1) “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” season-opener, Paramount+. Sure, some shows might have episodes where nothing much happens. Not here: After a slow start, this story (shown here) leaps across time and space, leaving … well, everyone everywhere in limbo. It’s definitely a big way to start the season. Read more…
Staring at movies and TV shows, we’re used to this:
A disaster has started; people promptly shift into another gear. They panic, push, shout, scream and generally misbehave.
Is this realistic? “We do see panic in some emergencies,” Sarita Robinson said. “But not as often as portrayed.”
She’s studied such things for 30 years and has the academic credentials to prove it. She’s ponders disasters, new and old — in one case, very old: She’s in Tom Hiddleston’s “Pompeii: Out of Time,” a fascinating documentary (shown here), from 8-11 p.m. Wednesday (July 22) on the National Geographic Channel. Read more…
1) “Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” season-opener, 8 p.m., ABC. The season starts with two interesting duos. First, Larry David is paired with his daughter Cazzie, a writer and actress. (They’re shown here.) Then Ben Affleck teams with Jamie Ding, who won 31 straight nights of “Jeopardy.” Read more…
1) “Kitchen Nightmares” season-opener, 8 and 9 p.m., Fox. Who knew there was this much angst and anger in the back of basic, down-home restaurants? In the first hour, a chef faces an immensely disinterested front-of-the-house manager; in the second, an all-American diner wades in ill-will. Somehow, Gordon Ramsay (shown here) seems like the calmest guy in the room. Read more…
1) Celebrity Family Feud,” 9-11 p.m., ABC. Last Thursday, “Feud” — one of TV’s best game shows– had its season-opener.s Now those episodes rerun today, emphasizing football — AFC and NFC champs — and music — En Vogue (shown here at its peak) vs. Sheila E, Lisa Lisa vs. Taylor Dayne. OnThursday, a new episode will pit the U.S. men’s and women’s Olympic hockey teams. Read more…
1) World Cup championship, 3 p.m. ET, Fox. Argentina, the current champs, are back in the finals — barely. Lionel Messi (shown here) and his teammates needed a last-minutes, come-from-behind surge to edge England, 2-1. The Argentines have been in six previous finals, winning three times. Now they face Spain, which won its only previous finals, back in 2010. 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…
For fans of TV dramas, there are two pieces of good news:
“Maigret” (shown here) will return Oct. 18, for its second season on PBS. And “Sullivan’s Creek” will be back sometime next year, for its fifth on CW. Read more…
1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. On the day after his epic “Odyssey” (shown here)_ reaches movie theaters, here’s Matt Damon with fewer battle scars. He hosts this rerun, with music by Noah Kohan. Read more…
For one network, the start of the fall season will be tidy and uncomplicated.
Fox will stuff all of its season-openers into one week. That starts with games (“Name That Tune” and “Weakest Link”) on Monday, Sept. 21, and ends with laughs — “The Simpsons” (shown here), “Animal Control” and more — on Sunday, Sept. 27.
And yes, it will all feel familiar. The season starts with zero new shows. Read more…
Best-bets for Nov. 5: fun with Elsbeth and “Cupertino” 
Best-bets for Nov. 4: a night of emotion and evolution 
Best-bets for Nov. 3: election night … and alternatives 
