1) “Grantchester” season-finale, 9 p.m., PBS. Last week, Geordie (a cop) traced possible info about the birth mother of Alphy (a vicar). Alas, Alphy raged.at the intrusion, Now there are deep emotions for these friends (shown here) to unpack — while solving a complex case that includes a right-wing activist, bomb threats and a key assist from Larry, the newlywed cop. Read more…
1) U.S. Gymnastics Championships, 7-9 p.m. Sunday, NBC. Here are the women’s finals, a day after the men (6:30-9 p.m. ET Saturday, CNBC). If you prefer larger (much larger) athletes, it’s the first full week of the pro-football pre-season. The NFL Network has games at 7 and 10 p.m. ET Thursday; 7 Friday; 1 and 5 p.m. Saturday; and 1 and 4 Sunday. Read more…
1) “Barbie” (2023), 8 p.m., TBS; or “The Sound of Music” (1965), 8 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. In one way, these are opposites: “Barbie” (shown here) reflects a joyous feminism; “Music,” set in 1940s Austria, doesn’t. But both offer vibrant visuals and music, plus appealing stars. Both drew Oscar nominations for best-picture, which “Sound of Music” won. Read more…
1) “Fire Country,” 8 p.m., CBS. This fall, Morena Baccarin — formerly of “V,” “Homeland” and “Gotham” — will stars in “Sheriff Country.” First, here’s her second “Fire Country” episode, setting it up. With her nephew Bode (they’re shown here), she probes the attempted murder of her estranged father. More reruns follow, with a ski-lift malfunction and an out-of-control house fire. Read more…
1) “Bob’s Burgers” (shown here). It’s a busy night for “BB” fans: Five reruns on the Cartoon Network (6:30-9 p.m.) overlap with two new episodes on Fox. At 8 p.m., the kids play at a marine scrapyard, with dangerous results; at 8:30, the family tries kite-flying. A fun “The 1% Club” rerun follows at 9. Read more…
1) “Human Footprint” season-finale, 9 p.m., PBS. The natural world creates extinctions, we’re told here. Of all species since Earth began, 99% are extinct. But humans accelerate this … or slow it. We see efforts by scientists (a “frozen zoo” in San Diego, a “de-extinction” project in Texas) and laymen, helping elephants in Kenya, trees in Appalachia, rhinos (shown here) and more, Read more…
1) “The 1% Club,” 8 p.m., Fox. One of TV’s best game shows. this offers devilishly clever questions, a sharp host (Joel McHale, shown here) and fun contestants. Tonight’s 100-person field includes a mother and son, three math-teacher colleagues and a guy trying to top his wife and his brother. It’s a fun hour. Read more…
1) “Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time” conclusion, 8 and 9 p.m., National Geographic, rerunning at 11 and midnight. Sunday’s hours (rerunning from 5-8 p.m. today) showed the storm crush New Orleans and others. In the aftermath (shown here), we see rescue efforts continue. In the final hour, some people rebuild the city; others find new lives elsewhere. Read more…
1) “Nautilus,” 9 p.m., AMC, rerunning at 10:10. After saving the ship last week, Lucas (shown here) found herself drifting to the bottom of the sea. Now, after a clever flashback, that’s where we start. Based on Jules Verne’s 19th-century tale, this blends quiet awe and deep tragedy. Parts of it stretch way too long, but the grand-scale adventure keeps us watching. Read more…
(Here are the five TV best-bets for Saturday, July 26, sent a bit early; feel free to use in any form — all or some, print and/or web)
1) “Shark Week” finale, Discovery. We’ve survived another summertime blitz of shark shows. This final day has lots of reruns, plus new hours with ominous titles: At 8 p.m. is “Attack of the Devil Shark”; at 9, “Battle for Shark Mountain” views in-fighting in a shark stronghold. Read more…
