Best-bets for Aug. 2: Olympians, lovers, killers

1) Olympics. Track-and-field used to dominate the Olympics, creating heroes (Jesse Owens, Bob Richards, Bruce Jenner, Carl Lewis) and legends. And now? The first week was awash in swimmers and gymnasts; track finally began this weekend. Live events today are 4-11 a.m. ET on Peacock (including six finals) and after 8 p.m. on NBC (four finals) and CNBC (two finals). Also at night, NBC has key women’s events, live (beach volleyball, shown here) and rerun (soccer semi-finals and gymnastics floor finals). Read more…

1) Olympics. Track-and-field used to dominate the Olympics, creating heroes (Jesse Owens, Bob Richards, Bruce Jenner, Carl Lewis) and legends. And now? The first week was awash in swimmers and gymnasts; track finally began this weekend. Live events today are 4-11 a.m. ET on Peacock (including six finals) and after 8 p.m. on NBC (four finals) and CNBC (two finals). Also at night, NBC has key women’s events, live (beach volleyball, shown here) and rerun (soccer semi-finals and gymnastics floor finals).

2) “The Bachelorette,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. A week before the finale, there’s lots of work to do. Last week, Michael Allio – 36, a widower and the only guy older than Katie Thurston, 30 – quit after a tender talk with his son, who missed him. That leaves Blake Moynes, 30, a Canadian wildlife manager; and two sales guys — Greg Grippo, 27, and Justin Glaze, 26. Still remaining are the hometown visits and the separate nights when each man is invited to an overnight date; quite often, the guy says yes.

3) “Jack Irish” finale, any time, www.acorn.tv. Through three movies and three mini-series, this has crafted some great Australian TV. Guy Pearce plays Jack, who was a straight-arrow lawyer until his wife was killed 20 years ago. Now he’s a disheveled private-eye, with a young son he rarely sees and occasional flings with an intense reporter (Marta Dusseldorp, a star of four other Aussie series). All of that meshes together now, with a fortune at stake. The result, well-crafted, is emotionally compelling.

4) “Roswell, New Mexico,” 8 p.m., CW. Last week’s season-opener – a good one – was filled with jolts: Max is a clone – the original is now trapped in a bubble – and is dying. A thug has just realized the identity of Rosa – who was resurrected a decade after her death. Meanwhile, Rosa’s sister Liz is in Los Angeles, finding scientific breakthroughs and maybe romance. Now her research forces her to face her past; also, Michael and Isobel scramble for a way to save Max.

5) “Celebrity Dating Game,” 10 p.m., ABC. This repeats one touch the original “Dating Game” didn’t have: Margaret Cho asks questions to both men and women, with no specific preference. The other celebrity is Chris Kattan, formerly of “Saturday Night Live,” whose preference is female.

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