Best-bets for July 18: Dark gems on “Monday,” “Masterpiece”

1) “Black Monday,” 10 p.m., Showtime. The humor grows as the cast shrinks, one murder at a time. Now it’s Blair (shown hee, cente) who thinks his heiress wife will kill him … a move that many others would approve. There are great scenes here – a wayward surprise party, a reflection on “pansexual” – that can jump from big laughs to drama in an instant. This dark gem follows a surprisingly sweet “The Chi,” at 9: Kevin, Papa and Emmett try to retrieve romances they once had; Kiesha ponders a new one. Read more…

1) “Black Monday,” 10 p.m., Showtime. The humor grows as the cast shrinks, one murder at a time. Now it’s Blair (shown here, center) who thinks his heiress wife will kill him … a move that many others would approve. There are great scenes here – a wayward surprise party, a reflection on “pansexual” – that can jump from big laughs to drama in an instant. This dark gem follows a surprisingly sweet “The Chi,” at 9: Kevin, Papa and Emmett try to retrieve romances they once had; Kiesha ponders a new one.

2) “Dead Pixels” season-opener, 9:30 p.m., CW. Ever since the pandemic began, this mini-network has harvested good shows from other English-speaking countries. Last week, it introduced the dry wit of New Zealand’s “Wellington Paranormal”; tonight’s quietly funny episode (9 p.m.) has the cops confront some partygoing ghosts. Then is the second season of an English show in which likable (if odd) young adults obsess over a videogame. Last season, they finally beat it; now a new edition arrives.

3) “Masterpiece: Unforgotten,” 9 p.m., PBS. This six-parter started last week with a jolt for Cassie: Battered emotionally, she wanted to retire; she was told she had to stay thee more months or lose her pension. Now she’s fascinated by her final case – a partial body (preserved for 30 years), linked to a former cop trainee and others, not yet identified. It’s a terrific story; “Professor T,” which follows at 10 p.m., is OK, compared to its drab opener last week; this time, the somber prof has a personal link.

4) “Jeusalem: City of Faith and Fury” opener, 10 p.m. ET, CNN, rerunning at 1 a.m. Ewan McGregor narrates this six-week documentary (with re-enactments). The opener includes David’s battle with Goliath and his rise to the throne. That’s surounded by “History of the Sitcom”: Last week’s hours are at 8 (comedies about families) and 11 (sex and sexuality) ET. A new one – about “Friends” and friendship, not family, being a new focus – is at 9 p.m., rerunning at midnight.

5) ALSO: It’s a crowded night everywhere. Discovery has its final day of “Shark Week,” pausing it from 8-10 p.m. to start the sequel to its gorgeous “Serengeti” series. Another documentary series, “The 100-Foot Wave,” is 10 p.m. on HBO, following the second episode of “White Lotus” at 9. Two cable series debut at 8 – Showtime’s “The End” and Starz’s “Power Book III: Raising Kanan.” Two more continue at 9 – TNT’s “Animal Kingdom” and AMC’s “Kevin Can (bleep) Himself.”

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