Best-bets for Aug. 3: Radcliffe soars; witches collide

1) “Miracle Workers: Oregon Trail,” 10:30 p.m., TBS. There’s a wondrous range to Daniel Radcliffe (shown here). Yes, he delivers the sweetness that made him perfect for Harry Potter; but he’s also a song-and-dance man, a Tony-nominee on Broadway. Now both skills surface: The Rev. Ezekiel (Radcliffe) wanders into a rough (albeit gentrified) saloon, takes a drink and transforms. It’s a great performance. Read more…

1) “Miracle Workers: Oregon Trail,” 10:30 p.m., TBS. There’s a wondrous range to Daniel Radcliffe (shown here). Yes, he delivers the sweetness that made him perfect for Harry Potter; but he’s also a song-and-dance man, a Tony-nominee on Broadway. Now both skills surface: The Rev. Ezekiel (Radcliffe) wanders into a rough (albeit gentrified) saloon, takes a drink and transforms. It’s a great performance.

2) “Motherland: Fort Salem,” 10 p.m., Freeform. Blessed (or cursed) with fierce powers, Raelle is suddenly the center of the universe. The Camarilla kidnapped her, trying to harvest her skills; others – the Army, the Spree, her long-absent mother – try to rescue her. There’s a convergence that also includes the vengeance mission of Abigail and Adil. The result is a strong and compelling tale of witches; like many of stories involving kidnapping and confinement, however, it’s also extremely violent and nasty.

3) Olympics. The morning is stuffed with live coverage. Peacock has seven finals (three gymnastics, four track-and-field) from 4-11 a.m.ET; USA has men’s quarter-finals at 8 a.m. (basketball) and 9:50 (volleyball). NBC repeats many of those in the afternoon (noon to 5 p.m. ET) or at night (after 8). Live coverage at night includes men’s beach volleyball (CNBC) and women’s 400-meter hurdles (NBC).

4) “American Experience,” 9 and 10 p.m. Tuesday, PBS. During the Olympics, we ponder times when sports and society entwine: In 1936, boxer Max Schmeling — an ex-champ, 30 and past his prime – upset Joe Louis, 22, a rising star. Adolf Hitler saw it as a symbol of Aryan supremacy. That summer, Hitler hosted the Olympics … fuming as Jesse Owens, a Black American, won four gold medals; two years later, Louis beat Schmeling. Here are terrific reruns – Owens at 9, Louis-Schmeling at 10.

5) “Vertigo” (1958), 11:15 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. Kim Novak, now 88, has been retired for three decades, but her legacy is impressive. Here are some strong examples– the sultry “Picnic” (1955) at 6 p.m. ET, the light “Bell, Book and Candle” (1958) at 8, an interview at TCM’s 2013 Classic Film Festival at 10 and then this sleek, smart Alfred Hitchcock film.

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