TV Best Bets

Saturday, Aug. 20: Allyson Felix Leads Team USA in the 4×400 Relay

Allyson Felix Harry How/Getty Images

All Times Eastern.

ALSO SEE: Channel Guide Magazine Coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympics

Saturday, Aug. 20

2016 Rio Olympic Games
NBC, 8pm Live
The last full session of track and field features Allyson Felix attempting to lead the U.S. to a sixth straight Olympic gold in the women’s 4x400m relay, and LaShawn Merritt and Team USA seeking to restore supremacy in the men’s 4x400m relay after a surprise loss to the Bahamas in 2012. Other coverage tonight includes American David Boudia defending his gold in the men’s 10m platform diving final, the women’s volleyball final and more.


Rio Olympics: Women’s Golf, Final Round
Golf Channel, 6:30am Live
Olympic medals are awarded to the top three players following today’s final round of the Rio Games’ women’s golf tournament.

Major League Baseball: N.Y. Mets at San Francisco
FS1, 4pm Live
The N.Y. Mets take on the San Francisco Giants in Game 3 of a four-game series at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

Rush Hour: “Familee Ties”
CBS, 8pm
Series Finale!
When the Quantou gang orchestrates a meeting of rival Los Angeles gang lords, Carter (Justin Hires) and Lee (Jon Foo) must infiltrate it to find Lee’s sister Kim (Jessika Van) and save her from going further with the Quantou in the series finale “Familee Ties.”

Mr. Peabody & Sherman
FXX, 8pm
The smartest guy in the room is the dog! Mr. Peabody has done it all, including adopting his human son Sherman. But when Sherman messes with Mr. Peabody’s latest invention, the WABAC machine, history will never be the same. Features the voices of Ty Burrell, Max Charles and Ariel Winter.

Boy in the Attic
Lifetime, 8pm
A teenage girl and her mom inherit an old house, unaware that a boy has been living in the attic for months. When the girl discovers the boy, the teens fall in love and she agrees to keep his secret from her mom. But it’s not the only thing he’s hiding. Her new love has been falsely accused of murder, forcing her to decide just how far she’ll go to protect him.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race
NBCSN, 8pm Live
The steeply banked, .533-mile short track at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee provides a 500-lap endurance test for Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and other top Sprint Cup stars tonight.

Summer Love
Hallmark Channel, 9pm
Original Film!
A widowed suburban mom (Rachael Leigh Cook) takes an internship in the fast-paced tech world of millionaire “app-trepreneurs.” She discovers that although life seems to be a lot more digital, love needs to be a lot more real.

Sunday, Aug. 21

Rio Olympics: Closing Ceremony
NBC, 8pm Live
The 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro conclude tonight with the festive closing ceremony at Maracanã Stadium, featuring the extinguishing of the Olympic cauldron and passing of the Olympic flag to 2020 Summer Games host Tokyo. The next Olympic Games will be the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Fear the Walking Dead
AMC, 9pm
Midseason Premiere!
Season 2 of the Walking Dead prequel returns tonight with new episodes. So what happens next, now that Thomas Abigail’s compound has burned to the ground, leaving the group traumatized and scattered? Showrunner Dave Erickson says they’ll stay that way for a while, forcing everyone to learn new ways to get by as the zombie apocalypse grows ever more dire.

J.L. Family Ranch
Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, 9pm
Original Film!
Jon Voight executive produces and stars in this modern Western with James Caan, Melanie Griffith, Grant Bowler, Teri Polo, Steven Bauer, Abby Brammell and Trevor Donovan. The drama unfolds when veteran rancher and former sheriff J.L. Landsburg (Voight) is forced to defend his family ranch when an old enemy, the scheming multimillionaire Tap Peterson (Caan), seeks revenge over a decades-old grudge.

The Jim Gaffigan Show
TV Land, beginning at 10pm
Season Finale!
The Jim Gaffigan Show wraps up Season 2 tonight with back-to-back episodes. In “Bosom Buddies,” Jeannie (Ashley Williams) heads out of town with the kids, leaving Jim alone in New York City for the weekend. Then in “The Mike Gaffigan Show,” Jim tells a story from his past in order to allay his kids’ fears during a scary storm.

