1) “Descendants: Wicked Wonderland,” 8 p.m., Disney Channel; repeats at 9:45. Four movies — each with upbeat songs and dazzling visuals — have centered on the offspring of Disney villains. The fourth introduced Red (the talented Kylie Cantrall); now — aided by Chloe (Malia Baker, shown here with Cantrell) — sge tries to rescue her mom (Rita Ora). Also, new character arrive, including one played by Awkwafina. Read more…
Is the world ready to see “Survivor 50” (shwon here) again?
We’ll find out soon. Beginning Monday (July 20), CBS plans to rerun the entire season in one rush, between now and Sept. 15.
That’s 13 episodes, nine them 90 minutes and four of them longer. The 90-minute ones fit neatly behind the Wednesday editions of “Big Brother,” which has two previous “Survivor” contestants (Rick Devin and Season 45 winner Dee Valladares) in the house.
This 50th edition of “Survivor” was stuffed with high-profile contestants from the past. The schedule is: Read more…
1) “Nation’s Dumbest” debut, 9 p.m, Fox. Here’s an odd delight, filled with quirky touches. In a school setting, we meet 12 people, some considered brilliant — Andrew Yang, Drew Pinsky — and some not — Steve-O (shown here), Carmen Electra. They face tests of logic and knowledge, with surprising results. Jack Whitehall, the host, adds quiet wit and a British accent. Read more…
1) “Once Upon a Time in Space” opener, 9 p.m., PBS. For decades, the U.S. and Russia fought for space supremacy. Then — reluctantly, at first, in the Mir shuttle (shown here) — they merged. This is a huge story, told with third-party brilliance by British filmmakers. Over four Tuesdays, interviews with astronauts and their kin bring passion and surprising bursts of warmth and humor. Read more…
1) “Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro” debut, 8 p.m. ABC. This opener seems like an audience-grabber. It has a dozen dancers, two sweet-faced guys — Robert Irwin (shown here winning “Stars” with Witney Carson) hosting, Derek Hough as the first mentor — and a worthy prize: The winner gets a spot as one of the pros paired with celebrities on “Dancing With the Stars.” Tonight, the dancers work on jive and samba. Read more…
Let’s say you want to get an Emmy nomination for acting.
Talent and training help, I suppose. Still, choose your show carefully.
The Emmy nominations, announced this week, include 26 names for supporting and guest roles in a drama. Twelve of them were for “The Pitt” on HBO Max.
Supporting roles? “Pitt” has half of them — four of the seven actresses, that includes last year’s winner, Katherine LaNasa (shown here with Noah Wyle, plus Taylor Dearden, Fiona Dourif and Sepideh Moafi. It also includes hree of the seven actors — Shawn Hatosy, who won last year in a guest role, plus Patrick Ball and Gerran Howell. Read more…
1) “Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro” debut, 8 p.m. today, ABC. Here are all the elements of a ratings-leader: a dozen dancers … two sweet-faced guys, Robert Irwin as host and Derek Hough (shown here with the female contestants) as the first mentor … and a notable prize — a spot as one of the pros paired with celebrities on “Dancing With the Stars.” Tonight, the dancers work on jive and samba. Read more…
1) “The 1% Club” and “Animal Control,” 7 and 8:30 p.m., Fox. Joel McHale is a big plus for Fox, with both of these shows — a game (which resumes new episodes Monday) and a situation comedy. The latter rerun is uneven, but has great moments at the start (with Rob Gronkowski) and the end: As union rep, Frank (McHale, shown here) must defend his enemy, Templeton. Read more…
1) World Cup, 5 and 9 p.m. ET, Fox. By the end of the day, the Cup will have its final four. It’s Norway-England at 5 and Argentina-Switzerland at 9. Those match-up include Cup scoring leaders: After five games, Argentina’s Lionel Messi (shown here) and Norway’s Erling Haaland have 8 and 7 goals. Read more…
TV, we’re told, is a world where stars can come from anywhere.
Or — as Jeff Hiller put it today while announcing the Emmy nominations: “In Hollywood, talent can come in every height.”
As proof, Hiller (6-foot-5) was standing next to “Bear” co-star Liza Colon-Zayas (5-foot).
The nominations list did show that nominees can come from every size, shape and ethnicity … but not, alas, from every medium. Broadcast networks are virtually shut out from the award show they’ll air (Sept. 14 on NBC).
The exception, as usual, is ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” and its star, Quinta Brunson, again nominated for best comedy series and comedy actress, other than that, streamers or cable networks have all the nominees for: Read more…
Best-bets for July 16: Red returns; games collide 
Best-bets for July 15: sports plus dumbest delight 
Best-bets for July 14: stars of space and sports 
