Riverdale -- “Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Seven: Goodbye, Riverdale” -- Image Number: RVD720d_0190r -- Pictured (L - R): Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge and Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper -- Photo: Justine Yeung/The CW -- © 2023 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Week’s top-10 for Aug. 21: Archie and Charity end; debate and football seasons begin

1) “Riverdale” finale, 9 p.m. Wednesday, CW. A fun tradition ends. For decades, CW has been the home of shows based on superheroes or other youth-culture folks. Now, under new owners, that mostly stops with “Riverdale.” This season, Archie and pals jumped to the ‘50s, then returned to now with their memories wiped. It’s been an odd show, but Lili Reinhart has been excellent as Betty (shown here with Veronica). In this finale, she’s 86 and want to relive the final day of her senior year. Read more…

1) “Riverdale” finale, 9 p.m. Wednesday, CW. A fun tradition ends. For decades, CW has been the home of shows based on superheroes or other youth-culture folks. Now, under new owners, that mostly stops with “Riverdale.” This season, Archie and pals jumped to the ‘50s, then returned to now with their memories wiped. It’s been an odd show, but Lili Reinhart has been excellent as Betty (shown here with Veronica). In this finale, she’s 86 and want to relive the final day of her senior year.

2) Republican debate, 9 p.m. ET Wednesday, Fox News. The founding fathers didn’t anticipate state primaries … or televised debates … or a front-runner charged withn 91 felonies, which his opponents ignore. But here we are, starting the debate season. The opener is in Milwaukeee (because Wisconsin is a key swing state) and on Fox. Bret Baier and Martha McCallum will anchor, but the rest is unsure, including who will be there and how they’ll behave.

3) “The Bachelorette” finale, 8-11 p.m. today, ABC. For as while, Charity Lawson (a Georgia therapist, 27), was down to two guys. She had said she loves Joey Graziadel (a Hawaii tennis pro, 27) and Dotun Olubeko (a Fresno medical consultant, 30). But then Aaron Bryant (a Texas software salesman, 29), previously dismissed, returned. Now she confers with her family and makes her choice. Also, we see the new “Bachelor” and peek at “Bachelor in Paradise.”

4) “Great Performances,” 9 p.m. today, PBS. In 1963, Leonard Bernstein was 45, a famed conductor and a composer for Broadway (“West Side Story”), opera and orchestra. Then he wrote his third and final symphony, based on The Kaddish, the Jewish memorial prayer. Now Marin Alsop, a Bernstein protege, conducts it with the Chicago Symphony, two choirs, a speaker (Jaye Ladymore) and soprano Janai Brugger. The result is powerful and moving.

5) “America’s Got Talent,” 8-10 p.m. Tuesday, NBC. It’s finally time for live episodes; 55 acts have survived, including seven “golden buzzer” ones. Two ((Lavender Darcangel, 27, of Massachusetts, and Putri Ariani, 17, of Indonesia) are blind singers. There’s another singer (Gabriel Henrique, 28, of Brazil), plus a youth choir from South Africa, dancers from Japan, a hands-based dance troupe from France and young drummers from Atlanta,

6) “Nancy Drew” finale, 8 p.m. Wednesday, CW. In a way, Nancy is 109 years old now. The fictional character was already 16 in her first book, in 1930. There have been hundreds more books, plus six movies, three series, a TV movie and more. She’s been played by Pamela Sue Martin, Emma Roberts, Maggie Lawson and now the subtly skilled Kennedy McMann. CW says she has “her most shocking discovery yet” and resolves her romance with Ace.

7) “What We Do in the Shadows,” 10 p.m. Thursday, FX. At a time when scripted shows are scarce, the FX networks stay strong. “Justified: City Primeval” (which has a potent episode at 10 p.m. Tuesday) and “Shadows” end their seasons next week – when “Archer” starts its final season. For “Shadows,” friends give Laszlo a good-natured “roast,” which vampires aren’t very good, at and Guillermo’s secret surfaces. There’s more, with some hilarious moments.

8) More music, 9 p.m. Friday, CMT and PBS. TV music has been scarce lately, but here’s a double helping. CMT concludes its country series with Ashley McBryde; PBS’ “Great Performances” has its annual Vienna Symphony concert, on the elegant grounds of the Schonbrunn palace. It begins vibrantly, with music from “Carmen”; Elina Garanca sings beautifully and returns for two more numbers. There’s more, closing with “Bolero” and a Strauss waltz.

9) College football openers, Saturday. Most teams start a week later, but here’s the advance. Navy and Notre Dame are at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, from Dublin. There are six cable games, plus a tradition — two historically Black schools, at 7:30 p.m. on ABC. South Carolina State (3-8 last year) faces Jackson State, 12-0 before a bowl loss. Its coach (Deion Sanders) and star quarterback (his son Shedeur) have since switched to Colorado.

10) “Running Wild With Bear Grylls” season-finales, 8 and 9 p.m., Sunday National Geographic. For eight seasons (four on NBC), Grylls has taken celebrities to brutal places. Now he has two new hours – Daveed Diggs in a desert, then Tatiana Maslany rappelling down a mountain. That’s preceded by reruns of the rest of the season. Starting at 2 p.m., it’s Rita Ora, Russell Brand, Troy Kotsur, Cynthia Erivo, Benedict Cumberbatch and Bradley Cooper.

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