1) “Big Brother,” 8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, CBS. In its 28th summer, the show has its 1,000th episode. That’s on Thursday and includes references to the past. (Shown here is Barrett Pfeiffer in the Aug. 19 episode.) Now “BB” trails only Ed Sullivan’s 1,068 episodes among primetime entertainment shows (anthologies excluded). Others include “Funniest Videos,” 835; and “The Simpsons,” 808. Read more…
1) “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” season-openers, 9 and 9:32 p.m. today, FX and FXX. Starting its 18th season, this is the longest-running American sitcom ever. That’s due to short seasons (10 episodes this time) and wildly weird stories. Tonight’s first episode — wedding day for Frank (Danny DeVito, second from right in a previous episode) is bizarre and sometimes hilarious; the second is fairly funny. Read more…
1) “The Americas,” 8 and 9 p.m. Thursday, NBC. The first rerun (with “fun facts” added) visits the Caribbean (shown here), with 7,000 islands sprawling over a million square miles; the second tells how the series was filmed. Both are superb; both include two compelling glimpses: Whales sleep vertically, then plunge to hunt; red crabs march to the sea, across a lethal road. Read more…
1) “America’s Got Talent,” 8-10 p.m., Tuesday, NBC. The show has already sent 28 acts to the live episodes, which start Aug. 18. Twelve are musical; five are acrobatic; others range from dancers to dogs. But now comes a new twist: Another 23 acts have “callbacks”; they perform now for individual judges, hoping for the final spots in the live shows. (Shown here is the dancing-robot act from the season-opener.) Read more…
1) “Grantchester” series finale, 9 p.m. Sunday, PBS. For 11 seasons and three vicars, this has given us warm people and smart crime stories. The finale fumbles the latter; the search for the man who shot Geordie is so-so, at best. It also overdoses the drama at times, amid a crisis in faith for Alphy (right, with Geordie). But its final, moving minutes remind us that this has been a terrific series. Read more…
1) “Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” season-opener, 8 p.m. Wednesday, ABC. Things start with two interesting duos. First, Larry David is paired with his daughter Cazzie, a writer and actress. Then Ben Affleck teams with Jamie Ding (shown here), who won 31 straight nights of “Jeopardy.” That’s followed by reruns of Tim Allen’s “Shifting Gears.” Read more…
1) “Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro” debut, 8 p.m. today, ABC. Here are all the elements of a ratings-leader: a dozen dancers … two sweet-faced guys, Robert Irwin as host and Derek Hough (shown here with the female contestants) as the first mentor … and a notable prize — a spot as one of the pros paired with celebrities on “Dancing With the Stars.” Tonight, the dancers work on jive and samba. Read more…
1) “Big Brother” season-opener, 8-9:30 p.m. Thursday, CBS. The 28th season begins, this time in a house with a “time trip” theme (shown here). That ranges from a crazy-clock entry to design elements that span the centuries. There’s another 90-minute episode at 8 p.m. Sunday, then a weekly pattern — 8-9:30 p.m. Wednesdays, 8-9 p.m. Thursdays and Sundays. Read more…
1) “Disney Celebrates America,” all week, ABC. This start from 8-10 p.m. today, ranging from Disney parks to Jon Batiste in New Orleans and Savannah Bananas baseball. That repeats at 8 Friday, launching a marathon that reaches Nashville at 8 Saturday, with Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, Clint Black, Nick Jonas and Fourth of July fireworks. Read more…
1) CMA Fest, 8-11 p.m. Thursday, ABC. Riley Green and Lara Spencer host a night with country’s top stars. There are long-timers — Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Lainey Wilson, Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw –plus relatively fresh forces. They include Ella Langley (shown here with Green), Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Shaboozey and Molly Tuttle. Read more…
