Best-bets for Sept. 7; great “Impeachment” tops a busy night

1) “Impeachment: American Crime Story” opener, 10 p.m., FX; rerunning hourly. Five years after he triumphed with the O.J. Simpson mini-series, Ryan Murphy has one that’s almost as good. It’s both funny and enraging, as Monica Lewinsky (shown here in real life) — sweet-spirited and emotionally fragile — inadvertantly shattered Bill Clinton’s presidency. Sarah Burgess’ script will leave viewers loving Lewinsky (a consultant on the project) and Paula Jones and hating Linda Tripp – perfectly played by Beanie Feldstein, Annaleigh Ashford and Sarah Paulson. Read more…

1) “Impeachment: American Crime Story” opener, 10 p.m., FX; rerunning hourly. Five years after he triumphed with the O.J. Simpson mini-series, Ryan Murphy has one that’s almost as good. It’s both funny and enraging, as Monica Lewinsky (shown here in real life) — sweet-spirited and emotionally fragile — inadvertantly shattered Bill Clinton’s presidency. Sarah Burgess’ script will leave viewers loving Lewinsky (a consultant on the project) and Paula Jones and hating Linda Tripp – perfectly played by Beanie Feldstein, Annaleigh Ashford and Sarah Paulson.

2) “America’s Got Talent,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. Last week was tough for singers. Three of them (plus a vocal quartet) were ousted; only Jimmie Herrod survived. He’ll be in the Sept. 14 finale, along with a magician, a comedian, a teen aerialist, a taekwondo team … and five acts chosen this week. Competing are two singers, two vocal groups and two comedians, plus dancers, acrobats, unicyclists, a mentalist and a quick-change artist. Viewers vote tonight, with the results announced Wednesday.

3) “Queen Sugar” season-opener, 8 p.m., Oprah Winfrey Network, rerunning at 11. First, it’s catch-up time – the final three episodes of the fourth season are 6-9 a.m., followed by the entire fifth season. Much of that was enmeshed in COVID; as the new season starts, the family is emerging from the pandemic. Ralph Angel and Darla plan for their baby …. Nova keeps speaking against corruption … and Charley faces a life-altering decision. Last year’s final two episodes re-rerun at 9 and 10 p.m.

4) “Fantasy Island,” 9 p.m., Fox. Anuja Joshi is already familiar to some Fox viewers. She arrived on “The Resident” this past season, as an ambitious (but dyslexic) doctor; this season, she’ll be a regular. First, we see her as someone torn between her longtime boyfriend and the guy her parents have chosen.

5) Movies. It’s a night for films that are well-crafted and broadly entertaining. Two are visual triumphs, making up for occasional plot flaws: “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018) is 8 p.m. on TNT; “Beauty and the Beast” (2017) is 8 p.m. on Freeform. “Annie” (1982) gets some good moments from director John Huston, who’s not a master of musicals; it’s 8 p.m. ET on Turner Classic Movies. And “A Beautiful Mind” (2001) is an Oscar-winning triumph for Ron Howard and Russell Crowe; it’s 8:41 p.m. on Starz.

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