1) “Grown-ish” season-opener, 10 p.m., Freeform. The early seasons, the focus was on Zoey (shown here), but now it’s her brother Andre’s second year in college. Tonight, he’s nudged by his dad to choose a major and by his friends to go to a music festival … where he meets rapper NLE Choppa. It’s an ambitious half-hour with two so-so sories — Andre’s indecision and Kiela’s effort to schedule everyone’s fun. Read more…
1) “Gotham Knights” series-finale, 9 p.m., CW. This has had a sharp concept, strong visuals, attractive characters … and disastrous timing. Just as it debuted, CW (under new ownership) began dumping its fantasy shows. In “Knights,” Bruce Wayne (Batman) was killed and his adopted son was framed. On the lam, he linked with Joker’s daughter (they’re shown here0 and others. Now they try a dangerous rescue; also, Harvey Dent copes with his evil persona, “Two-Face.” Read more…
1) “The Bachelorette” opener, 9-11 p.m., ABC. Charity Lawson (shown here), 27, is a therapist with a master’s degree, so the show gives her lots professionals. The 25 guys (ages 24 to 33) include a doctor, a travel nurse, a medical specialist and two scientists. There’s an airplane pilot and a yacht captain, plus a tennis pro, a wrestling pro and a world record-holder: Chris Spell, 5-foot-9, had a vertical leap of 5-foot-7.
Read more…
Facing the bleak prospect of an unscripted TV season, viewers have some solace:
Yes, there are still some other countries in the world. Many of them speak English, just like we do (or even better). And yes, especially, there’s PBS.
The latest news is the fall line-up of “Masterpiece” mysteries, which fill PBS’ Sundays. It will include the second seasons of “World on Fire” (shown here in the first season) and “Annika,” the third of “Van der Valk” and the fifth of “Unforgotten.” If the past is any hint, these will be smart and involving, if a tad drab. Read more…
Sensing that it has a hit (a surprise one, maybe), Disney+ is taking an uncharacteristic step: It’s giving something away.
The streamer will put episodes of “American Born Chinese” (shown here) on other networks. That ranges from one hour on ABC (8 p.m. Saturday, June 24) to three on Hulu and Roku.
Some of this stays in the family: The Disney company owns Disney+ and ABC, plus two-thirds of Hulu. Still, it’s another good sign, for a show that has drawn strong reviews. Read more…
1) BET Awards, 8 p.m., BET. Nearing the 50th anniversary (Aug. 11) of the first hip hop event, BET calls this a “non-stop hip hop party.” It has the Sugar Hill Gang, which had the first top-40 rap single, in 1980. Others include MC Lyte (shown here), Ja Rule, Soulja Boy, Kid ‘N Play, Fat Joe, Big Daddy Kane, Chief Keef, DJ Unk, E-40, Fat Joe and more. Also performing are GloRilla (with six nominations, trailing only Drake), Coco Jones, Doeschii and more. Read more…
After seeming to abandon the first two months of summer, CBS has shifted slightly:
Beginning July 2, it will air the new season of “Tough as Nails” (shown here) at 8 p.m. Sundays and Fridays.
That Friday slot was once slated for a new reality show, “Superfan,” starting June 9. Then – with the possibility of a writers’ strike delaying the new season – CBS changed its plan: Its four summertime reality shows would wait until July 28, Aug. 2, Aug. 9 and Aug. 10, and would extend well into the fall.
That left the network with two months of reruns, colliding with new reality shows on its competitors. Now “Tough as Nails” will fill some of that void. Read more…
1) “Keyshia Cole: This Is My Life,” 8 p.m. and midnight, Lifetime. Cole’s first six albums were in the top-10, two of them reaching No. 2. More difficult was re-connecting with her mother (who, struggling with addiction, let friends adopt her at 2) and sisters and finding her dad. Cole (shown here) plays herself, with Debbi Morgan as her mom. That follows reruns of two well-acted Mary J. Blige productions, “Real Love” and “Strength of a Woman,” at 4 and 6 p.m. Read more…
1) “The Bachelorette” opener, 9-11 p.m. today, ABC. Charity Lawson (shown here), 27, is a therapist with a master’s degree, so the show gives her lots of professionals as potential mates. The 25 guys (ages 24 to 33) include a doctor, a travel nurse, a medical specialist and two scientists. There’s an airplane pilot and a yacht captain, plus a tennis pro, a wrestling pro and (really) a jumper: Chris Spell, who’s 5-foot-9, set a world record with a vertical leap of 5-foot-7. Read more…
1) “Will Trent,” 8 p.m., ABC. Fridays have become the best night for drama reruns. There are the CBS ones, now joined by this sharp show. Will (Ramon Rodriguez,shown here) is a Georgia Bureau of Investigation detective, short on people skills. He’s hated by most cops, secretly loved by one (Erika Christensen). In this strong second half of the series-opener, a kidnapped teen is the daughter of an enemy/friend (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) from their days in juvenile hall. Read more…
Best-bets for Nov. 19: surfers, vampires and da Vinci 
Best-bets for Nov. 17: As “Yellowstone” nears the end, new show arrives 
Best-bets for Nov. 16: great “Grinch,” awesome “Oz” 
