1) Steve McQueen marathon, Turner Classic Movies. McQueen was a great, raw talent who worked for top directors. Today has three John Sturges films — “Never So Few,” 6 a.m., ET; “The Magnificent Seven,” 12:45 p.m.; “The Great Escape,” 3 p.m. Norman Jewison’s “The Thomas Crown Affair is at 6, with (oddly) the low-budget “The Blob” (its poster is shown here) at 8. Read more…
1) “Anna Pigeon” debut, 10 p.m. Friday, USA Network. Anna (Tracy Spiridakos of “Chicago P.D.”) has big-city roots and an arts degree. But after her husband was killed, she became a detective park ranger in Montana; now she finds life-and-death crises, including one (shown here) tonight. Despite flaws (dense boss, absurd failure to address injuries), it’s a strong story with solid, likable people. Read more…
1) “The Bear” series finale, 9-10:20 p.m., FX. The restaurant has just survived its roughest night — overbooked, undersupplied and belted by a fierce storm. Now life changes, especially for Carmy (Emmy-winner Jeremy Allen White, shown here in a previous episode). In a quietly compelling finale, he has an emotional scene with Syd and, later, a remarkable, five-minute monolog. Read more…
1) “The Shards” openers, 9 and 10:11 p.m., FX. In “beautiful, empty houses,” Bret says, teens with absent parents cavort. Bret (whom writer Bret Easton Ellis based partly on himself) is a closeted bisexual with a hot girlfriend (they’re shown here) and an obsession for the new guy (played by Homer Gere, Richard’s son). A killer looms, in a story as smart, gorgeous and hollow as its characters. Read more…
1) “America’s Got Talent,” 8-10 p.m.,, NBC. Now comes a fresh twist. The show has already sent 28 acts to the live episodes (starting Aug. 18); twelve are musical, five are acrobatic, others range from dancers to dogs. But the judges (shown here) have picked 23 acts for “callbacks”; they’ll perform for individual judges, hoping for the final spots in the live shows. Read more…
1) “American Ninja Warrior” (shown here in a previous episode), 9-11 p.m., NBC. It’s time for the central region finals, sending people to the national round. That reruns Saturday, part of a big week for NBC: “America’s Got Talent” (8 p.m. Tuesday, rerunning Friday) starts its callbacks. Then there’s the start of the pro football pre-season Thursday and baseball Sunday. Read more…
1) “Grantchester” series finale, 9 p.m. PBS. For 11 seasons and three vicars, this series (shown here) has given us smart crime stories. The finale fumbles that a litttle; the search for the man who shot Geordie is so-so. It also overdoes a crisis-in-faith story … but then catches itself. In the final minutes, we’re remind that this is a terrific series, filled with beautifully layered people. Read more…
1) “Teacher’s Pet” (1958) and “Lover Come Back” (1962), 3:45 and 8 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. An August tradition — focusing on one star each day — begins with Doris Day. She made lots of bland comedies, but these two had clever, Oscar-nominated scripts. (She’s shown here with Rock Hudson in “Lover.”) Dramas follow: “Midnight Lace” and Hitchcock’s “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” at 10 and midnight. Read more…
1) “Sharkzilla Takes New York,” 9 p.m., Discovery. On its second-to-last day, “Shark Week” brings out its catchiest titles. This hour involves the search for a legendary shark; it’s followed at 10 by “My Strange Shark Addiction,” viewing people whose lives revolve around this interest. There are reruns all day, plus “Secrets of the Great White” at 8. Read more…
1) “Surviving Earth” season-finale, 8 p.m., NBC. After going back millions of years for previous episodes, this hour is almost contemporary. It begins a mere 12,000 years ago, with humans and mega-creatures sharing a planet that faces the double blow of ice and heat. Also, there are the sort of specific scenes that work so well in “The Americas” (shown hgere), but seem oddly specific amid computer graphics. Read more…
