1) “D.I. Ray’ season-finale,, 10 p.m., PBS. Slowly and solemnly, this season has unfolded two stories. Ray (Parminder Nagra, shown here, best-known for “ER”) has probed a murder involving two crime families, plus an internal story, involving a police conspiracy. Now both end solidly. Read more…
1) Olympics begin, Saturday and Sunday. In a bold change, every event will be shown live (via NBC, USA, Peacock, etc.), despite a difference of six hours ET, nine PT. NBC also repackages the day, from 8-11 p.m. Track and field wait until Aug. 1, but others start now, including gymnastics, basketball and medals in swimming (shown here) and diving. Read more…
The Bob Newhart tributes are expanding now, sprawling through the weekend and into Monday evening.
Newhart died Thursday at 94 Newly added are:
— A three-hour burst at 8 p.m. Sunday on TBS, with six “Big Bang Theory” episodes that have Newhart as Professor Proton, Sheldon’s TV hero.
— A documentary hour at 8 p.m. Monday on CBS. “Bob Newhart: A Legacy of Laughter” includes clips, plus comments from Jim Parsons, Will Ferrell, Reese Witherspoon, Jason Bateman and Michael Weatherly. Read more…
1) “Mammals,” 8-9:23 p.m., BBC America. In Chile, sea lions stroll a marina, snacking from fish merchants. In Singapore, otters cavort in pools; in Zimbabwe, elephants walk the streets at night. These are pleasant portraits of the “new wild,” adding humans. But there are also nasty moments – dogs confront the seals (shown here), farmers drain hippos’ water holes. Read more…
Gone too soon and noticed too rarely, “Reservatioon Dogs” is finally getting a tad of attention.
“Dogs” (shown here) voluntarily ended this year, after only three wonderfully eccentric seasons. It finally got some Emmy attention this morning – nominations for best-comedy and for young actor D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (second from left).
Yes, that’s just a mini-ripple in an Emmy ocean. (“Shogun,” leads with 25 nominations, including best drama.) But it’s a sign that an oddly brilliant show can get some attention. Read more…
1) “Lady in the Lake” opener, Apple TV+. In a 30-year career, Natalie Portman (shown hwew) has ranged from epic (three “Star Wars” films, three “Thor: ones) to artful (an Oscar for “Black Swan” and two more nominations). But except for brief visits, she’s skipped TV. Now, at 43, she stars in this seven-parter, as a housewife-turned-journalist, probing a murder. Read more…
These days, viewers can try three sizes of convention coverage. There’s:
— The big gulp. PBS (shown here) has three hours (8-11 p.m.ET,, through Thursday) of gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Republican convention. So do the cable and digital news channels.
— Small sips – an hour a night, starting at 10 ET. That’s on ABC, CBS and NBC (which adds a 9 p.m. hour on Wednesday and Thursday).
“We gave much more time to the conventions” in the old days, Andrew Lack — a network news executive from 1976 to 2001 – told the Television Critics Association. That gave networks room “for more reporting that they could share with the public over a longer period of time.” Read more…
1) Republican convention. The four-day event (shown here iin a prevous year) concludes, as always, with the acceptance speech by the presidential nominee, followed by balloons and commotion. That’s expected to be at 10 p.m., when ABC and CBS join the coverage (and when Fox stations can use the Fox News Channel feed). NBC starts at 9 p.m., PBS at 8, news channels even earlier. Read more…
1) “Big Brother” opener, 9 p.m., CBS. When “BB” (shown here in a previous year) began, strangers were in what seemed like a high-tech house, filled with cameras. But technology has expanded since then; ths edition is billed as “BB:AI.” Julie Chen Moonves hosts, episodes are also at 9 p.m. Thursdays and Sundays. Read more…
While the broadcast networks get off to a semi-groggy start this fall, PBS will be busy quickly.
Its three-mystery Sundays will start Sept. 15, centering on “Moonflower Murders” (shown hare), witty sequel to the 2022 “Magie Murders.” Some of its non-fiction shows start that week, with an early emphasis on the elections.
A few hings will arrive even earlier, including a profile of writer-director Blake Edwards (“Pink Panther,” “10”) on Aug. 28. Like the late Edwards, it managed to be funny and joyous, with moments of morose depth.
And some will be late. Sara Bareilles will star in her “Waitress” musical on Nov. 15. Three days later, PBS starts Ken Burns’ “Leonardo Da Vinci,” a richly detailed, two-night, four-hour film Read more…
Best-bets for Feb. 10: Men’s duel begins anew 
Best-bets for Feb. 9: survivors, skaters, librarians 
Best-bets for Feb. 8: Super Bowl … and much more 