The Voice
NBC, 10:30pm
Following NBC’s coverage of the closing ceremony of the Rio Olympic Games, this special episode of The Voice features the first 30 minutes of the 11th cycle of the hit competition series. The preview features Alicia Keys and Miley Cyrus making their coaching debuts. The regular season of The Voice premieres Sept. 19.

Geeking Out
AMC, 12am (late-night)
New Series!
Director Kevin Smith joins Greg Grunberg (Heroes, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) for this series celebrating all things pop culture, sci-fi, comics and more. Geeking Out features reports and segments by a diverse group of correspondents and genre fans from around the world.

Monday, Aug. 22

The Simpsons
FXX, beginning at 6pm
FXX airs 12 classic episodes of The Simpsons tonight, highlighted by 1991’s “When Flanders Failed,” in which Homer experiences schadenfreude after Ned Flanders’ Leftorium business tanks, and 1993’s “Duffless,” in which Homer gives up drinking.

PAW Patrol: “All-Star Pups”
Nickelodeon, 7pm
The popular — and pup-ular — preschool series gets an all-new primetime special.


Food Network Star Kids
Food Network, 8pm
New Series!
In this new competition series hosted by former teen stars turned celeb cooks Tia Mowry and Donal Skehan, seven talented kids will battle their way through a variety of culinary and social media challenges to become the next Food Network Star Kid. The winner will walk away with their own series on Food Network’s digital platforms, plus a spread in Food Network Magazine and special correspondent status on The Kitchen.

Rizzoli & Isles: “Stiffed”
TNT, 9pm

A mortician’s body is discovered in one of his own funeral home’s caskets, leading the team into the world of embalming, interment and, ultimately, serial murder. Tommy Rizzoli (Colin Egglesfield) visits with his son TJ and considers returning to Boston for good. Jane’s (Angie Harmon) loved ones react to her news.

Cheer Squad
Freeform, 10pm
New Series!
Rah! Rah! Tonight starts an event that will air weeknights for the next two weeks and introduces the fearless females of the Great White Sharks cheer squad. As the two-time World Cheerleading champion team embarks on the long road to defend their title, the girls must balance their lives off the mat with their struggle to succeed on the mat.

Tuesday, Aug. 23

Forged in Fire
History, 9pm
Season Premiere!
Season 3 will feature an increase in the show’s number of episodes, up to 16. The format remains the same, though — world-class bladesmiths compete to re-create many of history’s most iconic edged weapons, from the war hammer to the Egyptian khopesh.

Milwaukee Blacksmith
History, 10pm
New Series!
Parents of six children, Kent and Shannon Knapp own and operate Milwaukee Blacksmith. From bank vaults to bike frames, there’s nothing this family can’t forge —and Kent is anxious for his sons to step up and carry the business into the future.

Halt and Catch Fire
AMC, 10pm
Season Premiere!
Mutiny leaves Texas for the big leagues of Silicon Valley in Season 3. Founders Cameron (Mackenzie Davis) and Donna (Kerry Bishé) search for the idea that will launch Mutiny as a player, but new collaborators test their partnership. Gordon (Scoot McNairy) struggles to find a place within his wife’s company as Joe (Lee Pace) builds his empire, reinventing himself with a bold play that shocks the Valley and sends him back into the lives of his old partners.

The Profit
CNBC, 10pm
Season Premiere!
Self-made millionaire and entrepreneur Marcus Lemonis is back to save struggling businesses while investing his own cash in the process.

Better Late Than Never
NBC, 10pm
New Series!
Get ready to laugh as four titans of sports and entertainment bring you along on a most unusual adventure. Henry Winkler, William Shatner, Terry Bradshaw and George Foreman — plus comic Jeff Dye, who serves as the quartet’s bellhop, chauffeur, instigator and whipping boy — embark on an escapade-filled, 35-day trip through Tokyo, Kyoto, Seoul, Hong Kong, Phuket and Chiang Mai, bonding with each other as they embrace (and sometimes don’t) the local culture, cuisine and people.

