1) “Holidazed” opener, 8 and 9 p.m., Hallmark. Last year, this ambitious mini-series (shown here) helped launch Hallmark+; now it moves to the general channel. The first episode meets families on a cul-de-sac, re-uniting for Christmas. The next ones tell their stories, one family per hour, leading to the overall finale in the eighth episode. Read more…
1) “Sharks Up Close,” 8 p.m., National Geographic. On Earth Day, we saw Bertie Gregory (shown here) communing with cute penguins. Now he goes the other way — hoping to swim with great white sharks off South Africa. There’s a lot of frustration here, but there are some good moments with gorgeous filming. Read more…
1) “A Capitol Fourth,” 8 p.m., PBS, rerunning at 9:30. Leading into the Washington, D.C., fireworks (shown here), we get tributes (including the 250th anniversary of the U.S. military) and lots of music. That includes the Beach Boys, the Temptations and gospel great Yolanda Adams, plus Josh Turner, LoCash, Lauren Daigle, Abi Carter and the National Symphony. Read more…
1) “Transplant,” 8 p.m., NBC. A terrific season has its key episode tonight. As usual, there are odd patients — including spouses who are literally glued together. There are career crises for Bash and Theo. And there’s Mags, a doctor (and Bash’s loved one, they’re shown here), with a transplanted heart. The result is beautifully crafted and deeply emotional. Read more…
1) “Human Footprint,” 9 p.m., PBS. The notion of “biocontrol” — one part of nature controls another — can work well: In Thailand, 10,000 ducks are released to gobble up farm pests. And it can fail: In 1935, Australia brought cane toads (shown here) to stop beetles; they soon swarmed everywhere … just as rabbits did earlier. Like last week’s opener, this is a terrific hour. Read more…
1) “High Potential,” 8-11 p.m., ABC. Here are the first episodes of what became the season’s most-watched new show. Kaitlin Olson (shown here) plays a high-IQ single mom; working as a cleaning lady at a police station, she cracks a case. At 9 p.m., she probes the attempted murder of a tap dancer. At 10, she uses her cleaning knowledge to solve a hotel-room mystery. Read more…
1) “Yes, Chef” finale, 10 p.m., NBC. We’re down to three chefs. Zain Ismail, only 28, has links to Mauritius, India, Texas and Los Angeles. Lee Frank, 46, is descended from Holocaust survivors. Emily Brubaker (shown here), 44, once vowed not to work with her husband (right) again. Now they do link; each finalist has two aides, for a high-stress, three-course dinner. Read more…
1) “Nautilus” opener, 9 p.m., AMC, rerunning at 11:23. This starts well — a richly crafted series, loosely based on Jules’ Verne’s fantasy classic. There’s a rogue captain (shown here), a clever damsel, an invincible enemy and a great ship. By the second hour, however, we see the show’s limits. We’re stuck in a big ship in a (really) big ocean, with endless crises ahead. Read more…
1) Cartoons, cable. There are lots of them — even on HBO. It has “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” (2024), shown here, at 8. The Disney Channel has “Encanto” (2021) at 6:15 and “Phineas and Ferb” episodes, new (10 p.m.) and old (5:25, 5:50, 10:30). Freeform goes all day, from the “Cars” trilogy at 7 a.m. to the “Monsters” films at 6:55 and 9 p.m. Read more…
1) “My Mom, Jayne,” 8 p.m., HBO and Max. Jayne Mansfield(shown here) was a brainy beauty with a chaotic life. She posed in Playboy, did a nude scene in a movie, starred on Broadway, had three husbands and five children. At 34, she died in a car crash. Now Mariska Hargitay — the Emmy-winning actress who was 3 when her mom died — has made this documentary. Read more…
