Best-bets for Aug. 24: Perky politics, sexy singles

1) Republican convention, 8-11 p.m. ET, PBS; 10 p.m., ABC, CBS and NBC; all night, news channels. There may be a fairly quiet start today (with official business in Charlotte, N.C.) and a high-decibel finish Thursday (with Donald Trump at the White House. The program starts at 9 p.m. ET today and 8:30 p.m. on other days and will bealot like the 2016 convention (shown here), but with fewer balloons, fewer people and less … well, everything. Speakers scheduled include Melania Trump on Tuesday and Mike Pence on Wednesday, plus Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Joni Ernst, Kevin McCarthy, Kristi Noem and others. Read more…

1) Republican convention, 8-11 p.m. ET, PBS; 10 p.m., ABC, CBS and NBC; all night, news channels. There may be a fairly quiet start today (with official business in Charlotte, N.C.) and a high-decibel finish Thursday (with Donald Trump at the White House. The program starts at 9 p.m. ET today and 8:30 p.m. on other days and will bealot like the 2016 convention (shown here), but with fewer balloons, fewer people and less … well, everything. Speakers scheduled include Melania Trump on Tuesday and Mike Pence on Wednesday, plus Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Joni Ernst, Kevin McCarthy, Kristi Noem and others.

2) “Love Island” season-opener, 8-10 p.m., CBS. Only in an odd world would a presidential convention begin at the same time as a show about sexy singles who look great in swimwear. “Love Island” was a hit last summer, then hesitated; now it follows the “Big Brother” path: After two weeks of isolation, strangers share a festive turf; in this case, the “island” is actually a Las Vegas resort. After tonight’s opener, this will air at 9 p.m. daily (except Wednesdays), with two-hour recaps on Saturdays.

3) “The King’s Speech” (2010), 8-10 p.m., Fox. Next Monday, the National Geographic Channel has a richly detailed profile of Queen Elizabeth II. First, lets catch this beautifully crafted view of her father, who overcame shyness and a speech impediment. It won the Academy Awardfor best-picture, plus Oscars for its script, its director and star Colin Firth.

4) “Love in the Time of Corona,” 8:15 to 11 p.m., Freeform. The debut was spread over two nights, but now the full story reruns in one gulp. It has four loosely connected tales, each filmed in actors’ own homes, with family members (or, in one case, people in the same “bubble”) together. Most moving is a retired teacher, having video dinnertime with her husband, who’s in a nursing home. Most fun is the tale of young roommates – gay man, straight woman – and the hunky guy in a nearby apartment.

5) “Family Business,” any time, www.acorn.tv. This likable French series (with English sub-titles) is in the style of an American law show, with zest and zip. The opener tells a serious story (a couple sues to visit its granddaughter) and a light one (a divorce suit stalls when both sides want the odorous dog). It also offers quick office scenes and personal stories. They center on the firm’s founder and her daughter, a lawyer who faces complications and decisions at home.

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