1) “Nation’s Dumbest,” 9 p.m., Fox. The rest of this season is a search for the second-dumbest. Carmen Electra (shown here) has already proved herself as the bottom of the class. She failed frequently, was late for one test, skipped another and last week was “expelled.” She said she was brave to try the show, “not knowing so much stuff.” Jon Heder, who knows lots of stuff, won the round. Read more…
Like many 25-year-olds, the Hallmark Channel (shown here) has grand goals and ideals.
The details, however, remain a work in progress.
The ideals? “We’re here to put more care, positivity and goodness into the world,” said Darren Abbott, the Hallmark Media president.
A few years ago, that felt old-fashioned. Now it may be refreshingly retro.
“In a world where snark and darkness (are) the order of the day,” said Michelle Vicary, the head of programming, Hallmark finds “a different part of the human experience.” Read more…
1) “America’s Got Talent,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. The callbacks began last week, with Simon Cowell and Mel B each re-seeing six acts. He sent five (three singing, one dancing, one comedy) to the live shows that will start Aug. 18; she sent three (two singing, plus a mentalist duo). Now Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara (shown here, left and with arms raised, in a previous season) have their turns. Read more…
Some actors may grow up dreaming of Broadway or Hollywood or film-festival fame.
Not as many, perhaps, dream of Hallmark Channel movies. “I had no idea that Hallmark was more than a greeting-card store,” Andrew Walker (shown here with Rachel Boston) said.
But when they do start landing Hallmark roles, it can transform their careers. Just ask Niall Matter.
“It was at a time in my life when I had actually lost everything,” Matter told the Television Critics Association. “I was driving for Lyft because I couldn’t drive for Uber, because of my driving record.” Read more…
1) “All American,” 8 p.m., CW. It’s a sudden, stark turn for this story about friends and rivals at opposite high schools. At Crenshaw (shown here), an ICE raid affects Amina, Preach and Khalil deeply; at Beverly Hills, KJ and his football teammates try to help, soon facing consequences. And a press-conference moment threatens the friendship of the two coaches. Read more…
1) “House of the Dragon” season-finale, 9 p.m., HBO, rerunning at 10:15. The epic series (shown here) wraps its third season; if you haven’t been keeping up, there’s still time: The previous seven episodes start rerunning at 1:32 p.m., with last week’s episode at 7:50. Read more…
1) “The Americas,” 8 and 9 p.m. Thursday, NBC. The first rerun (with “fun facts” added) visits the Caribbean (shown here), with 7,000 islands sprawling over a million square miles; the second tells how the series was filmed. Both are superb; both include two compelling glimpses: Whales sleep vertically, then plunge to hunt; red crabs march to the sea, across a lethal road. Read more…
1) Steve McQueen marathon, Turner Classic Movies. McQueen was a great, raw talent who worked for top directors. Today has three John Sturges films — “Never So Few,” 6 a.m., ET; “The Magnificent Seven,” 12:45 p.m.; “The Great Escape,” 3 p.m. Norman Jewison’s “The Thomas Crown Affair is at 6, with (oddly) the low-budget “The Blob” (its poster is shown here) at 8. Read more…
As the Hallmark Channel celebrates its 25th birthday, it’s planning a lot of the same. A lot.
The cable network started on April 5, 2001, as an unlikely merger of three H’s — Henson (Jim, the Muppet man), Halmi (Robert, a movie/mini-series guy) and Hallmark, the greeting-card folks.
The others soon departed, but Hallmark kept growing. It has Christmas movies — roughly a zillion of them — and more, sometimes with tie-ins.
It’s again linking with pro-football (the Bears, this year) and with the Biltmore estate. It has also set a movie linking with Disney … which makes historical sense: Long ago, we’re told, Hallmark was one of the first businesses to license Mickey Mouse.
There’s also has a streaming service, Hallmark+ (currently with a Lacey Chabert mini-series, shown here). We’ll start there: Read more…
1) “Anna Pigeon” debut, 10 p.m. Friday, USA Network. Anna (Tracy Spiridakos of “Chicago P.D.”) has big-city roots and an arts degree. But after her husband was killed, she became a detective park ranger in Montana; now she finds life-and-death crises, including one (shown here) tonight. Despite flaws (dense boss, absurd failure to address injuries), it’s a strong story with solid, likable people. Read more…
Best-bets for Aug. 12: a search for second-dumbest? 
Best-bets for Aug. 11: “Talent” nears its live shows 
Best-bets for Aug. 10: ICE crisis; “Ninja” nationals 
