1) “Grantchester” series finale, 9 p.m. PBS. For 11 seasons and three vicars, this series (shown here) has given us smart crime stories. The finale fumbles that a litttle; the search for the man who shot Geordie is so-so. It also overdoes a crisis-in-faith story … but then catches itself. In the final minutes, we’re remind that this is a terrific series, filled with beautifully layered people. Read more…
1) “America’s Got Talent,” 8-10 p.m., Tuesday, NBC. The show has already sent 28 acts to the live episodes, which start Aug. 18. Twelve are musical; five are acrobatic; others range from dancers to dogs. But now comes a new twist: Another 23 acts have “callbacks”; they perform now for individual judges, hoping for the final spots in the live shows. (Shown here is the dancing-robot act from the season-opener.) Read more…
1) “Teacher’s Pet” (1958) and “Lover Come Back” (1962), 3:45 and 8 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. An August tradition — focusing on one star each day — begins with Doris Day. She made lots of bland comedies, but these two had clever, Oscar-nominated scripts. (She’s shown here with Rock Hudson in “Lover.”) Dramas follow: “Midnight Lace” and Hitchcock’s “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” at 10 and midnight. Read more…
1) “Sharkzilla Takes New York,” 9 p.m., Discovery. On its second-to-last day, “Shark Week” brings out its catchiest titles. This hour involves the search for a legendary shark; it’s followed at 10 by “My Strange Shark Addiction,” viewing people whose lives revolve around this interest. There are reruns all day, plus “Secrets of the Great White” at 8. Read more…
It will be an early start for ABC shows this fall. Or a late one.
Coming early are football; “Dancing With the Stars,” with a two-night opener Sept. 14-15; and “R.J. Decker” (shown here), Sept. 15.
But “Grey’s Anatomy,” as usual, will be late; it starts Oct. 15, alongside the “9-1-1” shows. Much later will be a wave of shows waiting for mid-season, led by “High Potential,” “Will Trent” and “Shifting Gears.” Read more…
1) “Surviving Earth” season-finale, 8 p.m., NBC. After going back millions of years for previous episodes, this hour is almost contemporary. It begins a mere 12,000 years ago, with humans and mega-creatures sharing a planet that faces the double blow of ice and heat. Also, there are the sort of specific scenes that work so well in “The Americas” (shown hgere), but seem oddly specific amid computer graphics. Read more…
1) “MasterChef,” 8 p.m., Fox. Jessica Bosworth and Jesse Rosenwald (shown here) met as Boston bartenders, almost a decade ago. Last year (when the show shifted to duos), they won the $250,000 prize … and promptly got engaged. Now, in a castle, there’s a royal-style wedding dinner prepared by the 12 home chefs. Read more…
For sci-fi and fantasy fans, there’s no late-summer snooze.
Announcements keep emerging from Comic-Con in San Diego, some of them about shows that will arrive before September.
Earlier this week (see separate story), fans heard about current shows — “House of the Dragon.” “The Walking Dead: Dead City” and “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe” — plus “Lanterns,” which starts Aug. 16. They also heard of a November blitz that will bring entire seasons of “Blade Runner 2099” and “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.”
Then came a new round of news about “Futurama” (shown here) and others. Chronologically, that includes: Read more…
1) “NCIS: Origins” and “NCIS: Sydney,” 9-11 p.m., CBS. Last week, both were bumped when CBS decided to rerun its 50th “Survivor” season. “Survivor” continues on Wednesdays and a few Tuesdays, but this week the “NCIS” reruns return “Origins” (shown here) finds the future of the unit in jeopardy; on “Sydney,” a hospital ward is taken hostage. Read more…
1) “The 1% Club” and “The Quiz With Balls,” 8 and 9 p.m., Fox. Starting now, Fox will be a no-rerun zone on Mondays through Wednesdays. First, host Joel McHale (shown here in a previous episode) is surrounded by 100 female contestants. Then “Quiz” has a rematch of sorts, with two families that were on “Extracted.” Read more…
Best-bets for Aug. 2: Bogie, zombies and a farewell 
Best-bets for Aug. 1: A starry month begins 
Best-bets for July 31: chasing the moon, eluding the sharks 
