SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE: TOP 4 PERFORM: Top 4 contestants Sophie Pittman (R) and Gino Cosculleuela (L) perform a Jazz routine to “All Nite (Don’t Stop)” choreographed by Ray Leeper on SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE airing Monday, Sept. 9 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2019 Fox Media LLC. Cr: Adam Rose

Best-bets for Sept. 16: “Dance” ends, “Dancing” starts

1) “So You Think You Can Dance” finale, 8-10 p.m., Fox. As usual, this started with a rich blend of genres, from tap and ballroom to salsa and hip-hop. And as usual, contemporary dancers fill most of the final four. There are three – Sophie Pittman and Mariah Russell, from Tennessee, and Gino Cosculluela from Miami. The lone exception is Bailey Munoz, who’s a “b-boy” or breakdancer from Las Vegas. Read more…

1) “So You Think You Can Dance” finale, 8-10 p.m., Fox. As usual, this started with a rich blend of genres, from tap and ballroom to salsa and hip-hop. And as usual, contemporary dancers fill most of the final four. There are three – Sophie Pittman and Mariah Russell, from Tennessee, and Gino Cosculluela from Miami. The lone exception is Bailey Munoz, who’s a “b-boy” or breakdancer from Las Vegas.

2) “Dancing With the Stars” opener, 8-10 p.m., ABC. Mary Wilson used to be a Supreme … Sean Spicer was the White House spokesman … Lamar Odom was a basketball star, married to a Kardashian. Now the used-to-be’s try to become a dance champion. Also trying: football great Ray Lewis; singers Ally Brooke and Lauren Alaina; actors James Van Der Beek, Kel Mitchell and Kate Flannery; Hannah Brown of “Bachelorette”; Karamo of “Queer Eye” … and Sailor Brinkley-Cook, replacing her injured mom (Christie Brinkley, see separate item in “news and quick comment”).

3) “Country Music,” 8 p.m., PBS, rerunning at 10. This begins in 1933. Rural Americans, rarely rich, were being crushed by the Depression; with no money for records or concerts, radio kept country alive. There was the “National Barn Dance” in Chicago, the “Opry” in Nashville … and a station just over the Mexican border; it hired the Carters and blasted a mega-signal. This terrific chapter also traces the rise of singing cowboys and two country offshoots – Bill Monroe’s bluegrass and Bob Wills’ Texas swing.

4) “Taken Down,” any time, www.acorn.tv. Four minutes in, you may be hooked. Here is an award-winning actress most of us have never seen before. Born in Senegal and raised in France, Aissa Maiga is fluent in several languages … and deeply convincing as a Nigerian immigrant in Ireland. Eight years later, a murder case may involve one of her sons. It’s a compelling start to a six-part story with gifted actors, including Brian Gleeson (whose dad stars in “Mr. Mercedes”) as the iffy building manager.

5) Much more. The season-finale of “American Ninja Warrior” (8-10 p.m., NBC) overlaps a rerun of the series-finale of “Big Bang Theory” (8:30 pm., CBS. The latter has warmth, wit and surprises, as Sheldon and Amy get their Nobel Prize. It’s an overstuffed day, with new drama hours at 9 and 10 p.m. on AMC and HBO and a Beyonce special (see that “news and quick comment” item). And in some markets, life coach Mel Robbins launches her daily talkshow.

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