Mike Hughes on TV

1) “Time Bandits” opener, Apple TV+. Kevin is a likable Sheldon-esque lad. He recites fun facts and is ignored by everyone, including his family. Then time-trekking outlaws arrive. Adapted from a 1981 film, this gets a great boost from the creators of “What We Do in the Shadows” and from Lisa Kudrow (shown here, center, next to Kevin) as the bandits’ sorta-leader. Read more…

1) “America’s Got Talent” (shown here), 8-10 p.m., NBC. It’s a turning point for the season, wrapping up eight weeks of auditions. After tonight, the show takes a two-week Olympic break before switching to its live episodes, with viewers voting. There will be five semi-finals (Tuesdays and Wednesdays), setting up the Sept. 18 finale. Read more…

1) “61st Street” season-opener, 9 p.m., CW. AMC filmed two seasons of this deeply layered story, with Courtney B. Vance (above) as a Chicago lawyer – but only aired the first one. More than two years later, we see the second on a different network. It’s tough, with a brutal assault and emphasis on the attacker, propelling the lawyer down a lonely road. Read more…

1) “D.I. Ray’ season-finale,, 10 p.m., PBS. Slowly and solemnly, this season has unfolded two stories. Ray (Parminder Nagra, shown here, best-known for “ER”) has probed a murder involving two crime families, plus an internal story, involving a police conspiracy. Now both end solidly. Read more…

1) “Mammals,” 8-9:23 p.m., BBC America. In Chile, sea lions stroll a marina, snacking from fish merchants. In Singapore, otters cavort in pools; in Zimbabwe, elephants walk the streets at night. These are pleasant portraits of the “new wild,” adding humans. But there are also nasty moments – dogs confront the seals (shown here), farmers drain hippos’ water holes. Read more…