TV Best Bets

Wednesday, Aug. 19: Enter Discovery’s ‘Dodgeball Thunderdome’

David Dobrik is host of Dodgeball Thunderdome Discovery Channel

Wednesday, Aug. 19

Dodgeball Thunderdome
Discovery Channel, 9pm
New Series!
Discovery brings dodgeball from the middle-school gym to an all-new arena where everyday people become heroes. On an isolated 13.8-acre specially constructed site, contestants have a chance to claim glory in extraordinary challenges where strength matters, but so do strategy, quick thinking and the willingness to leave everything on the field. David Dobrik hosts this all-new competition series along with cohosts Erin Lim and Andrew Hawkins.

Summer Under the Stars: “Dolores del Rio”
TCM, beginning at 6am
Catch a Classic!

Mexican actress Dolores del Rio was the first female Latin American crossover star in Hollywood, and she gets her first ever Summer Under the Stars celebration this month, with a lineup of titles including The Trail of ’98 (1928); Flying Down to Rio (1933), in which del Rio received top billing, despite the movie being the first onscreen pairing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers; and Cheyenne Autumn (1964).

United We Fall: “The Weekend”
ABC, 8pm

Bill (Will Sasso) and Jo (Christina Vidal Mitchell) confirm the universal truth that when you have kids, your weekend is worse than your week.

Married at First Sight: “I See Red Flags”
Lifetime, 8pm

As the couples enjoy the last few days of their action-packed honeymoon in Mexico, they discover more similarities and differences that will affect their marriages. Meanwhile, one of the couples must navigate their first major fight.

America’s Got Talent: “Results Show 2”
NBC, 8pm

Five acts from last night’s live show will move on to the semifinals round of the competition. Viewers will have one last chance to send their favorite performer of the night into the next round by participating in the Dunkin’ Save by using the America’s Got Talent Official App or going to nbc.com.

FOX Business Presents Democracy 2020: Democratic National Convention
FOX Business Network, 9pm

Senior vice president and managing editor of business news Neil Cavuto will provide live coverage of the Democratic National Convention beginning Wednesday, Aug. 19. The primetime special FOX Business Presents Democracy 2020: Democratic National Convention airs from 9-11:30pm ET on Wednesday and Thursday, featuring live coverage of speeches by Vice President Joe Biden and his running mate, Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), as Biden prepares to, and formally accepts, the Democratic nomination for president. Throughout the coverage, Cavuto will be joined by a rotating panel of business and political experts, including FBN’s Lou Dobbs Tonight (weekdays, 5pm ET) host Lou Dobbs, Lisa “Kennedy” Montgomery, WSJ at Large (Fridays, 9:30pm ET) host Gerry Baker, economist Stephen Moore and others. Additionally, FBN’s After the Bell co-anchor Connell McShane will join Cavuto live from West Chester, Pa., on Wednesday and Scranton, Pa., on Thursday, breaking down the day’s events from convention headquarters. In conjunction with the channel, FOXBusiness.com will feature expanded coverage each evening, providing reports and live updates on the financial impact that he Democratic economic platform will have for voters.

Final 24: “Marvin Gaye”
AXS TV, 9pm

Legendary singer/songwriter/music producer Marvin Gaye helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s and continued putting out classic hits in the 1970s and early ’80s before his life was cut short in 1984 at age 44, when he was shot dead by his own father during an altercation. This episode uses dramatizations and archival footage to revisit what happened on that fateful final day in Marvin Gaye’s life.

Ellen’s Game of Games: “Highway to the Danger Word”
NBC, 9pm

Contestants will play Blindfolded Musical Chairs, Danger Word, Dizzy Dash and the brand-new game Runaway Bride. The winner of each of the first four rounds advances to Know or Go, and the person who wins that game advances to Hot Hands for a chance to win a cash prize.

Thursday, Aug. 20

Summer Under the Stars: “William Powell”
TCM, beginning at 6am
Catch a Classic!

Legendary actor William Powell is today’s SUTS subject. Among the highlights is The Thin Man (1934), the first in the series of comedy/mysteries that famously paired Powell with Myrna Loy (and a cute dog named Asta). This Best Picture Oscar nominee also earned Powell a Best Actor nomination. Other Powell classics today include Another Thin Man (1939); his Best Actor Oscar-nominated performance in Life With Father (1947); one of his famed appearances as sleuth Philo Vance, in The Kennel Murder Case (1933); the network premiere of The Senator Was Indiscreet (1947); and more.

Alone: “Over the Edge”
History, 8pm
Season Finale!

As the competition comes to a close in this three-hour Season 7 finale, the final three participants fight to make it to day 100 and win the million-dollar prize, but brutal conditions, below-zero temperatures, injury and their own mental demons push the survivalists to the edge.

The Song — Recorded Live @TGL Farms: “Travis Tritt — ‘It’s a Great Day to Be Alive’”
AXS TV, 8:30pm

Country superstar Travis Tritt performs a rare acoustic set in this episode, featuring his hit songs “It’s a Great Day to Be Alive,” “Anymore” and “Here’s a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares).”

Friday, Aug. 21

Lucifer
Netflix
Season Premiere!

Tom Ellis returns for a fifth season as the devilish title character of this fantasy drama. The season drops its first batch of episodes today, with the second half to come later. While Season 5 was initially announced as being the series’ last, to the uproar of fans, Netflix relented and renewed for a sixth season that will presumably be its last.

2020 Republican National Convention
Various Networks

The RNC will conduct its official business in Charlotte, N.C., Aug. 21-24, then head to Jacksonville, Fla., Aug. 24-27 for the traditional rallies and celebrations. Donald Trump plans to accept his party’s nomination remotely.

Summer Under the Stars: “Diana Dors”
TCM, beginning at 6am
Catch a Classic!

British actress/singer Diana Dors (born Diana Mary Fluck) may have initially been simply lumped into the similar “blond bombshell” mold as Marilyn Monroe, but like Monroe, Dors also showed a talent for acting. You can see that in today’s lineup, which marks her first appearance in SUTS, and features just a handful of the many films she made in England and in Hollywood. Highlights include the film noir Good Time Girl (1948); David Lean’s 1948 adaptation of Oliver Twist; the network premiere of The Weak and the Wicked (1954); The Unholy Wife (1957); I Married a Woman (1958); the horror anthology From Beyond the Grave (1974); and more.

RuPaul’s Drag Race: Vegas Revue
VH1, 8pm
New Series!

In this six-episode docuseries, cameras follow six legendary drag queens in their professional and personal journeys as they take on Las Vegas in a brand-new “RuPaul’s Drag Race Live!” residency. The cast includes Season 11 winner Yvie Oddly and iconic queens Asia O’Hara, Derrick Barry, Kameron Michaels, Naomi Smalls and Vanessa “Vanjie” Mateo.

100 Days Wild
Discovery Channel, 9pm
New Series!

In this series that is being described as a sort of “Real World homestead style,” a group of young recruits arrive in the remote Alaskan wilderness to form a new colony that will live solely off of the land. But with only 100 days until winter strikes, they waste no time to gather resources and set off on a critical moose-hunting mission.

Backyard Takeover
HGTV, 10pm
New Series!

A familiar face returns to HGTV this summer when seasoned landscape designer Jamie Durie, best known from the network’s popular show The Outdoor Room With Jamie Durie, helps clients transform their neglected and out-of-control backyard spaces into showstopping, personalized outdoor oases.