1) “I Am Patrick Swayze” (2019), 8-10 p.m., CW. Growing up in Houston, Swayze (shown here) jumped from football to theater to his mom’s dance studio. All served him well, in a strong movie career. Here’s a profile of Swayze, who died of cancer at 57, in 2009. Also, IFC is showing two of his films — “Red Dawn” (1984) ar4:40 p.m. and “Point Break” (1991) at 7:30. Read more…
1) “Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness” debut, 9 p.m., HBO; also 9:34 and 11:08. There are a lot of serious celebrations of the country’s 250th birthday, but here’s a chance for fun. Sub-titled “An Almost History of America,” it’s a six-week sketch-comedy series produced by Barack Obama, who was president, and Larry David (shown here with the Wright Brothers, sort of), who wasn’t. Read more…
1) CMA Fest, 8-11 p.m., ABC. Country’s top stars perform in Nashville. There are long-familiar names — Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Lainey Wilson, Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw. And there are relatively fresh forces, including Riley Green (who co-hosts), Ella Langley (shown here), Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Molly Tuttle and Shaboozey. Read more…
1) “Brilliant Minds,” 8 p.m., NBC. There’s a new case (there always is) that’s excellent, seen through the mind of a teen fantasy-fiction writer. But there are other things to resolve — some tonight and some in next week’s oddly sub-par series finale. That includes a fascinating closing twist in the story of “Sofia” (shown here) the imaginary person conjured in Dr. Wolf’s mind. Read more…
1) “The Sting” (1973) and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969), 8 and 10:15 p.m. ET., Turner Classic Movies. Thiswas the perfect blend — top stars (Paul Newman and Robert Redford), talented director (George Roy Hill), jaunty music and fresh takes on cowboys and con men. Both won Oscars for their scripts and music; “Sting” (shown here) won for best picture. Read more…
1) “Sullivan’s Crossing” season-finale, 8 p.m., CW. For four seasons, we’ve seen good-hearted people — Maggie, a former surgeon, and Cal, a former lawyer — fall in love amid Nova Scotian beauty. (They’re shown here in a previous episode.) Then came her long-ago husband Liam, whose divorce papers were misfiled. As a land ceremony nears, she must make a choice. Read more…
1) “House of the Dragon” (shown here) season-opener, 9 p.m. Sunday, HBO and HBO Max. Here is epic filming — TV on a mega-movie scale. At one point, the show had expected to close its second season with the Battle of the Gullet. Now, instead, it uses that to give the third season a huge start. Dragons, ships and warriors collide in the water between two kingdoms.
Read more…
1) “Bonnie and Clyde” (1969), 5:45 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies; and “Project Hail Mary” (2026), 8 p.m., MGM+. Some 57 years apart, both films blended smart stories, great actors (shown here are Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty as Bonnie and Clyde) and great cinematic skill. That’s also true of “Top Gun: Maverick” (6:50 and 10 p.m., Paramount Network) and the “Godfather” (6 and 9, Showtime) and “Lord of the Rings” (2, 6 and 10, TruTV) films. Read more…
1) “The Clash of Nations,” 8-10:05 p.m., History. Two boxing matches (1936 and ’38) were seen as global symbols. Max Schmeling (left) represented “German superiority”; Joe Louis (right) was the rising Black American. This film debuts on Juneteenth (which marks the end of slavery), preceded by films on Jesse Owens (6 p.m.) and the stars who followed Jackie Robinson (4). Read more…
1) “Surviving Earth,” 8 p.m.. NBC. A lush, tropical era prevailed for millions of years, we’re told. As this hour begins (232 million years ago) that’s ending. Rains abate as new creatures — early mammals (shown here) and dinosaurs — roam. With great special effects, it’s a fairly good hour, followed by a splendid “Americas” rerun visiting the Amazon. Read more…
