1) “Tulsa King,” 8 p.m., CBS. It’s time for a showdown, with Dwight (Sylvester Stallone, shown here) and his crew facing Waltrip and his motorcycle gang. Also, a flashback shows why Dwight went to prison, 25 years ago. That wraps the first season; the second starts next Sunday on Paramount+, where this episode aired 20 months ago. Read more…
1) “Ghost” (1990), 6 p.m., CMT; 6:45, Showtime. The world seems to really want us to see Demi Moore (shown here) and Patrick Swayze film, airing it on two networks. It is a good one, richly romantic. More romance is available all day on Hallmark (including Lacey Chabert’s new “His & Hers” at 8) and on Great American Family. Read more…
1) “WWE SmackDown,” 8-10 p.m. Friday. Virtually every week for five years, this has been Fox’s Friday show. Even during summers, strikes and Covid, it’s been there. Now that ends; next week, “SmackDown” (shown here) returns to the USA Network. It’s been there before, and at UPN, CW, Syfy and MyNetwork. Read more…
1) Football, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC, with pre-game at 7. The pro season opens with a classic rematch. The Baltimore Ravens sailed through last season with a 13-4 record, won the divisional playoffs 34-10, then sputtered; the Kansas City Chiefs (shown here), 11-6, won 17-10 and then won the Super Bowl. Now it’s Ravens-Chiefs time again. Read more…
1) “The Real CSI Miami” season-finale, 9 p.m., CBS. A young mom was killed by someone in a clown costume, in front of her son. Almost 30 years later, DNA cracked the case; Lou Sessa (shown here) and other agents discuss the case. That hour (originally set for last week) is the season’s last new episode. But at 10, a rerun relates the murder of heiress/patron Jill Halliburton Su. Read more…
1) The Bachelorette” finale, 8-11 p.m., ABC. Jenn Tran (shown here) is down to her final two guys. Tran, 26, who is near her Master’s degree to become a physician’s assistant, might choose Marcus Shoberg, 31, a former Army Ranger, or Devin Strader, 28, who owns a freight company. Then she’ll reflect in “After the Rose.” Read more…
1) “English Teacher” debut, 10 and 10:32 p.m., FX; rerunning at 11:06. In a liberal sub-section of Texas (suburban Austin), Evan is a proudly gay teacher. Most people are fine with it, but issues appear: Kissing his boyfriend? A drag show? This sounds heavy, but writer-star Brian Alvarez (left) keeps it funny, with a great supporting cast. Read more…
1) “The Chosen” season-opener, 8 p.m., CW. Already a hit online, this series adds a broadcast network for its fourth (of seven) eight episode season. “Chosen” (shown here) traces Jesus and the people nearby; any stiffness in the dialog is redeemed by skilled filming (in Texas and Utah) and acting. Tonight includes the death of John the Baptist. Read more…
1) College football. The first full day of the season starts with the top-rated teams. Georgia (No. 1), shown here, hosts Clemson (No. 14), at noon ET on ABC. Then Ohio State (No. 2) hosts Akron at 3:30 on CBS. There’s more, including, at 7:30, Notre Dame-Texas A&M (ABC), UCLA-Hawaii (CBS), Fresno State-Michigan (NBC). Read more…
1) “The Fall Guy,” Peacock. This has it all – great action, clever dialog, likable stars and a solid plot. Still, it had so-so box-office ($178 million worldwide), not enough for its budget. Ryan Gosling (shown here) plays a stunt man, with Emily Blunt as his director and ex-lover. The stunts are great – and you can choose a version with 20 minutes extra Read more…
