoberg and Jonathon Johnson – to Hawaii. After dates via boat, Jeep and helicopter, she invites them for separate “overnight dates.” Tuesday brings the “Men Tell All” episode, setting up next week’s two-night finale. Read more…
1) “Orphan Black: Echoes” season-finale, 10:07 p.m., AMC and BBC America. A once-promising season spirals into despair. Yes, the slow, pensive style has drawn great performances from Keeley Hawes, Krysten Ritter (shown here) and Amanda Fix. Now, however, that approach creates trouble; people sputter and stall, as disaster nears. Read more…
1) Football, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC. Most years, the season starts with a focus on HBCU (historically Black college and university) teams. This time, Florida A&M (shown here) — last year’s HBCU champion with a 12-1 record — faces Norfolk State, which was 3-8 last year. 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. Read more…
1) Baseball, 7:15 p.m. ET, Fox. While other networks cover the Democratic convention, Fox will go with (varying by region) Braves-Phillies or Astros-Orioles. And at 7 and 9:30 p.m., TruTV has “Field of Dreams” (shown here, 1989), the beautifully written gem that has Kevin Costner build a baseball diamond in his corn field. Read more…
1) “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” 8 p.m., ABC. Last week, Ike Barinholtz established himself as an overall champion. Already the “Celebrity Jeopardy” winner, he linked with his dad (shown here) to win a million dollars for charity on this show. Today’s guests include Jeff Ross and host Jimmy Kimmel’s cousin Sal. Read more…
1) “The Conners,” 8-10 p.m., CW. As the Democratic convention continues, CW – no news division, no responsibilities – offers an alternative, with “Conners” reruns today and Thursday. Together, they provide the final six episodes of 2020: Harris struggles, Darlene changes jobs, Dan and Louise (shown here) get closer. Read more…
