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…
1) “American Ninja Warrior” finale, 8-10 p.m., NBC. Over the past three weeks, 32 people have survived head-to-head competition. Now (shown here) they compete, bracket-style, for the championship. Read more…
1) “Unforgotten” season-opener, 10 p.m., PBS. Each year, this has a deep and demanding story. Now solemn cops — one divorced, the other fuming at her cheating husband and sister — tackle a tough one. There’s a widow, her daughter and a right-wing commentator (shown here), plus Afghan refugees, an Albanian loan shark and more. The result is compelling. Read more…
1) College football season-openers. Most teams start next week, but there are exceptions, including five games today on national TV. The first has Kansas State (shown here last season) and Iowa State, ranked No. 17 and 22 in a pre-season poll, in Dublin (yes, that’s in Ireland) at noon ET on ESPN. Read more…
1) “Islam’s Greatest Stories of Love,” 9 p.m., PBS. Shattered by her father’s death, a Harvard grad student (shown here) visits five epic stories involving her faith. The first three are gorgeously filmed, but are sometimes grim and violent, told in a clumsy, stop-and-start way. The fourth is a passionate story of a sister’s love for a troubled boy who became the towering Malcolm X. Read more…
1) “Peacemaker” season-opener, HBO Max. James Gunn and John Cena are a perfect match. Gunn is the writer-director of the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, “Superman” and “Peacemaker,” with Cena as a jingoistic superhero (shown here) and/or supervillain. Both men blend action and humor neatly. Now, three-and-a-half years later, the second season finally begins. Read more…
1) “Elsbeth,” 10 p.m., CBS. This was one of the best episodes in a smart season: A video installation lets people in Manhattan commune with a tiny town in seaside Scotland. Elsbeth is soon drawn to a handsome Scottish musician (Ioan Gruffudd, who has portrayed Horatio Hornblower, Lancelot and Mr. Fantastic) who — from 3,000 miles away — is a witness. She confers (shown here) by long-distance phone. Read more…
