TV Best Bets

Wednesday, Aug. 3: Botched by Nature

Botched by Nature 2014 E! Entertainment Television LLC. Credit: Tommy Garcia.

All Times Eastern.

Wednesday, Aug. 3

Botched by Nature
E!, 9pm
New Series!
The famous doctor duo — Dr. Paul Nassif and Dr. Terry Dubrow — are taking their Botched show on the road and heading cross-country to change the lives of those who have been living with a genetic deformity or the consequences of a traumatic incident. The new one-hour, eight-episode series follows the nationwide pursuit of these plastic surgeons to transform the lives of patients who are willing to share their powerful stories with the world.

Beat Bugs
Netflix
New Series!
This animated children’s series is inspired by the music of the Beatles, incorporating songs from the Lennon/McCartney Northern Songs’ catalog to tell uplifting and life-affirming stories. For the series, international music artists Eddie Vedder, Pink, James Bay, Sia, The Shins, Of Monsters and Men, Chris Cornell, Regina Spektor and James Corden each record their own rendition of an iconic Beatles tune.

CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock
ABC, 8pm
The CMA Music Festival is a country music lover’s dream, featuring a who’s who of superstars including Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Brett Eldredge, Florida Georgia Line, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Rascal Flatts, Thomas Rhett, Blake Shelton, Chris Stapleton, Cole Swindell, Steven Tyler, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Hank Williams Jr. and Chris Young.

Hollywood Medium: Tyler’s Top Ten
E!, 8pm
Hollywood’s most sought-after medium — 20-year-old Tyler Henry — counts down his top 10 readings with his celebrity clientele from Season 1 in this new special. Plus, see never-before-seen footage and an in-depth interview with Tyler, where he reveals more about his process and what he sees while delivering his clients’ messages.

Koko — The Gorilla Who Talks
PBS, 8pm
This incredible documentary features four decades of footage of Koko the gorilla and examines the unique relationship between this incredible primate and animal psychologist Penny Patterson. The relationship that began through Patterson’s Ph.D. research has changed concepts of human-animal communication and turned Koko into the face of gorilla conservation — and a worldwide celebrity.


The Night Shift: “Between a Rock and a Hard Place/Trust Issues”
NBC, 9pm
In “Between a Rock and a Hard Place,” TC (Eoin Macken) and Paul (Robert Bailey, Jr.) pull out all the stops when a crane collapses on a worker at a busy construction site. As Paul works tirelessly to save the victim, an observer falls into a gravel pit, which TC throws himself into in an attempt to save the man before he’s swallowed by the shifting gravel. Then, in “Trust Issues,” TC initiates a bar brawl, landing him and Drew (Brendan Fehr) in jail for the night. While behind bars, Drew and TC’s relationship reaches a breaking point.

NOVA: “Roman Catacomb Mystery”
PBS, 9pm
Get a glimpse into the daily life and health of Roman citizens during the heyday of the Roman Empire.

Ghost Hunters
Syfy, 9pm
Season Premiere!
Syfy’s longest-running unscripted series starts its 11th season tonight. In each episode, Jason Hawes and his team, TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society), investigate reports of paranormal activity around the country.

Suits: “Turn”
USA Network, 9pm
Mike contemplates a deal that could reduce his sentence; Jessica and Louis take differing approaches to dealing with their new tenants; Rachel begins representing a death row inmate.

American Gothic: “The Gross Clinic”
CBS, 10pm
A major revelation about the Silver Bells murders turns everyone’s world in the Hawthorne family upside-down in the new episode “The Gross Clinic.” Christina (Catalina Sandino Moreno) loses trust in Garrett (Antony Starr), Alison’s (Juliet Rylance) mayoral campaign sinks, Cam’s (Justin Chatwin) sobriety is tested and Tessa (Megan Ketch) witnesses disturbing new behavior in Jack (Gabriel Bateman).

Spillover — Zika, Ebola & Beyond
PBS, 10pm
Scientists trace spillover disease outbreaks such as the Zika and Ebola viruses, which make the jump from animals to humans.

Paranormal Witness
Syfy, 10pm
Season Premiere!
The show that features shocking firsthand accounts of frightening supernatural experiences returns for a new season. In tonight’s episode, “Voodoo Preacher,” writer Jenny Scott follows in the footsteps of Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird), who once traveled to Alabama to research the story of an enigmatic preacher accused of murder.

Love at First Kiss
TLC, 10pm
New Series!
From the producers of The Bachelor, this new series breaks love-seekers’ boundaries by having them lock lips with a total stranger — and no introduction first — to find out if one kiss could lead to everlasting love. So basically every weekend at your local nightclub … only a show.

Mr. Robot: “eps2.3_logic-b0mb.hc”
USA Network, 10pm
Elliot can’t quit the game as it proves bigger than expected; Dom and the FBI go to China to investigate five/nine; Darlene calls on Angela for help.

Thursday, Aug. 4


Home Free: “Overnight Success/Dream Come True”
FOX, 8pm
Season Finale!
The final two contestants compete to win the ultimate dream home for their personal heroes. In tonight’s two-hour finale, cohosts Mike Holmes and Tim Tebow announce the winner.

