Month: August 2025

(Here are the five TV best-bets for Tuesday, Sept. 2, a bit early because
1) “America’s Got Talent,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. In the third of four quarter-finals,11 acts perform. There are six music acts (including two rappers), plus a dancer, a juggling duo, an aerial duo, an AI magic act and Anna Dangerous (shown here), wielding her crossbow. Then viewers vote; on Wednesday, they’ll learn which acts four acts advance to the semi-finals. Read more…

1) “Survival Mode” finale, 10 p.m., NBC. In 2012, the Costa Concordia cruise ship diverted from its planned route and struck underwater rocks near Tuscany, partly sinking (shown here). An elaborate rescue began, using helicopters and boats. In all, 33 people died and the $600-million ship was ruined. Read more…

1) Stellar Awards, 8 p.m., BET, rerunning at 10:30.Steeped in gospel tradition, this 40th ceremony is hosted by BeBe and CeCe Winans — whose dad co-hosted in 1988. CeCe (shown here), 60, has had 56 Stellar nominations and 21 wins. Still, there’s room for new generations: Pastor,Mike Jr., 42, is up for his fifth straight artist-of-the-year award. Read more…

1) College football. The first full Saturday of the season starts with a clash of titans. Texas (shown here, last season), ranked No. 1 in a pre-season poll, is at Ohio State, No. 3, at noon ET on Fox. The rest of the day has lots of mismatches, with a key exception: At 7:30 p.m., ABC has Louisiana State (No. 9) at Clemson (No. 4). Also at 7:30: New Mexico is at Michigan on NBC. Read more…

1) Vienna Philharmonic, 9 p.m., PBS. Filmed shortly after an Austrian school shooting, this starts with 12 solemn minutes. Then conductor Tugan Sokhiev packs a dozen vibrant pieces into the next 70 minutes, performed amid the beauty of a palace grounds (shown here). Four of them have Piotr Beczala singing powerfully of love for Carmen, for a Chinese princess, for life and (an audience favorite) for Vienna itself. Read more…

1) Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage,” 9 p.m., CBS. The second season is still seven weeks a way, so CBS does us a favor, rerunning the series-opener. It’s terrific, with Mandy so angry at her mom that she moves into a new place (shown here) — a deeply flawed one — with her husband and baby. Read more…

1) “Toby Keith: American Icon,” 9-11 p.m., NBC. Keith (shown here) was a powerful singer-songwriter with 20 No. 1 country singles. After his death last year (of cancer, at 62), friends created this concert. It includes Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Trace Adkins, Lainey Wilson, Darius Rucker, Eric Church, Jelly Roll, Ashley McBryde, Hardy and many more. Read more…

1) “American Experience,” 9 p.m., PBS. There was a time (really) when politicians from both parties linked to solve problems. This hour starts when Los Angeles — with a geography that traps gas (shown here) — was crippled by smog. Republicans (Reagan, Nixon) and Democrats combined. They created the Environmental Protection Agency and vastly cleaner lives. Read more…