Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for July 13: funny trash, friendly sharks

1) “Everything’s Trash” (shown here) debut, 10 and 10:30 p.m, Freeform. Phoebe Robinson co-created this show and plays a podcaster with no money and a cheerily messy Brooklyn life; then her “perfect” brother starts a political campaign. And yes, that’s sort of real life: Robinson, 37, co-created “2 Dope Queens” (the podcast and the HBO series); her older brother Phil has an MBA, was an executive at a non-profit and was elected to the Ohio legislature. Read more…

Best-bets for July 12: Golfers leave, vampires return

1) “What We Do in the Shadows” season-opener, 10 p.m., FX. After decades of stagnant lives in Staten Island, these vampires suddenly changed everything in the season-finale. Nadja left for London … her husband Laszlo stayed behind to care for the being that sprang from the late Colin’s chest … Nandor visited his homeland … and Guillermo (shown here) was shipped in a box. Now things return to abnormal ,in a weird and very funny opener. Read more…

Best-bets for July 11: new bachelorettes and a spare Jonas

1) “The Bachelorette” opener, 8-10 p.m., ABC. One is 5-foot-2, the other 5-9. One, 26, is a flight instructor working on being a pilot; the other, 31, is an award-winning nurse. Rachel Recchia and. Gabby Windey (shown here) might seem like opposites, but both are ex-cheerleaders and both were “Bachelor” runners-up; now they can each choose a guy. They meet 32 of them tonight, including a banker, a broker, a bartender and a “meatball enthusiast.” Read more…

Best-bets for July 10: new mysteries, games, more

1) “Masterpiece: Grantchester” season-opener, 9 p.m., PBS. After the disappointing little “Endeavour” season, “Masterpiece” bounces back strongly. There are six solid mystery hours, each against the backdrop of personal stories. Will, the crime-solving vicar, continues to make a mess of his romantic life ,,, his former curate runs a coffeeshop … and his housekeeper has a crisis. (They’re shown here.) Also, his police pal Geordie has been badgered by his boss and ousted by his wife. The boss part is overwrought, but the rest provides nuanced layers to smart mysteries. Read more…

Best-bets for July 9: true-crime classic for the ages

1) “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967), 8 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. In real life, Clyde Barrow was an ex-con who met Bonnie Parker, a 19-year-old waitress with an estranged husband. They launched a three-year crime spree; despite murders (including nine lawmen), their five-person gang became Depression celebrities. That’s captured brilliantly in this film, which drew 10 Oscar nominations, including its stars (Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, shown here) and best picture. Read more…

Best-bets for July 8: Magnums (new and old) survive

1) “Magnum P.I.,” 9 p.m., CBS. Fans of this show are in a better mood now: CBS didn’t renew it for next season, but NBC has stepped in with a partial reprieve – 10 episodes in each of the next two seasons. For now, CBS has “Magnum” reruns; tonight, one private eye is tracking another: Magnum is suspicious of Higgins (they’re shown here in a jollier episode); he’s unaware that she’s undercover in a group that’s trying to destroy the MI-6, the British spy service. Read more…

Best-bets for July 6: It’s reality’s big night

1) “The Challenge: USA” debut, 9:30- 11 p.m., CBS. Here’s CBS’ key newcomer for the summer. It takes 28 previous contestants from four reality shows, giving them super-sized physical challenges. (Shown here, Lee Temory and Tiffany Mitchell descend from a skyscraper.) Some of these people are already winners; that includes three “Survivor” champions (Tyson Apostol, Ben Driebergen and Sarah Lacina) and one apiece from “Amazing Race” (James Wallington), “Love Island” (Justine Ndiba) and “Big Brother” (Xavier Prather). Read more…

Best-bets for July 5: Let’s travel to Death Valley and beyond

1) “America Outdoor” opener, 9 p.m., PBS. Something about Death Valley doesn’t seem inviting. Maybe it’s the name … or temperatures that can reach 134 degrees. But two million people visit each year, Baratunde Thurston (shown here) says, and a few stay. A former mining town of 4,000 now has a population of one. That guy arrived from Austin, Texas, four years ago with friends and stayed alone. He’s turning the general store into a museum; he also survived a snowstorm – really – that stranded him indoors for 4-5 days. It’s an appealing start to the series Read more…

Best-bets for July 4: lots of music, fireworks, more

1) “A Capitol Fourth,” 8 p.m., PBS, repeating at 9:30. For 42 years — even during the pandemic — this has delivered rousing music and big-deal fireworks (shown here). Now it’s back to live performances (with a limited crowd). Gospel great Yolanda Adams, will be there; so will Gloria Gaynor, whose 1978 “I Will Survive” fits the Covid era. Others include Darren Criss, Andy Grammer, Emily Bear and Loren Allred, who sang “Never Enough” for a lip-syncing actress in “The Greatest Showman.” Also, there’s a 65th-anniversary “West Side Story” medley. Read more…