1) “Big Brother,” 8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, CBS. In its 28th summer, the show has its 1,000th episode. That’s on Thursday and includes references to the past. (Shown here is Barrett Pfeiffer in the Aug. 19 episode.) Now “BB” trails only Ed Sullivan’s 1,068 episodes among primetime entertainment shows (anthologies excluded). Others include “Funniest Videos,” 835; and “The Simpsons,” 808.
2) “Adults” season-openers, 9 and 9:34 p.m. Thursday, FX and FXX. Even if you’re watching “Big Brother,” you might want to switch here. This isn’t for everyone — lots of gen-Z references and R-rated humor — but it has great characters and wildly funny moments. Five likable souls scramble with young-adult life, including old ID cards and social-media posts.
3) Football, Saturday. College season-openers include two neutral-site games — North Carolina-Texas Christian in Ireland (noon ET, ESPN) and Howard-Alabama A&M in Atlanta (7:30 p.m., ABC). Also: San Jose State-Southern California, 2 p.m., NBC; North Carolina State- Virginia, 3:30, ESPN; New Mexico State-Florida State, 7 p.m., CW; and more.
4) “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” 9-9:34 p.m., today, FX and FXX. While some networks take a summer slumber, FX is busy. It has wild humor here (the gang tries college) and in “Adults.” In between, things are serious in “Shards” (9-10:35 p.m. Wednesday, FX): For the show’s upscale teens, it’s Homecoming week and the serial killer is busy.
5) “America’s Got Talent,” 8-10 p.m. Tuesday, NBC. Last week, viewers sent
a dance act, a dog act and a rapper to the semi-finals; Howie Mandel sent a magic act to the finals. Now it’s a new bunch — six music acts, two dance acts, plus a magician, an aerialist and a sword-swallower. Viewers vote, with the results from 8-9 p.m. Wednesday.
6) “American Masters,” 9-10:30 p.m. Tuesday, PBS. Mary Oliver had a tough childhood at home and a serene one in nature. She became a poet at 15, worked on Edna St. Vincent Milay’s papers at 17, then became a Pulitzer Prize-winner and the best-selling American poet. This fascinating profile is filled with admirers, from Stephen Colbert to John Waters.
7) Miss Teen USA (Wednesday) and Miss USA (Thursday), 8-10 p.m., CW. After their ratings fell, both pageants spent years being internet-only. Now they’re on CW for the third time in four years, this time live from Miami. For Miss USA, this is its 75th anniversary and ages range from 20 to 36; these days, a Miss Universe can also be a Mrs.
8) “Leanne” second season, Thursday, Netflix. This gentle, Southern comedy is from Chuck Lorre (“Big Bang,””Mom,” etc.), with his usual sharp dialog and likable characters. Also streaming: a smart “Chelsea Detective” season-finale (Monday, Acorn); the “Dark Matter” season-opener (Friday, Apple); Robert De Niro in “Whisper Man” (Friday, Netflix).
9) “Vienna Philharmonic,” 9 p.m., PBS. Here’s a grand PBS tradition, a lush, end-of-summer concert, amid palace gardens. Lorenzo Viotti, a 36-year-old, second-generation, Swiss conductor has a busy program, from a cavalry overture to encores with a high-energy Brazilian piece and a Strauss waltz. Also, baritone-bass Bryn Terfel ranges from Tevye to Satan.
10) MORE: Today, “POV” (10 p,m., PBS) has a slow but uplifting film about Kenyans reviving a grand library that was once whites-only. On Wednesday, the clever “Nation’s Dumbest” (9:02, Fox) has science night for the final five. And on Sunday, “The Walking Dead: Dead City” (9, AMC) has a compelling detour, imagining Maggie and Negan in a world without zombies.