1) “The Morning Show” season-opener, Apple TV+. Two years after its second season began, the third is finally here. It has vivid characters, plus dialog so sharp you’d think Aaron Sorkin is involved. Desperate to sell his network to a tech billionaire (Jon Hamm), the CEO agrees to put his star (Jennifer Anisto, shown here) on the guy’s space journey. On Earth, his other star (Reese Witherspoon) eyes a big story. Read more…
1) “The Swarm” debut, 9 p.m., CW. Something seems wrong in the oceans. Whales are late … or dead … or violent. That’s the start of an eight-week, international mini-series that starts slowly, but will find mankind at risk. Even in its quietest moments, this opener gives us two young researchers to root for — one (played by Joshua Odjick, an Indigenous Canadian) on Vancouver Island, the other (Leonie Benesch, shown here, a German movie star) on Shetland Island. Read more…
1) Sept. 11 documentaries. For the 20th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks (shown here), filmmakers did a brilliant job of combining old footage and fresh comments. Now, two years later, some of those films rerun. The National Geographic Channel’s compelling “9/11: One Day in America” runs from 8 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.; the History Channel’s “9/11: I Was There” is 8-10:03 p.m. Other 9/11 films start at 7 a.m. on History and 6 p.m. on National Geographic. Read more…
1) “The Masked Singer” season-opener, after football (about 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT), Fox. In a burst of optimism, we could call this the start of the TV season. Pro football fills the afternoon on CBS and Fox and the evening (Cowboys-Giants) on NBC. And Fox uses its football double-header as a springboard to the “Masked Singer” (shown here in a previous year) season. Afterward, “Singer” will go back on the shelf, waiting for the rest of its season to start on Sept. 27. Read more…
1) College football. For the first time ever, there are primetime games on all five of the top commercial, broadcast networks. We expect that from ABC (which has Wisconsin,shown here, and Washington State at 7:30 p.m. ET), CBS (UCLA-San Diego State, 7:30) and Fox (Oregon-Texas Tech, 7). But now NBC, no longer confined to Notre Dame, has Charlotte-Maryland at 7:30. And CW carries Atlantic Coast Conference games; at 6:30, it has Cincinnati-Pittsburgh. Read more…
1) “American Masters,” 9-11 p.m., PBS. Bella Abzug (shown here) reached Congress at full-speed. She “came there with a sledge hammer,” says former Rep. Charles Rangel. By her own account, she “always had a decent sense of outrage”; by a friend’s account, she “had an ego the size of Montana.” Alternately screaming at and charming her aides, she pushed key legislation involving equal opportunity. Here’s an excellent profile of a bigger-than-life personality. Read more…
1) Pro football season-opener, 8:15 p.m. ET, NBC. With most scripted shows sidelined by the strikes, NFL games should soar. The season starts now, with a preview at 7 p.m. and then the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs (shown here) hosting the Detroit Lions, who had a 9-8 record last year. The rest of the teams start Sunday afternoon (CBS and Fox), Sunday night (NBC) and Monday (ABC and ESPN). Read more…
1) “MasterChef,” 8 and 9 p.m., Fox. Americans (well, some Americans) really like big walls. Here’s one that’s eight feet high, 55 feet long and forbidding. On each side is half of a chef duo; partners try to create dishes that look and taste the same. It’s a fun concept, bringing surprising success and occasional flubs. That’s at 9 p.m., after a fairly uneventful hour involving barbecues (shown here). By the end of the night, the field has been trimmed from nine to six. Read more…
1) “Inside the NFL” season-opener, 8 p.m., CW. It was 30 years ago that Fox created a fresh, fun football studio show, with .Howie Long and Terry Bradshaw at the core. Those two are still there, but now Long’s son gets a turn. Chris Long (shown here) had an 11-year pro career as defensive end, including two Super Bowl wins and a Walter Peyton award (the year he gave his entire pay to charity). He joins Ryan Clark, Chad Johnson, Jay Cutler and Channing Crowder. Read more…
1) “Secrets of Penthouse,” 9-11 p.m., A&E; rerunning 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, with the second half 9-11. Bob Guccione (shown here) was an American artist, living in London with his wife and four kids, when he launched the explicit Penthouse magazine. It reportedly made him worth $300 million … which he promptly blew on bad investments. This intriguing (if repetitive) film has some people who praise his charm and others who discuss a bad dad and runaway ego. Read more…