Wednesday, Aug. 24

Cleveland Hustles
CNBC, 10pm
New Series!
For their uplifting new series, NBA superstar LeBron James and his longtime business partner Maverick Carter handpicked successful, Cleveland-based business leaders to assist local entrepreneurs in getting their brick-and-mortar ventures up and running in one of the city’s reemerging neighborhoods.

Gomorrah
SundanceTV, 10pm
New Series!
SundanceTV acquired two seasons of this enthralling, subtitled Italian import that tells the story of Naples’ Camorra crime family through the eyes of Don Pietro Savastano (Fortunato Cerlino, Hannibal), his impulsive only son Gennaro (Salvatore Esposito) and his best enforcer, Ciro (Marco D’Amore).

Toucan Nation
Animal Planet, 10pm
This documentary from Emmy winner Paula Heredia (In Memoriam: New York City, 9/11/01) shows how an abused toucan named Grecia — who had half of his beautiful bill torn from his face — helped bring Costa Ricans together to help him. Technology is implemented to create a prosthetic beak for the bird, while schoolchildren and activists strive to get tougher penalties for animal cruelty implemented in their country.

Thursday, Aug. 25

NFL Preseason: Atlanta at Miami
NBC, 8pm Live
The Atlanta Falcons take on the Miami Dolphins in this Week 3 preseason game held at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla., which will be the site of the 2017 Pro Bowl.

AXS TV Concerts Hosted by Mark Cuban: “Bret Michaels”
AXS TV, 9pm
The rocker most famous as the lead singer for Poison performs tonight.

Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders: Making the Team
CMT, 9pm
Season Premiere!
In the world of professional cheerleading, no squad is as iconic as the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. And in Season 11, a new crop of wannabes compete with veteran cheerleaders for the right to wear the coveted hot pants and go-go boots.

I Love Kellie Pickler
CMT, 10pm
Season Premiere!
Country cutie Kellie Pickler returns for all-new adventures with her hilarious friends and family and polar-opposite husband, Kyle.

Friday, Aug. 26

XOXO
Netflix
Original Film!
This ensemble comedy film follows a group of 20-somethings on a crazy adventure to the biggest EDM festival in America. Sarah Hyland, Graham Phillips and Ione Skye are among the cast.

“Star Trek: The Next Generation” Season 7 Marathon
BBC America, beginning at 8am
BBC America airs a marathon of episodes from the seventh and final season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, including both parts of the “All Good Things…” series finale episode. Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton and Denise Crosby star.

NFL Preseason: Cleveland at Tampa Bay
CBS, 8pm Live
The Cleveland Browns and new quarterback Robert Griffin III visit Raymond James Stadium for a preseason matchup against new head coach Dirk Koetter and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

College Football: Cal vs. Hawaii
ESPN, 10pm Live
The Cal Golden Bears and Hawaii Rainbow Warriors kick off the 2016 college football season at ANZ Stadium in Sydney, Australia.

Saturday, Aug. 27

NASCAR Xfinity Series: Road America 180
NBCSN, 3pm Live
The rising stars of the NASCAR Xfinity Series take on the 4.05-mile, 14-turn road course at Elkhart Lake, Wis., for the Road America 180.

Major League Baseball
FS1, beginning at 4pm Live
A Saturday MLB doubleheader on FS1 has the Chicago Cubs at the L.A. Dodgers, followed by the L.A. Angels at the Detroit Tigers.

NFL Preseason: Tennessee at Oakland
CBS, 8pm Live
This NFL preseason matchup has Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans visiting Derek Carr and the Raiders at Oakland Coliseum.

Summer of Dreams
Hallmark Channel, 9pm
Original Film!
Eighties pop star Deborah Gibson stars as Debbie Taylor, a former 1980s pop star who is determined to kick-start her career and return to the Billboard charts. But as she’s poised for a comeback, her music label drops her, and the cash-strapped singer flees New York and heads to her sister’s small town to recoup and regroup. There, she reluctantly accepts a job as a substitute music teacher, meets a group of teenage misfits and a charming guidance counselor (Robert Gant), and changes their perspectives on music, life and love.