1) Football, 8:15 p.m. ET Thursday, NBC; pre-game at 7. The pro season . starts … and is likely to dominate viewership. The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles (shown here), 14-3 in the regular season, host the Dallas Cowboys, 7-10. There’s a game Friday (Chiefs-Chargers, 8 p.m., YouTube) and a deluge Sunday, concluding with Ravens-Bills, 8:15 p.m. on NBC. Read more…
1) “America’s Got Talent,” 8-10 p.m. Tuesday, NBC. The quarter-finals will sprawl over four Tuesdays, with 11 acts each time. This opener has five music acts (including Tom Sandoval, of “Vanderpump Rules” and Jessica Sanchez, shown here) and three dance acts — B Unique, LightWire and Loco Pop Familia — plus magic, a trapeze duo and comedian Shuler King. Read more…
1) “Alien Earth” debut, 8 p.m Tuesday, FX. Here’s an ideal sci-fi mix: epic monsters-and-machines space scenes (shown here), plus a deeply human story. On one note, a ship with captured creatures has crashed on Earth. On the other, a dying tween girl’s mind and memories are injected into a synthetic body. With other synths, she tries to rescue the brother of her human self. Read more…
1) “Lego Masters” finale, 8 p.m. today, Fox. There have been some amazing builds, peaking last week (shown here) with ones that sent ping-pong balls on wild rides. Now three duos remain — brothers, siblings and school colleagues (a coach and a band director). It’s the final night for host Will Arnett. Kelly Osbourne hosts four junior episodes; Nick Cannon takes over next year. Read more…
1) “Daredevil: Born Again,” 8-11 p.m. Tuesday, FX. Sixty years after Stan Lee created him, this blind crimefighter thrives. Ben Affleck played him in a 2003 movie; then Charlie Cox (shown here) took over. Cox starred in a Netflix series for three seasons and was briefly in a movie, a mini-series and three TV series. Then came a nine-hour series on Disney+; it now reaches FX. Read more…
1) “Transplant” series-finale, 8 p.m. Thursday, NBC. It’s a deeply emotional ending for an excellent series. A surgeon for Syrian rebels, Bash (shown here) moved to Toronto, finding work, friends and a lover (who recently died). Now there’s a new crisis (a gas leak at the hospital), alongside turning points for virtually everyone. It’s all done with subtlety and skill. Read more…
1) “Big Brother” opener, 8 p.m. Thursday, CBS. This 27th season is the largest yet. Its opener is 90 minutes, to introduce the housemates. After that, it will have an hour each Sunday and Thursday and 90 minutes each Wednesday; Julie Chen Moonves (shown here in the redesigned house) hosts. And starting July 25, there will be “Big Brother Unlocked” hours on alternate Fridays. Read more…
1) “A Capitol Fourth,” 8 and 9:30 p.m. Friday, PBS. Blending vibrant music, stories and fireworks (shown here in a previous year), this is an annual delight from Washington, D.C. This year has the Beach Boys and the Temptations, plus “American Idol” winner Abi Carter and stars from country (Josh Turner, LoCash), Christian music (Yolanda Adams, Lauren Daigle) and jazz (Trombone Shorty). Read more…
1) “CMA Fest,” 8-11 p.m. Thursday, ABC. The night will be stuffed with 30 country songs, from hosts Cody Johnson (shown here) and Ashley McBryde and others. There’s Blake Shelton, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Ella Langley. Darius Rucker, Trace Adkins, Riley Green and more, including Shaboozey with Jelly Roll. Read more…
1) “Walking With Dinosaurs,” 8-10 p.m. today, Tuesday and Wednesday, PBS. Fact and fiction blend neatly, in a lush production. We see scientists finding bones … then get stories imagining those creatures. Special-effects and animatronics link with great filming (shown here). Rebooting a 1999 series, this starts with a baby triceratops and a 13-foot-high tyrannosaurus. Read more…
