Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for July 12: Rage at the “beast,” laugh at Sheldon

1) “The Beast Must Die” opener, 10 p.m., AMC. Americans know Cush Jumbo from “The Good Wife” and “The Good Fight,” but now she’s back in England for a sensational performance. She plays a teacher whose 6-year-old son was killed by a hit-and-run driver. The cop working the case died; his replacement (well-played by Billy Howle) is sincere, but overwhelmed. With a new look (shown here), she’ll investigate, even infiltrating the world of the prime suspect. It’s a powerful, six-week series. Read more…

Best-bets for July 11: Summer slump? No, this night is packed

1) “Masterpiece: Unforgotten” season-opener, 9 p.m., PBS. For three seasons, this formula has worked well: Cassie (Nicola Walker, shown here) and her police team tackle a long-ago murder. We also meet some seemingly unconnected people; over six episodes, the connection becomes clear. This time, however, is different: Emotionally battered by previous cases, Cassie wants to retire; she has to stay three more months, or forfeit her pension. The result brings deep layers of emotion and, at times, pain. Read more…

Best-bets for July 10: A real sports hero is honored

1) “Espy Awards,” 8 p.m., ABC. At 29, Maya Moore (shown here) stepped away from a basketball career filled with triumph – two national titles in college, four in the WNBA, five overseas, plus two Olympic gold medals. Instead, she fought for a man who had spent 20 years in prison. Now he’s been exonerated, they’re married and she’ll receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. That’s in a night, hosted by actor Anthony Mackie, that also honors the year’s best athletes, teams and sports moments. Read more…

Best-bets for July 9: Two new shows seem familiar

1) “Gossip Girl,” 8-9:30 p.m., CW. “Gossip” ran for six seasons on CW, stirring pop-culture buzz. Its sequel is just for HBO Max – except this opener, airing a day after its Max debut. We’re at the same upscale school (shown here), with a secret gossiper (again voiced by Kristen Bell) using social media. This time, however, we know from the start who it is. We meet deeply likable half-sisters, then see them behave in contrived ways. When was the last time you accidentally undressed in a street-view window? Read more…

Best-bets for July 8: Zoey, Elvis, dunks and more

1) “Grown-ish” season-opener, 8 p.m., Freeform. As her senior year of college nears, Zoey has a plan: She and Aaron will host a vacation at a Mexican resort; their friends (shown here with her in an earlier episode) will savor sun, sex and alcohol. Alas, the alcohol soon prevails. Secrets are blurted, friendships are trashed … and there’s a major plot twist. “Grown-ish” is basically a comedy (a “Black-ish” spin-off), but the humor is fairly sparse. Instead, we get sleek visuals, smart writing and characters worth rooting for, flaws and all. Read more…

Best-bets for July 7: sexy singles night on CBS

1) “Big Brother” season-opener, 8-9:30 p.m., CBS. For more than two decades, this has propelled CBS’ summers. Once a social experiment for all ages, it now focuses on people who are young, attractive and assertive. Now Julie Chen (shown here) introduces the new group: One woman, a phlebotomist, is 40, but all the others are between 21 and 30; one man, a farmer, is 32, but the others are in their 20s. The show also has a lawyer, a scientist and lots of salesfolks; it continues at 8 p.m. Thursdays and Sundays. Read more…

Best-bets for July 6: a deep dive into Latino life

1) “The Latino Experience,” 9 p.m., PBS. Filmmakers keep making great shorts … which TV keeps ignoring. Here’s an exception – 13 films by Latinos, in one-hour chunks on three Tuesdays. This week has a pair of scripted gems; both deal with death – imagined (in a charming, 13-minute opener) and real (6 minutes). The documentaries vary in quality and in subject: We see young poster-makers using old-time crafts … gay and trans dancers … and (shown here) the tangled lives that straddle the U.S.-Mexico border. Read more…

Best-bets for July 5: It’s a good-shark/bad-shark night

1) “Shark Beach With Chris Hemsworth” (show here), 9 p.m., National Geographic. TV’s shark summer is back: “SharkFest” starts today, for a six-week run on two Nat Geo channels; “Shark Week” is July 11-18 on Discovery. We’ll see lots of creepy creatures, including (at 8 and 10 p.m. today) “When Sharks Attack” and “Rogue Shark?” But “Beach” has a feel-good tone. Hemsworth says he “grew up in paradise” in Australia and surfed at 6. He meets diving veteran Valerie Taylor … and sees his first great white. Read more…

Best-bets for July 4: Two specials pack Fourth flair

1) “A Capitol Fourth,” 8 p.m., PBS, rerunning at 9:30. This celebration spans the country. From Washington, D.C., there’s host Vanessa Williams, plus Gladys Knight, Mickey Guyton, Jimmie Allen, Ali Stroker, Laura Osnes, Renee Fleming (singing the National Anthem), the National Orchestra and closing fireworks (shown here in a previous year). Also: Alan Jackson will perform be in Nashville and Jennifer Nettles and Auli’i Cavalho in New York City, with Jimmy Buffett, Cynthia Erivo, Pentatonix and Train all in California. Read more…

Best-bets for July 3: It’s a great movie night

1) “Saving Private Ryan” (1998), 6:05 p.m., Showtime; and/or “Top Gun” (1986), 8 p.m., Starz. For this 4th-of-July weekend, cable has some military movies that are strong on patriotic fervor. “Private Ryan” is a Steven Spielberg masterpiece that manages to be a strong human draman (with Matt Damon, shown here, Tom Hanks and more) and a stirring adventure. And in its 20-minute D-Day scene, it’s a reminder of the horror of war. “Top Gun” is a peacetime (mostly) tale of hot-shot pilots at work and play, brilliantly directed by Tony Scott. Read more…