1) “Agents of SHIELD” season-opener, 10 p.m. Wednesday, ABC. In a summer devoid of new Marvel and DC movies, TV steps in. DC has the likable new “Stargirl” at 8 p.m. Tuesdays on CW; Marvel has this show’s seventh and final season. The team suddenly finds itself in 1931 New York City (shown here), with its ship ready to time-jump at any moment. It must figure out what happened, before the past, present and future face disaster. To lure us in, ABC has Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” (2014), from 8-10 p.m.
2) “Game On” debut, 8 p.m. Wednesday, CBS. At its best, summer TV tends to be loud, flashy and fun; at its worst, it’s just loud. This one leans to the good side, as top athletes – Rob Gronkowski and Venus Williams – lead teams. Aided (somewhat) by Bobby Lee, Ian Karmel and two guests (Gabriel Iglesias and J.R. Smith), they try bizarre things. Gronk pedals a stationary bike superfast and (with Lee) pushes against someone billed as the world’s strongest man. It’s fast and foolish and oddly entertaining.
3) “America’s Got Talent” season-opener, 8-10 p.m. Tuesday, NBC. Here’s the summertime champion, both in ratings and in commotion. The early rounds reflect the good old days, with lively crowds. For later rounds, however, there will be social-distancing, with the judges – Sofia Vergara joins Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum and Howie Mandell – and performers in separate locations. That worked fine for individual singers on “Idol” and “Voice”; we’ll see how it might go for a troupe of acrobatic jugglers.
4) “Grant,” 9 p.m., today through Wednesday, History; rerunning at about 11. After scoring with its George Washington profile, History has another soldier-turned-president. Like “Washington,” this is a documentary that uses dramatic re-creations. The differences are stark: U.S. Grant grew up modestly and had troubles with alcohol and business failures. A so-so student at West Point, he became a strong battle leader and the fourth (and only successful) head of the Union Army, then became president.
5) “Barkskins” debut, 6 and 7:03 p.m. PT today, National Geographic; rerunning at 8:03 p.m. and 9:03. First, we must face our disappointment that “Genius: Aretha” was postponed until fall. Then we can settle into an eight-hour tale that’s grim and brutal, but beautifully crafted. Author Annie Proulx (“The Shipping News, “Brokeback Mountain”) is descended from French settlers who arrived 15 years after the Mayflower. This story tells of indentured servitude, mail-order brides and a scheming land grab.
6) “Saving Private Ryan” (1998), 9:30 a.m. today, AMC. Memorial Day is full of military movies, starting with Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece. AMC also has “American Sniper” (2014) at 4:30 p.m. and “Top Gun” (1986) at 7:30. Sundance includes “The Big Red One” (1980) at 1 p.m. and “Dirty Dozen” (1967) at 9:30. Turner Classic Movies also has “Dirtty Dozen” (at 11:15 a.m.), plus moving stories of life after war – “Best Years of Our Lives” (1946) at 5 p.m. PT and “Coming Home” (1978) at 10 p.m.
7) “The Genetic Detective” debut, 10 p.m. Tuesday, ABC. For three decades, the case was unsolved and, maybe, unsolvable. After traveling from Vancouver, a young couple was killed near Seattle. This wasn’t something linked to family, friends or enemies. Then the case went to CeCe Moore and her computer; two hours later, she had a suspect. Moore – a former actress and model – pioneers a method that follows DNA through family trees. In some cases (including here) it has brought convictions.
8) “Council of Dads,” 8 p.m. Thursday, NBC. There’s a lot of summer silliness, so it’s refreshing to see a drama in the “This Is Us” mode. After taking a week off (for “Red Nose Day”), “Dads” is back with new worries. Christmas is coming and Robin feels lost: She’s a doctor; her late husband was the fun one who brightened the kids. He appointed three “dads” to help, but they’re floundering. Oliver (also a doctor) struggles with the transgression of one of the boys, Peter; also, Theo has shaky new influences.
9) “Celebrity Family Feud” season-opener, 8 p.m. Sunday, ABC. Each summer, ABC thrives with rebooted versions of classic game shows. Now (after one Snnday of reruns), they start their seasons. On “Feud,” Steve Harvey has the old and new “Queer Eye” casts At 9 p.m., Elizabeth Banks hosts “Press Your Luck.” At 10., Alec Baldwin’s “Match Game” has TV detectives (Angie Harmon, Michael Chiklis, Jennifer Esposito, Melissa Fumero, Adam Rodriguez) and, inexplicably, Mario Cantone.
10) Also: At 9 p.m. Tuesday, PBS debuts a strong and disturbing documentary, “Viral: Anti-Semitism in Four Mutations.” On the light side, Wednesday brings the debut of a streaming mega-service: HBO Max starts with HBO hits (“Sopranos,” “Game of Thrones”), adding cartoons (Looney Tunes, Hana-Barbera, Cartoon Network), BBC shows (“Luther,” “Doctor Who”), old films (“Casablanca,” “Wizard of Oz”), new shows, DC superheroes and comedy classics (“Friends,” “Big Bang,” “South Park”).