Daily Best Bets

1) What We Do in the Shadows,” 10 p.m., FX, rerunning at 10:36 and 11:12. This clever show often prefers the dry and droll – understated reactions to bizarre, vampires-in-Staten-Island situations. Not this time; instead, brash sight gags are piled high. There’s a two-faced head … a vampire in the stratosphere … and an LGBQ parade by a candidate (shown here) who isn’t even sure what the letters stand for. It’s not the usual “Shadows,” but it’s quite funny. Read more…

1) “CMA Fest” (shown here with Little Big Town), 8-11 p.m., ABC. This country concert has an arena-rock vibe. Guitars wail, crowds roar, the music is almost relentlessly high-octane. It’s always fun and, at scattered moments, more. We hear great songwriting (Jordan Davis’ “Buy Dirt,” Cody Johnson’s “’Til You Can’t”) and splendid combos. When Vince Gill and Luke Combs do “One More Last Chance” or Hardy and Lainey Wilson do “Wait in the Truck,” we’re at the heart of country. Read more…

1) “Justified: City Primeval” openers, 10 and 11:15 p.m., FX. Eight years after its finale, the terrific “Justified” series has been cleverly spliced onto another tale. Raylan (Timothy Olyphant, shown heree) isn’t in the “City Primeval” novel, but both were created by Elmore Leonard and they fit well. Raylan, from Kentucky, is whisked to Detroit with his troublemaking teen (well-played by Olyphant’s real daughter Vivian). There’s humor, violence and vivid characters. Read more…

1) “Cruel Summer,” 10 p.m., Freeform. This has become a surprisingly good show, with complex characters played by gifted young actors. Tonight’s episode (the 8th of 10) finally shows most of what happened the night Luke was killed. As usual, it also bounces to six months earlier and later. In some ways, the transition of Megan unrealistically extreme. Still, Sadie Stanley (shown here, second from left, in a previous episode) makes if believable. Read more…

1) “Ridley,” 8 p.m., PBS. In the first two stories (spread over four Sundays), we’ve started to know Ridley (played by Adrian Dunbar, shown here). He’s a retired cop whose wife and daughter were killed. He still consults on cases, but is also an occasional crooner who co-owns a bar. Now that becomes a key element: He falls for a singer, who asks him to find her brother. It’s an emotional tale (concluding next week), backed by great music. Read more…

1) WNBA all-star game, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC. The top women’s basketball players collide in prime time, with A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart as captains. They were the top vote-getters, with Brittney Griner (shown here) finishing third. It’s the ninth all-star selection for Griner, who is 32 and 6-foot-9. Bouncing back quickly from nine months in Russian prison, she’s been almost matching her 2021 season, when she averaged 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. Read more…

1) “Moonshine,” 9 p.m., CW. In last week’s opener, life imploded for Lidia (Jennifer Finnigan). A busy Manhattan architect, she returned home to Nova Scotia with her two teens, for her aunt’s memorial service. She promptly learned that she’d inherited 43 percent of her family’s crumbling resort … and that her husband is cheating, Now she’s decided to stay in this chaotic place (shown here), as secrets and suspicions persist. She tries to make changes, starting with the “Goat Roast.” Read more…

1) “The Blacklist” series finale, 8 and 9 p.m., NBC. For a decade, this has given us richly tangled stories centered on an enigmatic character. Using the assumed name “Red” Redington, he’s a master criminal who tips an FBI task force; James Spader (shown here) has had two Golden Globe best-actor nominations, playing someone a half-step ahead of life. Now we may learn his identity and the secrets he’s holding. Read more…

1) ESPY awards, 8-11 p.m., ABC. It’s time to honor the best in sports. For top male athlete, baseball’s Aaron Judge faces football’s Patrick Mahomes, basketball’s Nikola Jokic and soccer’s Lionel Messi. For women, skiier Mikaela Shiffrin (shown here) has her third nomination, facing A’ja Wilson (basketball), Sophia Smith (soccer) and Iga Swiatek (tennis). There’s much more … but, reportedly, no host or script, due to the writers’ strike. Read more…

1) Baseball All-Star Game, 8 p.m. ET, Fox. The American League arrives with an eight-game winning streak – and the overall home run leaders for this year (Shohei Ohtani, shown here) and last (Aaron Judge). The National League includes Luis Arraex, who has been hitting close to .400. Also in the National starting line-up are three Braves and three Dodgers; the American line-up has four Rangers and two Angels, including Mike Trout, in his 11th All-Star Game. Read more…