1) “Grantchester” series finale, 9 p.m. Sunday, PBS. For 11 seasons and three vicars, this has given us warm people and smart crime stories. The finale fumbles the latter; the search for the man who shot Geordie is so-so, at best. It also overdoses the drama at times, amid a crisis in faith for Alphy (right, with Geordie). But its final, moving minutes remind us that this has been a terrific series.
2) “Surviving Earth” season-finale, 8 p.m. Thursday, NBC. This has been an epic enigma. It brilliantly uses computer graphics to create long-ago creatures … then gives them oddly specific stories. It concludes with floods and a new ice age. That’s followed by superb, real-life scenes in an “Americas” rerun; the raccoon moments, in particular, are gems
3) “Shark Week,” through Saturday, Discovery. The 39th annual event has reruns throughout the day, followed by new hours from 8-11 p.m. Today, for instance, reruns “K-Pop Shark Heroes” (with Ken Jeong and Rei Ami) at 1 p.m. and has new looks at bull sharks (8 p.m.), great whites in New Zealand (9) and a search for a record-setting, 15-foot mako (10).
4) “Beat Shazam” season-opener, 9 p.m. Tuesday, Fox. This music game show has persisted for a decade, despite pauses. It skipped two summers (2020 and last year), but now returns for its eighth year. Jamie Foxx hosts, his daughter Corinne is the DJ and the first contestants include two moms, some bartender buddies and former NFL cheerleaders.
5) More fun, Fox. Now that the World Cup fuss has ended, Fox has three nights of new episodes. That’s framed by two delights — “The 1% Club” (8 p.m. today) and “Nation’s Dumbest” (9 p.m. Wednesday). Also: “The Quiz With Balls” (9 p.m. today), “Kitchen Nightmares” and “Beat Shazam” (8 and 9 p.m. Tuesday) and “MasterChef” (8 p.m. Wednesday).
6) “NCIS: Origins” and “NCIS: Sydney,” 9-11 p.m. Tuesday, CBS. Last week, both were bumped when CBS decided to rerun its 50th “Survivor” season. “Survivor” continues on Wednesdays and a few Tuesdays, but this week the “NCIS” reruns return “Origins” finds the future of the unit in jeopardy; on “Sydney,” a hospital ward is taken hostage.
7) “The Ark” season-opener, 10 p.m. Wednesday, Syfy. Over the first two seasons, a young crew took passengers from a troubled Earth to a new colony. Now those young officers answer a rescue call from another ship. Those scenes — with lots of death and dismay — are so-so. The colony scenes are somewhat better, as the sheriff has a tough first day.
8) “Fightland” debut, 9 p.m. Friday, Starz, rerunning at 10:50 and more. Starz doubles down on tough dramas from Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. It continues his “Raising Kanan” crime saga at 8 (rerunning at 9:56 and more). Then it opens this story with a boxer finding triumph, sex and deep tragedy. That sets up the next seven hours of rugged revenge.
9) Stars, Saturday and Sunday, Turner Classic Movies. Each August day has one star. That starts with opposites — Doris Day, Saturday; Humphrey Bogart, Sunday. Day made lots of bland films, but this has two smart comedies with Oscar-nominated scripts — “Teacher’s Pet” at 3:45 p.m. ET and “Lover Come Back” at 8. Bogart’s “Casablanca” is at noon Sunday.
10) “Patience” season-finale, 10 p.m., Sunday, PBS. After slumping a bit in this second season, the show bounces back with a high-stakes finish. The story strains believability, but manages to plunge Patience Evans and her boss into a crisis. Ella Maisy Purvis is subtly perfect as Patience, an autistic young woman, previously burrowed in the police records room.