Mike Hughes on TV

1) “American Masters,” 9-10:30 p.m., PBS. Jerry Brown kept defying traditions. He was California’s youngest governor (36) and its oldest (80 when his term ended). He was a Catholic seminarian, a student of Buddhism, a rock-type star who dated Linda Ronstadt (they’re shown here). He had three failed runs for president and one for Senate – then rebounded. But he was consistent in some areas, especially climate. It’s a fascinating story that (after a bumbling start) is well-told. Read more…

1) “Buddy Games” debut, 9 p.m., CBS. There will be way too many reality shows this fall, but the first arrival is fun. Josh Duhamel (shown here), a TV and movie star, returns home to Montana each summer, to play odd games with his friends. Now he’s producing and hosting a TV version. The teams are varied – cops, beauty queens, Roller Derby women, LGBTQ, etc. The games are big and broad; at times, people are muddy, messy, naked, tired and quite cheerful. Read more…

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…