1) “America’s National Parks” finale, 9 p.m., National Geographic, rerunning at midnight. A splendid series (also on Disney+) concludes with its most spectacular hour. The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (shown here) includes one volcano that erupted for 35 years; when it stopped, in 2018, it had buried a road under 100 feet of lava. The park also has 500-year-old carvings, 1,000-year-old trees and unique species, from larva-seeking beetles to a curved-beak woodpecker.
2) Football. Most colleges start the season Saturday, but a few begin early, including an ESPN double-header. At 7 p.m. ET, Michigan State (11-2 last season and Peach Bowl champion) hosts Western Michigan (8-5 and Quick Lane Bowl champ); at 10, Colorado (4-8) hosts Texas Christian (5-7). Also, at 8, Fox Sports 1 has Illinois (5-7) at Indiana (2-10).
3) “American Masters,” 9 p.m., PBS (check local listings). Norman Lear – the writer-producer who transformed TV comedy – turned 100 on July 27. That will be celebrated with a two-hour ABC special Sept. 22, but first we can catch this excellent documentary rerun. Emerging from a hard-scrabble boyhood (with his dad jailed for fraud), Lear became a gifted writer. His “All in the Family” was followed by “Jeffersons,” “Maude” and more.
4) “Blue Bloods,” 9 and 10 p.m., CBS. Both reruns keep Baez and Danny busy. First, she convinces him to probe the murder of her favorite TV personality; then they help a man find his ex-wife and daughter. The first also has Joe discover witness-tampering; the second has the fall-out from a cop-student confrontation. These follow “Secret Celebrity Renovation,” with Kandi Burruss helping an aunt whose Atlanta home has been a family hub.
5) Streaming: A big week has already brought Steve Carell’s “The Patient” (Hulu), the animated sci-fi “Pantheon” (AMC+) and a giant “Lord of the Rings” prequel (Amazon Prime). Now Netflix adds the “Devil in Ohio” mini-series (Emily Deschanel as a psychiatrist with a perplexing patient) and “Buy My House” (like “Shark Tank,” but with houses). Also, Apple TV+ has the season’s final two episodes of “Trying,” with the parents making a key decision.