Month: September 2020

1) “America’s Got Talent,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. Five spots remain in the 10-person finals; now 11 acts compete for them. There are lots of singers – Celina Graves (shown here), Cristina Rae, Kenadi Dodds, Daneliya Tuleshova, Voices of Our City – and two dance acts, BAD Salsa and W.A.F.F.L.E. Crew. Also, a magician (Max Major), a daredevil (Jonathan Goodwin), a sword-swallower (Brett Loudermilk) and acrobats (Bello Sisters). Tonight, viewers vote; on Wednesday, we’ll learn who survives. Read more…

1) “Dancing With the Stars” opener, 8-10 p.m., ABC. There’s a new host (Tyra Banks) and ew judge (Derek Hough, shown here with Bindi Irwin, one of his six championships). There’s also a new approach, with dancers being distanced from everyone except their partners. The line-up includes Carole Baskin, the animal activist from “Tiger King”; Kaitlyn Bristowe, a former “Bachelorette”; and skater Johnny Weir. Also, athletes (Charles Oakley, Vernon Davis), musicians (Nelly, A.J. McLean), actors (Jesse Metcalfe, Anne Heche, Skai Jackson, Justina Machado) and more. Read more…

1) “Masterpiece: Van der Valk” debut, 9 p.m., PBS. The season’s first scripted show is a winner – a smart and well-crafted mystery with fresh settings. All the key people are British, including the novelist who created the characters and the actors who play them, led by Marc Warren (shown here). Still, this is set in Amsterdam, providing a fresh look … and a lot of bicycles. The opener starts with a wild bike chase, then shows the main crime. It pauses for humor (as Van der Valk meets his new aide), then eyes art, politics and romance. Read more…

1) “Coastal Elites,” 8-9:30 p.m., HBO, rerunning at 11:20. In the right hands, a pandemic can seem fun. Paul Rudnick (“Sister Act,” “Addams Family Values”) wrote monologues about social-distanced live; five gifted actors then did them in a social-distance way. Kaitlyn Dever plays an idealistic youmg nurse from Wyoming; Bette Midler plays an angry old New Yorker. Dan Levy plays a neurotic actor, Issa Raye plays a rich kid and Sarah Paulson (shown here) plays the star of the internet’s “Mindful Meditations.” Read more…

1) 9/11 documentaries, all day, History. On the 19th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks (shown her, here’s a 21-hour marathon. That includes two new hours, looking at the final two planes – one hitting the Pentagon, the other crashing in a Pennsylvania field. The rest are reruns, starting with efforts to rebuild on the site (7 a.m.) and to find the flag that was hoisted there (8). Especially moving are “Escape From the Tower” and “102 Minutes that Changed America,” at 4 and 6 p.m Read more…

1) Football season-opener, 8:20 p.m ET., NBC. This is just what we need now – the full-scale fun and fury of pro football. It starts with Patrick Mahomes (shown here) and the champion Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Houston Texans, which almost stopped them en route to last year’s Super Bowl. All of the other teams play Sunday (including the Rams and Cowboys at night on NBC) or in an ESPN doubleheader Monday. And on Saturday, we have the first full – well, semi-full – day of college football. Read more…