Mike Hughes on TV

1) “Academy of Country Music Honors,” 8-10 p.m., Fox. This is a night to honor generations of country stars. There are the veterans – Clint Black, Tim McGraw, Mary Chapin Carpenter and the late Charlie Daniels – and newer arrivals, Kane Brown, Chris Stapleton (shown here) and Breland. Carly Pearce hosts; the line-up has Keith Urban, Lady A, Lee Brice, Trisha Yearwood, Billy Ray Cyrus, Sara Evans, Priscilla Block, Chris Janson, Anne Wilson, and more. Read more…

1) “Yellowstone opener,” 8:30 to 10:30 p.m., CBS. On a shaky channel — the Paramount Network, formerly the Nashville Network, National Network and Spike – this became a ratings triumph. Written and produced by Taylor Sheridan and starring Kevin Costner (shown here), it’s a modern western, with taut dialog, strong characters and sprawling settings. Now it moves to CBS (also owned by Paramount) to rerun the entire series, starting with the two-hour opener. Read more…

1) “48 Hours” season-opener, 9 and 10 p.m., CBS. It’s the 36th season for the show, with most of that time spent on true-crime tales. Erin Moriarty, for instance, has been covering the Gilgo Beach murders since 2010. This is the show’s sixth report on the case, now adding an interview with a co-worker of Rex Heuermann, the arrested suspect who’s shown here. The second hour probes the murders of four Idaho State students. Read more…

1) “American Masters,” 9-10:30 p.m., PBS. Jerry Brown kept defying traditions. He was California’s youngest governor (36) and its oldest (80 when his term ended). He was a Catholic seminarian, a student of Buddhism, a rock-type star who dated Linda Ronstadt (they’re shown here). He had three failed runs for president and one for Senate – then rebounded. But he was consistent in some areas, especially climate. It’s a fascinating story that (after a bumbling start) is well-told. Read more…

1) “Buddy Games” debut, 9 p.m., CBS. There will be way too many reality shows this fall, but the first arrival is fun. Josh Duhamel (shown here), a TV and movie star, returns home to Montana each summer, to play odd games with his friends. Now he’s producing and hosting a TV version. The teams are varied – cops, beauty queens, Roller Derby women, LGBTQ, etc. The games are big and broad; at times, people are muddy, messy, naked, tired and quite cheerful. Read more…