Daily Best Bets

1) “Holey Moley,” 8 p.m., ABC. Thursdays have become the centerpoint for summertime games and reality shows. At 8 p.m., that includes two shows on CBS (“Big Brother” and “Love Island”), two hours of “Beat Shazam” on Fox and “The Wall” on NBC. It also includes this goofy miniature-golf show (shown here), which has a final spot to fill in next week’s $250,000 championship. Contestants range from a law student to a pageant queen, from a musician to a former pro football player. Read more…

1) “Tough as Nails” finale, 9-11 p.m., CBS. The team prize was handed out last week, but now comes the big one – an individual prize of $200.000 and a truck. Starting with 12 people, “Nails” – already renewed for next season – has its final five. There are two women – Linda Goodridge, 29, a deputy sheriff; and Callie Cattell, 28, a fisherman – and three men. Danny Moody, 33, is a drywaller; Miles Pak, 28, is a forestry tech; “Murph” Murphy (shown here), 47, is a Marine veteran. Phil Keoghan hosts. Read more…

1) “Transplant” debut, 10 p.m., NBC. At a Middle Eastern restaurant in Canada, a tragedy strikes. There are life-and-death moments, as one of the workers (Hamza Haq, shown here) takes action. Then … well, we won’t say any more. “Trasnsplant” is careful to reveal itself slowly; watching this first hour that way is a rewarding experience. John Hannah, a Scottish star, is the only actor Americans might recognize. (We see him first as a restaurant customer.) The Canadian cast, led by Haq, performs with subtle skill. Read more…

1) “Planet Earth: A Celebration” (shown here), 8-9:25 p.m. ET, BBC America and IFC; 8-9:25 p.m. ET/PT AMC and Sundance. This began with two great series – “Planet Earth II” and “Blue Planet II.” The BBC chose eight gorgeous segments and added new music, performed by the members of the BBC Orchestra (separated by six feet) and Hans Zimmer (separated by the Atlantic Ocean). The moments – from hilarious parading flamingos to horrifying racer snakes – are brilliantly crafted. Read more…

1) MTV Video Music Awards, 8 p.m., everywhere. This sprawls across the cable world — MTV, VH1, CMT, BET, Nickelodeon, TV Land, Pop, Paramount, Comedy Central and, for the first time, CW. Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande (shown here) – who lead with nine nominations apiece – combine for “Rain on Me”; BTS has the TV debut of “Dynamite.” Also performing: Miley Cyrus, The Weeknd, DaBaby, Black Eyed Peas, CNCO, Maluma, Doja Cat and more. Keke Palmer hosts the night, which has a New York tribute. Read more…

1) “On the Waterfront” (1954) and “North by Northwest” (1959), 6 and 8 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. These truly great movies that have nothing in common … except Eva Marie Saint. “Waterfront” is black-and-white, intense and maybe the best-acted movie ever. Marlon Brando and Saint got Oscars; Rod Steiger, Karl Malden and Lee J. Cobb were nominated. “Northwest” is simply fun, a colorful Alfred Hitchcock romp that has Cary Grant, Saint and classic chase scenes,including the one shown here. Read more…

1) “Savage Kingdom” (shown here) season-finale, 9-11 p.m., National Geographic. So a mom comes home and finds her kids are missing. So is the dad, who was supposed to watch them; instead, his no-account brother is there. Soon, she and the kids are leaving, looking for her sister and a new domain. That story – about a lioness – is one of several in the finale of this three-week, six-hour series. Others involve a cheetah, an outcast hyena and the leader of a pack of wild dogs. “Kingdom” is beautifully filmed, but, well, savage. Read more…

1) Republican convention, 8-11 p.m. ET, PBS; 10 p.m., ABC, CBS and NBC; all night, news channels. Now the presidential race hits full-speed. Last Thursday, Joe Biden gave his nomination-acceptance speech; tonight, Donald Trump has his turn. There will be warm-up speakers, of course. Scheduled (subject to change) are senators (Mitch McConnell, Tom Cotton), congressmen (Kevin McCarthy, Jeff Van Drew), a cabinet member (Ben Carson) and others, from Trump’s daughter Ivanka to the Rev. Franklin Graham (shown here), son of the late evangelist Billy Graham. Read more…

1) “United We Fall” season-finale, 8 p.m., ABC. This pleasant-enough comedy has has a rough ride. ABC planned to run the eight episodes this spring; when COVID shutdowns hit, it considered promoting the show to the fall … then, instead, dumped it in the summer. All of this back-and-forth has been for an OK show, with Will Sasso, Christina Vidal and Jane Curtin as struggling parents and his mom. Tonight, they plan a celebration (shown here) to renew their vows; naturally, there’s a snowstorm and more. Read more…

1) “Dead Pixels,” 8 and 8:30 p.m., CW. In real life, we hear a chorus of rage whenever Hollywood tries something new. Female ghostbusters? Gay superhero? The attacks begin. We might imagine that these are foul internet trolls, but now they get a human dimension: Last week’s fun opener (rerunning at 8:30) introduced likable young people who happen to obsess on one videogame (shown here). Now they get word that Vince Vaughn will star in the movie version. Rage ensudes; so does humor. Read more…