Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Aug. 18: Dick, Bob and lotsa talent

1) “America’s Got Talent,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. The live shows finally begin, with 11 acts performing on the next four Tuesdays (with results Wednesday). Today has four music acts (Ashford Sanders, Brook Lynn, Luke Taleno, ComUNITY Choir), comedian Cris Sosa, two magic acts, two dance acts, a dog act and (shown here in an outdoor performance) the Jesse White Tumbling Team. Read more…

Best-bets for Aug. 17: “Sunny” starts; “Club” ends

1) “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” season-openers, 9 and 9:32 p.m., FX and FXX. The 18th season begins, for the longest-running American sitcom ever. That’s due to short seasons (10 episodes this time) and wildly weird stories. Tonight’s first episode is on the wedding day for Frank (Danny DeVito, shown here at the right in a previous episode).It’s bizarre and sometimes hilarious; the second is fairly funny. Read more…

Best-bets for Aug. 16: princesses and zombies

1) “The Walking Dead: Dead City,” 9 p.m., AMC, rerunning at 10:01. More than other shows, this covers the full range. It’s sometimes gory and brutal, sometimes surprisingly warm and deep. This hour leans toward the latter, with quietly moving moments for Maggie and Luis (Lauren Cohan, shown here, and Raul Castillo). Then the final minutes are sensational. Read more…

Best-bets for Aug. 14: Lemmon, “Lord,” great movies

1) “The Front Page” (1974), 9:45 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. A great, three-day stretch begins for TCM. Natalie Wood and Cary Grant marathons are Friday and Saturday, but first is Jack Lemmon. He links with Walter Matthau (shown here, left) for two terrific comedies, thi one and “The Fortune Cookie”) at 3:30. The tender “The Apartment” is 5:45, with “Some Like It Hot” at 11:45. Read more…

Best-bets for Aug. 12: a search for second-dumbest?

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…

Best-bets for Aug. 11: “Talent” nears its live shows

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…

Best-bets for Aug. 10: ICE crisis; “Ninja” nationals

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…