1) “Nation’s Dumbest,” 9 p.m., Fox. The rest of this season is a search for the second-dumbest. Carmen Electra (shown here) has already proved herself as the bottom of the class. She failed frequently, was late for one test, skipped another and last week was “expelled.” She said she was brave to try the show, “not knowing so much stuff.” Jon Heder, who knows lots of stuff, won the round. Read more…
1) “America’s Got Talent,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. The callbacks began last week, with Simon Cowell and Mel B each re-seeing six acts. He sent five (three singing, one dancing, one comedy) to the live shows that will start Aug. 18; she sent three (two singing, plus a mentalist duo). Now Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara (shown here, left and with arms raised, in a previous season) have their turns. Read more…
1) “All American,” 8 p.m., CW. It’s a sudden, stark turn for this story about friends and rivals at opposite high schools. At Crenshaw (shown here), an ICE raid affects Amina, Preach and Khalil deeply; at Beverly Hills, KJ and his football teammates try to help, soon facing consequences. And a press-conference moment threatens the friendship of the two coaches. Read more…
1) “House of the Dragon” season-finale, 9 p.m., HBO, rerunning at 10:15. The epic series (shown here) wraps its third season; if you haven’t been keeping up, there’s still time: The previous seven episodes start rerunning at 1:32 p.m., with last week’s episode at 7:50. Read more…
1) Steve McQueen marathon, Turner Classic Movies. McQueen was a great, raw talent who worked for top directors. Today has three John Sturges films — “Never So Few,” 6 a.m., ET; “The Magnificent Seven,” 12:45 p.m.; “The Great Escape,” 3 p.m. Norman Jewison’s “The Thomas Crown Affair is at 6, with (oddly) the low-budget “The Blob” (its poster is shown here) at 8. Read more…
1) “Anna Pigeon” debut, 10 p.m. Friday, USA Network. Anna (Tracy Spiridakos of “Chicago P.D.”) has big-city roots and an arts degree. But after her husband was killed, she became a detective park ranger in Montana; now she finds life-and-death crises, including one (shown here) tonight. Despite flaws (dense boss, absurd failure to address injuries), it’s a strong story with solid, likable people. Read more…
1) “The Bear” series finale, 9-10:20 p.m., FX. The restaurant has just survived its roughest night — overbooked, undersupplied and belted by a fierce storm. Now life changes, especially for Carmy (Emmy-winner Jeremy Allen White, shown here in a previous episode). In a quietly compelling finale, he has an emotional scene with Syd and, later, a remarkable, five-minute monolog. Read more…
1) “The Shards” openers, 9 and 10:11 p.m., FX. In “beautiful, empty houses,” Bret says, teens with absent parents cavort. Bret (whom writer Bret Easton Ellis based partly on himself) is a closeted bisexual with a hot girlfriend (they’re shown here) and an obsession for the new guy (played by Homer Gere, Richard’s son). A killer looms, in a story as smart, gorgeous and hollow as its characters. Read more…
1) “America’s Got Talent,” 8-10 p.m.,, NBC. Now comes a fresh twist. The show has already sent 28 acts to the live episodes (starting Aug. 18); twelve are musical, five are acrobatic, others range from dancers to dogs. But the judges (shown here) have picked 23 acts for “callbacks”; they’ll perform for individual judges, hoping for the final spots in the live shows. Read more…
1) “American Ninja Warrior” (shown here in a previous episode), 9-11 p.m., NBC. It’s time for the central region finals, sending people to the national round. That reruns Saturday, part of a big week for NBC: “America’s Got Talent” (8 p.m. Tuesday, rerunning Friday) starts its callbacks. Then there’s the start of the pro football pre-season Thursday and baseball Sunday. Read more…
