1) “Celebrity Dating Game,” 10 p.m., ABC. The “Dating Game” franchise has been around since 1965, but this is apparently a first for it – a contestant considering people from both genders. That’s Demi Burnett (shown here), whom viewers have seen dating a man (Colton Underwood) on “The Bachelor” and a woman (Kristian Haggerty) on “Bachelor in Paradise.” Now, answering her questions, will be both options. Read more…
Sharks are ready to consume our TV sets … again.
The 33rd Shark Week will be July 11-18 on Discovery and Discovery+. Spanning that and beyond is the eighth SharkFest, July 5-31 on National Geographic, Aug. 2-13 on Nat Geo Wild, and on Disney+.
Along the way, we’ll hear ominous things. A shark, one victim says, is “a submarine with teeth.” And it’s a big, fast one at that. “The first great white shark I saw was like a freight train,” said Valerie Taylor (shown here in the 1970s), who has spent generations surrounded by sharks.
But we’ll also hear actor Chris Hemsworth praise “the serene beauty of this magnificent creature.” Read more…
1) BET Awards, 8-11:30 p.m., BET, MTV and VH1; BET also has a preview at 7 and a rerun at midnight. Taraji Henson hosts, Queen Latifah gets a lifetime award and there’s a barrage of performers. They included Andra Day (shown here in her Billie Holiday movies), H.E.R., DJ Khaled, City Girls, Migos and gospel’s Kirk Franklin. Others range from Lil Baby and Lil Durk to Roddy Ricch and Moneybagg Yo! They include Bree Runway, Tone Stith, Jazmine SuIlivan and Rapsody. Read more…
1) “A Capitol Fourth” (shown here), 8 p.m. Sunday, PBS, rerunning at 9:30. This should be a festive night for a re-opening world, with performances spanning the country. It will be Alan Jackson in Nashville; Jennifer Nettles and Auli’i Cavalho in New York; Jimmy Buffett, Cynthia Erivo, Pentatonix and Train in California. In Washington, D.C., will be fireworks, plus the National Orchestra, Gladys Knight, Mickey Guyton, Jimmie Allen, Ali Stroker, Laura Osnes and (doing the National Anthem) Renee Fleming. Read more…
1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. It’s a good weekend for Miley Cyrus fans. On Friday, her Pride Month concert started streaming on Peacock. Cyrus, who identifies as pansexual, sings her hits and a Madonna medley; her guests include Mickey Guyton, Maren Morris, Little Big Town, Orville Peck and Brothers Osborne. And in this rerun, she’s the music guest (shown here). The host is Elon Musk, who made a bit of “SNL” history by saying he’s the show’s first host with Asperger syndrome. Read more…
1) Daytime Emmy Awards, 8-10 p.m., CBS. For eight years, this was relegated to TV’s hinterlands — small cable channels (HLN, Pop) or just online. Last year, it returned to CBS, for a drab night of at-home acceptance speeches, with nominees. That format returns now, possibly with better results; Sheryl Underwood hosts. Categories include soap operas, talk shows and a chance for one more Emmy for Alex Trebek (shown here), who died last July at 80; it would be his eighth win and his third in a row. Read more…
1) “Making It” season-opener, 8 p.m., NBC. This has never been your ordinary reality competition. As hosts and producers, Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman (shown here) provide offbeat humor and a warm view of the contestants. They’re a likable bunch of laymen – taxidermist, muralist, market researcher, etc. – who do crafts at home. One was a pitcher, ready for the majors until his arm gave out; another’s dad (Dave Kingman) hit 48 home runs one season. Blue-collar artistry ripples through the opener. Read more…
“Highway to Heaven” will return to TV, three decades after the death of the man who molded it.
Michael Landon (shown here with Victor French, his co-star) created the show, produced it, directed most of the episodes and starred as a probationary angel, helping people on Earth.
The new version will be on cable’s Lifetime, with key differences: It will be a movie (not a series), planned as the first of several. And this time, the angel will be a Black woman, played by Jill Scott. Read more…
1) “The Blacklist” season-finale, 10 p.m., NBC. After eight years of tangled twists and smart dialog, “Blacklist” might be ready to share a few secrets. Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone) has shattered her FBI career, while obsessing on catching Raymond Reddington (James Spader), the former mentor who killed her mother. (They’re shown here in an early episode.) Now he has a disturbing request, before he’ll reveal his true identity. Read more…
1) “College Bowl” debut, 10 p.m., NBC. This notion goes back to 1953 on radio and ‘59 on TV. Now it has droll, dry work from Peyton Manning (shown here) as the host and his brother Cooper as sidekick. The opener has Auburn-Alabama and Michigan-Minnesota, with eight more schools arriving on the next two Tuesdays. A few of the categories (including spelling) make so-so viewing and the “speed round” makes the first round fairly insignificant. Overall, however, it’s a modestly interesting hour. Read more…
