Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Aug. 25: songs, spies & scares

1) “CMT Giants: Charley Pride,” 9-10:30 p.m., CMT. Pride (shown here) was country music’s first (and, often, only) Black superstar. He had 30 No. 1 country hits and was Entertainer of the Year in 1971. Pride died of COVID at 86, last December; now his music will be performed by Garth Brooks, George Strait, Gladys Knight, Alan Jackson, Wynonna, Darius Rucker, Lee Ann Womack, Mickey Guyton, Jimmy Allen and Luke Combs (with Robert Randolph and Reyna Roberts), plus Dion Pride, Charlie’s son. Read more…

Best-bets for Aug. 24: a super return, a bewitched finish

1) “Supergirl” return, 9 p.m., CW. Rescued by her friends (shown here) from the Phantom Zone, Kara (or Supergirl) emerged with PTSD … and with her father, who’d been trapped for decades. After a thee-month pause, the show returns, with the last 13 episodes of its final season. Kara’s dad finds that our oceans are dying, pushing Earth toward the same fate as Krypton. Despite one problem – the dad seems a tad wooden – it’s a smart, emotional episode. Read more…

Best-bets for Aug. 23: Surfers compete; so do quarterbacks

1) “The Ultimate Surfer” (shown here) debut, 10 p.m., ABC. From “Gidget” and “Beach Blanket Bingo” to “Blue Crush” and HBO’s just-ended “100 Foot Wave,” surfing has become a key part of our summer mythos. Now it adds a techno-twist: At his inland Surf Ranch, 30 miles south of Fresno, Kelly Slater (the 11-time world champion) has man-made waves. In this eight-parter (continuing Tuesday), surfers compete there. Jesse Palmer anchors, with Erin Coscarelli, Slater and surfing commentator Joe Turpel. Read more…

Best-bets for Aug. 22: “Dead” lives anew

1) “The Walking Dead,” 9 p.m., AMC, rernning at 11:07 p.m., 12:14 a.m., more. It’s been 16 months since we saw a new “Dead.” That one – the showdown with the Whisperers – reruns at 7:52 p.m. Then the final season – eight episodes now, 16 more later – begins, with a desperate search for food. Tonight starts with a perilous mission, then plunges into an even tougher one, which needs help from the despised Jeffrey Dean Morgan (shown here). The result, as usual, is tough and tense, gory and well-crafted. Read more…

Best-bets for Aug. 21: Stars (and networks) link

1) “Stand Up to Cancer,” 8 p.m., ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, E, Showtime, Hulu, Amazon, YouTube, more. The first six specials raised awareness, plus $603 million for cancer research. They were on even-numbered years, but missed 2020 because of COVID. This one is hosted by comedy people – Anthony Anderson, Sofia Vergara, Ken Jeong and his wife Tran Ho (they’re shown here with their daughters)– and has music from Brittany Howard and from Common with Stevie Wonder. Segments include Ciara, Deon Cole, Jennifer Garner and more. Read more…

Best-bets for Aug. 20: Video fun returns

1) “The Greatest #AtHome Videos” season-opener, 9 p.m., CBS. When the pandemic shut Hollywood last summer, networks scrambled for alternatives. There were some duds, but there was also this likable trifle. Originally called “Stayathome Videos,” it was a genial tribute to people who use their stuck-at-home time cleverly, creating delightful videos. The confinement ended, but the creativity continues; Cedric the Entertainer (shown here) introduces new works. Read more…

Best-bets for Aug. 19: New (mostly) episodes bring fun, drama

1) “Brooklyn Nine Nine,” 8 and 8:30 p.m., NBC. This final season, just 10 episodes long, is being tossed away in a late-summer slot. That’s odd treatment for a comedy that’s been good – sometimes very good – for eight years. Yes, it’s sometimes too busy, not giving the humor a chance to build or to breathe; still, that pace works well in both of tonight’s stories. First, there’s a “blue flu” the captain suspects is phony; then Jake and Amy(shown here) each have a huge work day, while splitting child-care duties. Read more…

Best-bets for Aug. 18: a surge of new shows

1) “House Calls With Dr. Phil” debut, 9 p.m., CBS. For five weeks, “Love Island” dominated the schedule. Now that it’s finished, CBS has lots of room to play with. It’s pulling reruns off the shelf and inserting three new hours – two tonight and one Friday. This one has Phil McGraw (shown here) visiting families, starting in Utah, where a teen hasn’t spoken to her father (living in the same house) in years. Read more…

Beat-bets for Aug. 17: Witches & wagon trains

1) “Motherland: Fort Salem,” 10 p.m., Freeform. Epic moments rippled through recent episodes. Raelle (shown here) was kidnapped; her long-missing mother died while saving her. Nicte – founder of the Spree terrorists – was captured, almost escaping by stealing Tally’s face. Now the young witches face bigger questions: Can Tally (shown here, background) successfully interrogate Nicte? Can she spur doubts about General Alder? Can Raelle commune with the enigma in the lab? It’s a strong hour, setting up next week’s season-finale. Read more…

Best-bets for Aug. 16: Romance (real and fictional) is tangled

1) “Bachelor in Paradise” season-opener, 8-10 p.m., ABC. A week after “The Bachelorette” ended, five of the guys show up in this spin-off. Tre Cooper (shown here on “Bachelorette”), Aaron Clancy, Connor Brennan, James Bonsall and Karl Smith are among the 10 men at a Mexican resort, alongside 13 women. Hosting is Wells Adams, a bartender who was eighth in the 2016 “Bachelorette” and is engaged to Sarah Hyland of “Modern Family.” He’ll have various co-hosts, starting with David Spade. Read more…