The Simpsons
FXX, beginning at 8pm
FXX airs eight episodes of The Simpsons tonight with episodes featuring Brazil or the Olympics. The stunt begins with “Blame It on Lisa,” in which the Simpsons go to Rio de Janeiro. The 2002 episode sparked controversy in Brazil for its depiction of Rio as a crime-infested and poverty-stricken city. Following that episode is “You Don’t Have to Live Like a Referee,” in which Homer is selected as a referee for the World Cup soccer tournament in Brazil.

Killing the Colorado
Discovery Channel, 9pm
Six award-winning filmmakers — Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman, Barbara Kopple, Alan and Susan Raymond, and Jesse Moss — worked together on this documentary that looks at the multiple reasons behind the water problems facing the western United States, and searches for solutions.

Ripper Street: “The Strangers’ Home, Part 2”
BBC America, 10pm
In this new episode, Detective Inspector Bennet Drake (Jerome Flynn) continues to investigate the mysterious murder of a young Indian-born lawyer. However, things get tricky for Drake and his men when it becomes clear that their investigation is stepping on Special Branch’s toes.

Nick Cannon Presents: Wild ’N Out
MTV, 10pm
Season Premiere!
After three seasons on MTV2, the hip-hop-flavored improvisational comedy series returns to MTV, where it all began. This season, new cast members and hilarious comedy veterans are captained by celebrities including Tyga, Iggy Azalea, Timbaland, Bella Thorne, Travis Scott, Keke Palmer, Chris Paul, Erykah Badu, Tip “T.I.” Harris, 2 Chainz, Waka Flocka and Omarion.

MTV’s Joking Off
MTV, 10:30pm
Season Premiere!
In Season 3 of the fast-paced comedy competition, hilarious comedians flex their funny bones against social media and the internet by roasting terrible tweets, viral videos, and Instagram photos.

Kingin’ With Tyga
MTV, 11pm
Season Premiere!
Rap superstar Tyga describes his lifestyle as “kingin’,” and this season, the self-made millionaire further builds his hip-hop empire by traveling the world — from Los Angeles to Australia to Dubai — recording music, performing and flexing his spending power. When money is no object, Tyga is “kingin’” — including installing a private fast-food restaurant in his L.A. mansion and buying himself a jaguar as a guard animal.

Friday, Aug. 5


The Little Prince
Netflix
Airing on Netflix the same day it debuts in select theaters around the country, this animated film is based on one of the most beloved stories of all time, and features the voice work of Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, Paul Rudd, Marion Cotillard, James Franco and Ricky Gervais.

Rio Olympics: Opening Ceremony
NBC, 7:30pm
The 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro officially begin tonight with the always-spectacular opening ceremony, which includes the Parade of Nations and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron. Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira and Hoda Kotb host NBC’s telecast. The networks of NBCUniversal air Rio Games competition and programming through Aug. 21.

Kitten Summer Games
Hallmark Channel, 8pm
Beth Stern hosts an all-new sporty special celebrating the nation’s most athletic and adoptable kittens. Announcers Mary Carillo and David Frei call the action as cat-letes compete in gymnastic disciplines like balance beam, uneven bars, rings and floor exercise; track and field, where competitions will be waged in de-CAT-lon, pole vault and high jump; and frisky sports like volleyball, tennis and wrestling. If we aren’t treated to a kitten named “Tabby Douglas,” we’re boycotting.

Killjoys: “I Love Lucy”
Syfy, 9pm
Dutch’s search for the mysterious green plasma puts the team at the mercy of an eccentric galactic collector.

Dark Matter: “We Should Have Seen This Coming”
Syfy, 10pm
Strapped for cash, the crew of the Raza follow Nyx’s lead on an op, only to find out their target is a personal one.

Saturday, Aug. 6
Major League Baseball: Boston at L.A. Dodgers
FS1, 4pm Live
FS1 airs an MLB interleague matchup featuring the Boston Red Sox visiting the L.A. Dodgers for Game 2 of a three-game series.

Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony
ESPN & NFL Network, 7pm Live
ESPN and NFL Network present the induction ceremony for the 2016 class of enshrinees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Entering the pantheon of football greats are Brett Favre, Kevin Greene, Marvin Harrison, Orlando Pace, Ken Stabler, Dick Stanfel, coach Tony Dungy and owner Edward DeBartolo Jr.

Rush Hour: “O Hostage! My Hostage!”
CBS, 8pm
In the new episode “O Hostage! My Hostage,” Detectives Carter (Justin Hires) and Lee (Jon Foo) discover that a hostage situation at a concert hall is more than a robbery gone wrong.

My Summer Prince
Hallmark Channel, 9pm
Original Film!
When a hard-partying prince finds himself in hot water, the royal family hires a PR consultant to clean up his royal mess. But when the consultant falls ill, her assistant steps in to revamp the naughty prince’s image. Starring Taylor Cole, Jack Turner and Lauren Holly.

2 Lava 2 Lantula
Syfy, 9pm
Original Film!
In this sequel to last year’s Lavalantula, Police Academy alums Steve Guttenberg, Michael Winslow and Marion Ramsey take on Round 2 of the fiery arachnids — including the new “Gargantulantula.”

The Bandit
CMT, 10pm
Original Film!
This enthralling documentary tells the tale of ’70s superstar Burt Reynolds, his best friend, roommate and stunt double Hal Needham, and the making of their unlikely smash hit Smokey and the Bandit. The film features new interviews with Reynolds, rare archive material — including footage from Reynolds’ personal collection — and candid interviews with the late Needham.