1) “Grantchester” series finale, 9 p.m. PBS. For 11 seasons and three vicars, this series (shown here) has given us smart crime stories. The finale fumbles that a litttle; the search for the man who shot Geordie is so-so. It also overdoes a crisis-in-faith story … but then catches itself. In the final minutes, we’re remind that this is a terrific series, filled with beautifully layered people. Read more…
1) “Teacher’s Pet” (1958) and “Lover Come Back” (1962), 3:45 and 8 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. An August tradition — focusing on one star each day — begins with Doris Day. She made lots of bland comedies, but these two had clever, Oscar-nominated scripts. (She’s shown here with Rock Hudson in “Lover.”) Dramas follow: “Midnight Lace” and Hitchcock’s “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” at 10 and midnight. Read more…
1) “Sharkzilla Takes New York,” 9 p.m., Discovery. On its second-to-last day, “Shark Week” brings out its catchiest titles. This hour involves the search for a legendary shark; it’s followed at 10 by “My Strange Shark Addiction,” viewing people whose lives revolve around this interest. There are reruns all day, plus “Secrets of the Great White” at 8. Read more…
1) “Surviving Earth” season-finale, 8 p.m., NBC. After going back millions of years for previous episodes, this hour is almost contemporary. It begins a mere 12,000 years ago, with humans and mega-creatures sharing a planet that faces the double blow of ice and heat. Also, there are the sort of specific scenes that work so well in “The Americas” (shown hgere), but seem oddly specific amid computer graphics. Read more…
1) “MasterChef,” 8 p.m., Fox. Jessica Bosworth and Jesse Rosenwald (shown here) met as Boston bartenders, almost a decade ago. Last year (when the show shifted to duos), they won the $250,000 prize … and promptly got engaged. Now, in a castle, there’s a royal-style wedding dinner prepared by the 12 home chefs. Read more…
1) “NCIS: Origins” and “NCIS: Sydney,” 9-11 p.m., CBS. Last week, both were bumped when CBS decided to rerun its 50th “Survivor” season. “Survivor” continues on Wednesdays and a few Tuesdays, but this week the “NCIS” reruns return “Origins” (shown here) finds the future of the unit in jeopardy; on “Sydney,” a hospital ward is taken hostage. Read more…
1) “The 1% Club” and “The Quiz With Balls,” 8 and 9 p.m., Fox. Starting now, Fox will be a no-rerun zone on Mondays through Wednesdays. First, host Joel McHale (shown here in a previous episode) is surrounded by 100 female contestants. Then “Quiz” has a rematch of sorts, with two families that were on “Extracted.” Read more…
1) “The Simpsons,” 8 p.m., Fox. Now that the soccer fuss has ended, Fox gets back to its regular line-up. That includes Sunday reruns of its two funniest shows. In this one, Bart’s lab work (shown here) links him with tech billionaires who are intent on living forever. At 8:30, “Animal Control” has Frank on a late-night mission to retrieve his new dog. Read more…
1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. This reruns the season-finale, with two of the show’s favorites. Hosting is Will Ferrell, who was a regular (shown here) for seven years, left to become a movie star, and has returned five times as host. Paul McCartney is the music guest. Read more…
1) “Chasing the Moon” opener, 9-11 p.m., PBS. On Tuesdays, PBS has a terrific new documentary tracing the later years of the U.S.-Soviet space race. But now we go back to the beginning: This terrific, three-week film (from 2019) includes astronauts (Buzz Aldrin, Mike Collins, Frank Borman) and others, includinng Poppy Northcutt (shown here), a pioneering computer expert whom photographers kept focusing on. Read more…
