1) “Saving Private Ryan” (1999), 8 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. It was 80 years ago today that 24,000 Allied troops stormed the fortified beaches of Normandy. More than 4,000 would be killed on D-Day, another 5,000-plus were wounded, but they changed history. That’s marked here by Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece (shown here), other TCM films and documentaries on two other cable channels. Read more…
1) “MasterChef: Generations,” 8 p.m., Fox.. Didn’t the baby-boomers start the youthquake? Aren’t they rockers and flower children? Somehow, they’ve aged. It’s their turn to audtion and, one guy says, to “show what the old folks can do.” Joe Bastianich even adds his mom Lidia, 77, as guest judge. (They’re show here with a contestant.) She’s an acclaimed food expert who will get an honorary Daytime Emmy on Friday. Read more…
1) “Clipped” opener, Hulu. On the surface, this is fun and flash: The 2013 Los Angeles Clippers had great players, a respected coach (Doc Rivers, played by Laurence Fishburne, shown here), a Hollywood setting … and a bizarre owner. As his team soared; his girlfriend leaked a tape of his rants. These first two hours try to humanize the people, Still, many viewers will find them hard to like. Read more…
1) “Mayor of Kingstown” season-opener, 9 p.m., Showtime. Now recovered from a near-fatal accident, Jerremy Renner (shown here)is back to playing a tough guy in a hard-scrabble prison town. On Jan. 1, 2023, Renner was severely injured while saving his nephew from a snowplow. Now third season begins, 14 months after the second ended. Read more…
1) Gymnastics, 7-9 p.m., NBC and Peacock. The U.S. championships conclude in Fort Worth. The men had their finals Saturday; now the women have their turn. Gabby Douglas (shown here) has withdrawn and scuttled her attempt for an Olympic comeback; for others, however, this is the last major event before the Olympic trials, June 27-30. Read more…
1) “The Life and Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson,” 8 p.m., Lifetime. June 12 will be the 30th anniversary of the deaths of Simpson (shown here) and Ron Goldman. Now her life is viewed by the people who made documentaries on R. Kelly and Gypsy Rose Blanchard; they include home movies and more than 50 people. That reruns at 10:03, midnight and 2:04, then at noon and 6 p.m. Sunday, before the second half. Read more…
1) “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 80th Anniversary,” 9 p.m., PBS. Here’s a splendid blend – Broadway’s greatest songs, sung by amazing talents. Several of the stars are better known in London (where this was filmed), including a powerful Michael Ball (shown here) and a vibrant Marisha Wallace. But there are also Broadway stats, including Patrick Wilson, Aaron Tveit and the superb Audra McDonald.
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1) “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Station 19” finales, 9 and 10 p.m., ABC. Last week, the Station 19 crew fought a wildfire roaring toward Seattle. Now the “Grey’s” doctors face an overload of burn and smoke victims; then the firefighters and paramedics continue their struggle (shown here). That wraps the seventh and final season for “Station 19”; “Grey’s” will be back for its 21at. Read more…
1) “The Conners,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. There’s been bad news lately for this above-average comedy. It won’t be back until mid-season … and that will be its final season. Fortunately, there are four-rerun spurts today on ABC and Saturday on CW. At 8:30 p.m. today, Becky introduces her boyfriend (Sean Astin, shown here with her) to her daughter. At 9. there’s a pivotal moment involving Jackie’s mom. Read more…
1) “America’s Got Talent” season-opener, 8-10 p.m., NBC. Here’s the show that tends to dominate summertime ratings. Most of its time is spent on auditions, with a wild assortmentof people singing, spinning, dancing, leapng and such. (Shown here is Renya Roberts.) On Aug. 13 (after an Olympic break), it will turn to live performances and viewer votes. Read more…
