Daily Best Bets

1) “Cruel Summer” season-finale, 10 p.m., Freeform. A potent story peaks, amid revelations. On one side is Kate (Olivia Holt, shown here), a cheery and popular teen who disappeared; on the other is Jeanette (Chiara Aurelia), a geeky kid with two friends and loving parents. When Kate vanished, Jeanette seemed to take her friends, her boyfriend and her life. Then Kate was freed from a hostage situation … and accused Jeanette of seeing her and failing to help. It’s a complex story, with secrets ready to emerge. Read more…

1) “The Republic of Sarah”(shown here) debut, 9 p.m., CW. The quiet, autumn beauty of a New Hampshire town is pierced by the arrival of heavy equipment. For Sarah and her friends, life is suddenly transforming. “Republic” gets halfway through the hour before its plot starts to kick in; it also toys with assumptions about Sarah and Billy and others. Stick with it, surprises and all, and you’ll be rewarded. Its villains here are absurdly overdrawn, but Sarah (newcomer Stella Baker) is immensely likable. Read more…

1) Olympic trials, 5:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network; 7 p.m., NBC. For five years (including a COVID delay), these people have waited for their Olympic shot. Now the games begin July 21 and the U.S. team is filling its spots. Tonight, diving concludes and swimming (shown here) starts; it will continue through Wednesday, with track-and-field starting Friday. Sports alternatives today include baseball (Cards-Cubs, 7:10 p.m. ET, ESPN) and basketball – Nets-Bucks, 3 p.m. ET, ABC , Suns-Nuggets, 8 p.m., TNT. Read more…

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. Here’s a rerun of the episode Daniel Kaluuya (shown here) hosted, after winning an Academy Award for “Judas and the Black Messiah.” That was no comedy, of course; most of his work has been in dramas, from “Widows” to “Queen & Slim” to his Oscar-nominated work in “Get Out.” St. Vincent is the music guest. Read more…

1) “In the Heights” (shown here), any time, HBO Max. The Broadway musical – which Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote before “Hamilton” – starts streaming on the same day it reaches movie theaters. That’s in a huge streak for streamers: Earlier, two overseas delights returned – “Line of Duty” on Britbox” and “Miss Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries” on Acorn –and the ambitious “Loki” debuted on Disney+. Arriving today are new seasons of “Love, Victor” (Hulu) and “Lupin” (Netflix). Read more…

1) “Manifest” (shown here in a previous episode) season-finale, 8-10 p.m, NBC. It’s always something, you know. Ben and Grace Stone are finally re-united with their daughter Olive; then Cal (Olive’s twin) runs away. In the second hour, Ben tries a dangerous mission with Saanvi, a researcher. And Michaela (Ben’s sister) races to stop a deadly event; also, she finds her relationship with Jared souring over mistrust. Read more…

1) “CMT Awards,” 8 p.m. , CMT, MTV, Paramount, more, rerunning at 10:30 on CMT. There will be lots of stars in lots of places. Kelsea Ballerini (shown here) and Kane Brown perform and host, introducing acts scattered around Nashville. That includes Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Thomas Rhett, Maren Morris, Luke Combs, Mickey Guyton, Chris Young, Lauren Alaina, Dierks Bientley, Gabby Barrett and more, including Brothers Osborne, Lady Antebellum and rock great Gladys Knight. Read more…

1) “New Amsterdam” season-finale, 10 p.m., NBC. This has been a brutal year for Max (shown here in an earlier episode). While his hospital faces constant crises, he’s been battling his late wife’s parents for custody of his daughter. Now, an object that’s important to him is missing; he scours the hospital. Iggy, the psychiatrist, has also had a rough time. Last week, an angry patient broke into his home; now Iggy re-thinks his own life. Read more…

1) “The Bachelorette” opener, 8-10 p.m., ABC. Many of the show’s habits are being broken here. Usually, the show centers on someone almost chosen on “The Bachelor”; instead, we have Katie Thurston (shown here), who finished 11th but was popular for standing up to bullies. Usually, there’s just one “Bachelorette” a year; now they’re back-to-back – Thurston now, Michelle Young in September. Usually, the guys are older; now Thurston, 30, is older than at least 20 of the 30 men she’ll meet. Read more…

1) “Kennedy Center Honors,” 8-10 p.m., CBS. Two of TV’s most prestigious shows have sort of traded places, due to COVID. This June date usually goes to the Tony Awards, but they were dropped last year and delayed (until Sept. 26) this year. Taking the spot is the Kennedy Center ceremony, delayed from last December. It has performances honoring the greats, young-ish (Garth Brooks, 59) and old (Dick Van Dyke, shown here, 95). Also: Midori (a violinist), Debbie Allen and Joan Baez. Read more…