1) “MTV Video Music Awards,” 8 p.m. ET, CBS, MTV and Paramount+. After 40 years on MTV, this adds CBS, with LL Cool J hosting. There are special awards for Mariah Carey (shown here) and Ricky Martin. They’ll perform, as will Post Malone, Jelly Roll, Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Tate McRae and more, including an Ozzy Osbourne tribute with Steve Tyler and Joe Perry. Read more…
1) “The Groomsmen: First Look” (shown here), 8-10 p.m., Hallmark. Here’s the start of an ambitious trilogy that helped launch the Hallmark+ streamer last year. Pete, a pediatrician, meets Chelsea, a doctor. She lives overseas, so they don’t feel this could work. His friends, Danny and Jackson; disagree; over the next two Saturdays, they’ll have their own romance movies. Read more…
1) “Highest 2 Lowest,” Apple TV+. With TV in its pre-season lull, streamers are bringing their top stuff. For this movie, Spike Lee directed Denzel Washington (shown hgere) in a remake of a Japanese crime classic. That follows Thursday’s terrific “The Paper” (Peacock) and “NCIS: Tony & Ziva” (Paramount+); coming Tuesday is Hulu’ “Only Murders in the Building.” Read more…
1) Football, 8:15 p.m. ET, NBC. . The pro season begins, promising to dominate TV viewership. This opener has the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles (shown here in a previous season), 14-3 in the regular season, host the Dallas Cowboys 7-10, with a pre-game show at 7. Most of the other teams start Sunday. Read more…
1) “MasterChef,” 8 p.m., Fox. A week from the finale, four duos face a huge challenge — creating a dish simultaneously with Gordon Ramsay, while switching back and forth. It’s an “out-of-body, instinctive” task, one woman says. Adds another: “Too many pots, too many pans; you’re screaming at me.” It’s also a fiery experience (shown here), but in its own frantic way, it’s fun to watch. Read more…
(Here are the five TV best-bets for Tuesday, Sept. 2, a bit early because
1) “America’s Got Talent,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. In the third of four quarter-finals,11 acts perform. There are six music acts (including two rappers), plus a dancer, a juggling duo, an aerial duo, an AI magic act and Anna Dangerous (shown here), wielding her crossbow. Then viewers vote; on Wednesday, they’ll learn which acts four acts advance to the semi-finals. Read more…
1) “Survival Mode” finale, 10 p.m., NBC. In 2012, the Costa Concordia cruise ship diverted from its planned route and struck underwater rocks near Tuscany, partly sinking (shown here). An elaborate rescue began, using helicopters and boats. In all, 33 people died and the $600-million ship was ruined. Read more…
1) Stellar Awards, 8 p.m., BET, rerunning at 10:30.Steeped in gospel tradition, this 40th ceremony is hosted by BeBe and CeCe Winans — whose dad co-hosted in 1988. CeCe (shown here), 60, has had 56 Stellar nominations and 21 wins. Still, there’s room for new generations: Pastor,Mike Jr., 42, is up for his fifth straight artist-of-the-year award. Read more…
1) College football. The first full Saturday of the season starts with a clash of titans. Texas (shown here, last season), ranked No. 1 in a pre-season poll, is at Ohio State, No. 3, at noon ET on Fox. The rest of the day has lots of mismatches, with a key exception: At 7:30 p.m., ABC has Louisiana State (No. 9) at Clemson (No. 4). Also at 7:30: New Mexico is at Michigan on NBC. Read more…
1) Vienna Philharmonic, 9 p.m., PBS. Filmed shortly after an Austrian school shooting, this starts with 12 solemn minutes. Then conductor Tugan Sokhiev packs a dozen vibrant pieces into the next 70 minutes, performed amid the beauty of a palace grounds (shown here). Four of them have Piotr Beczala singing powerfully of love for Carmen, for a Chinese princess, for life and (an audience favorite) for Vienna itself. Read more…
