1) “A Minecraft Movie” (2025), 8 p.m., HBO. A doorknob salesman (Jack Black) ends up in an alternate world. Then a game-store guy (Jason Momoa, shown here, center) finds a portal. That may sound silly, but it has helped revive movie theaters. The opening week more than doubled predictions; now close to $1 billion worldwide, the comedy has just reached Max and adds HBO. Read more…
1) “Janis Ian: Breaking Silence,” 9 p.m., PBS. Observing other people’s lives, Ian wrote and sang “Society’s Child” (about inter-racial romance) and the Grammy-winning “At Seventeen” (about a plain teen). Her own love life wasn’t a subject until later, when she discussed her now-wife. This film skillfully blends re-enactments and comments by Ian (shown here), now 74. Read more…
1) “Poker Face,” Peacock. The lure of a rent-control apartments can inspire many odd choices, including murder. That sets up an exceptionally good episode for Charlie (Natasha Lyonne, shown here in a previous episode). Awkwafina, Alia Shawkat and David Alan Grier are guest stars. Also streaming today is Netflix’s “The Waterfront,” a drama that stars Holt McCallany and Maria Bello. Read more…
1) “Shifting Gears,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. During a tough time for comedies, this has started well; two comedy pros work with fairly clever scripts. Now here are reruns of the first four episodes. Tim Allen plays an auto-shop owner, widowed and cranky; his estranged daughter (Kat Dennings) arrives with her kids. Soon, he’s at their new school (shown here) and she’s working at the shop. Read more…
1) “NCIS: Sydney,” 10 p,m., CBS. All three NCIS shows have moved to Tuesdays, which will be their night this fall. This rerun, a good one, starts explosively (shown here); then it plunges the Sydney team into the shaky world of conspiracy theories. That follows “NCIS” (a fun “ladies night” turns into work) and “NCIS Origins,” with a mourning Gibbs joining the search for a girl. Read more…
1) “Walking With Dinosaurs,” 8-10 p.m., PBS. Back in 1999, this drew praise and enthusiasm. Now it’s been rebooted beautifully, in a three-night series mixing special effects, animatronics and great filming. We see scientists finding bones … then get stories imagining those creatures. This starts (shown here) with a baby triceratops and a 13-foot-high tyrannosaurus. Read more…
1) “Underdogs” (shown here), 9 and 9:54 p.m., National Geographic. This gem offers a three-Sunday, five-hour look at lowly creatures. The first hour (also on ABC at 9:03) shows superpowers, from invisibility to superglue slime. The second has terrible parents, including one that puts her eggs on an 800-foot cliff, with no exit strategy. Ryan Reynolds narrates. Read more…
1) Football, 8 p.m. ET, ABC. There’s one more game … followed by a couple football-free months. This one wraps the second year of the United Football League. The Michigan Panthers (shown here) and D.C. Defenders had 6-4 records during the regular season, then upset the division leaders in the semi-finals. Now they collide for the championship. Read more…
1) “Resident Alien,” 11 p.m., USA and Syfy. Last week, our alien found double trouble: A shapeshifter (shown here) was disguising as Harry (his Earthly persona) … and captors had stolen his alien powers, making him a mere human. Now he’s desperate — as is the mayor … and the half-alien Joseph … and the deputy and many others. It’s a wild and funny hour. Read more…
1) “Revival” debut, 10 p.m., Syfy and USA. Elsewhere, evil zombies roam afar. Here, a few benign (mostly) ones are confined to Wausau, Wis. The opener starts adequately and gets better as we get to know Dana (a cop), her dad (the police chief), her son and her sister. The result is sometimes involving (albeit nasty, shown here) or funny, with a great closing line. Read more…
