1) “Descendants: The Rise of Red,” 8 p.m., Disney Channel, repeating at 9:45. At first, this seems like it will be wonderful. There’s a vibrant musical chase scene with Red (Kylie Cantrall), then a potent song by her evil mom (Rita Ora, shown here). After that, this settles for being OK, with a time-travel plot, up-tempo songs and a so-so ending. Read more…
1) “Young Sheldon,” 9 p.m., CBS. A terrific rerun juggles two stories: Sheldon’s paper gets national attention, sparking a flurry of college recruiters. Also, his brother Georgie (shown here) tries to speak properly in front of the baby. That’s followed by a good “Ghost,” with someone claiming to be the real heiress to the manor. Read more…
1) Olympics. Track events (shown here on previous day) are live, from 9:20-10 a.m. and 1-4 p.m. ET on NBC, Also, U.S. teams compete in soccer (8:50 a.m.) and volleyball (3 p..m.) on the USA Network. And there’s lots of beach volleyball – 11 and 11:55 a.m., USA; noon and 4 p.m., NBC. Then comes NBC’s recap, from 8-11 p.m. Read more…
1) “Celebrity Family Feud,” 8 p.m. ABC. Here are the top runners-up in “American Idol” history. Clay Aiken lost to Ruben Studdard, then sold five million records, Katharine McPhee lost to Taylor Hicks, then starred in TV’s “Smash” and “Scorpion” (shown here).Both also reached Broadway. Now they compete; so do Fat Joe and “Fluffy” Iglesias. Read more…
1) Olympics: track-and-field. As the final week begins, there’s emphasis on track (shown here in a previous year). That’s live, 4-7:15 a.m. ET on the USA Network then 9-9:30 a.m. and 1:30-4 p.m. on NBC. It’s also in the nightly recap, from 8-11 p.m. Read more…
1) “Grantchester” season-finale, 9 p.m., PBS. The entire season has pointed toward this hour. Will Alphy (shown here) lose his vicarage? Will Leonard lose his lover? Will a charismatic stranger ruin lives? All of that (plus a murder) converges. The solutions come too easily, but richly drawn characters make up for flimsy plots. Read more…
1) “Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes,” 8 p.m., HBO. Taylor (shown here) had a life that was epic in every way – tabloid (widowed once, divorced seven times) … charitable (an early backer of AIDS causes … professional. She won two Oscars and did potent movies adapted from Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams (twice) and Edward Albee. This documentary uses 40 hours of audio tapes. Read more…
1) Olympics: track-and-field, NBC. This used to be the Olympics core. It gave us the stars – Jesse Owens, Wilma Rudolph, Jim Thorpe, Flo-Jo, Bruce Jenner, Rev. Bob Richards, Carl Lewis, Dick Fosbury, more. Now Americans prefer swimming, gymnastics and such, but it’s time for track (shown here in a previous Olympics) to begin That’s 10-10:40 a.m. and 1-4 p.m. ET, then in the 8-11 p.m. recap Read more…
1) Football, 8 p.m. ET, ABC and ESPN. A week before other pre-season games, here’s the Hall of Fame game. The Houston Texans, 11-8 last season, face the Chicago Bears, 7-10. Many teams avoid playing top quarterbacks pre-season, but the Bears have said Caleb Williams (shown here), the No. 1 draft pick, will get some action. Read more…
1) Olympics. There are medals today in swimming (2:15 p.m. ET, NBC) and individual gymnastics. Team events for the U.S. include women’s beach volleyball, 9 a.m., NBC; and men’s basketball (shown here in the opening win over Serbia), 1 p.m., USA. Also, triathlon on NBC; archery, women’s BMX, more on USA. Then it’s all repackaged, from 8-11 p.m. on NBC. Read more…
