TV Best Bets

Monday, July 19: Vice’s ‘Betraying the Badge’ Reveals Stories of Cops Gone Bad

Betraying the Badge Vice © 2020 VICE Media LLC

ALSO SEE: 2021 NASCAR TV Schedules on FOX Sports & NBC Sports

All Times Eastern. PBS programming varies regionally.

Monday, July 19

Betraying the Badge
Vice, 10pm
New Series!

This new docuseries tells harrowing stories of cops who abandon their oath to serve and protect and instead steal, cheat and sometimes kill. Up first: Onetime idealistic rookie Richard Rivera shares his dangerous journey as part of an FBI sting to expose his New Jersey department’s involvement in mob-owned businesses.

100 Years of Olympic Films
TCM, beginning at 6am
Catch a Classic!

The Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo kick off in just a few days, and to get you in the mood, Turner Classic Movies airs a full day of classic documentary films about various Olympic Games from across roughly the last century. All of the films are making their network debuts, and the lineup features, in order: The Games of the V Olympiad Stockholm, 1912 (2016), The White Stadium (1928), XIVth Olympiad: The Glory of Sport (1948), White Vertigo (1956), Tokyo Olympiad (1965), Visions of Eight (1973), Games of the XXI Olympiad (1977), 16 Days of Glory (1986), Marathon (1993) and First (2012).

Law & Order
WE tv, 5pm

This bitter- sweet 2008 hour bids farewell to Det. Ed Green (Jesse L. Martin, ending nine years), who leaves the force after being wrongly tried for murder.

Adorableness
MTV, 7pm
New Series!

Kitty cats! Toddlers! Cute clips abound in this new show, but be warned: Your “Awww” may turn to “Oh!” because there’s usually a twist. Celebrity commenters include Alyson Hannigan and Ross Mathews.

All American: “Surviving the Times”
The CW, 8pm
Season Finale!

Things in Spencer’s (Daniel Ezra) life seem to be going right, but everything changes when Billy (Taye Diggs) learns what he has been keeping from him. Jordan (Michael Evans Behling) and Asher (Cody Christian) get some unexpected news. Coop (Bre-Z) is excited to go out on tour, but is disappointed when no one from her team can accompany her, and she gets more than she was anticipating. Meanwhile, Layla (Greta Onieogou) grows worried about her friend and is determined to help her.

Street Outlaws: Memphis
Discovery Channel, 8pm
Season Premiere!

When it comes to high-stakes street racing, nobody does it better than Memphis. Over the past few years, the Memphis Street Outlaws have been dominant in the streets, both in Memphis and on Fastest in America. They’re willing to take on anyone, any time, and almost always come out on top. But what happens when they leave their own turf in Memphis and head to Las Vegas to race the best of the West Coast on one of the trickiest streets in the country? In an all-new season, JJ pushes his family like never before to prove they’re the best racers in the game.

Hell’s Kitchen: Young Guns: “A Devilish Challenge”
FOX, 8pm

In the new episode “A Devilish Challenge,” the remaining chefs compete in a relay-race cooking competition, and five chefs face the first Cook for Your Life challenge of the season.

Tomb Hunters
Smithsonian Channel, 8pm
Season Finale!

The docuseries about the miraculous finds at Egypt’s Saqqara site goes for finale gold, unveiling the valuable gilded coffins heaped in a burial shaft unopened for 2,000-plus years.

Darcey & Stacey
TLC, 8pm
Season Premiere!

After a tumultuous year of romance and heartbreak for the twins, last season wrapped up with Darcey getting engaged and Stacey getting married. Now, Stacey is hopeful to give the gift of fatherhood to her younger husband, Florian, but at the age of 46, conceiving naturally doesn’t come without its challenges. Darcey is left questioning her engagement to Georgi after a distressing encounter with his ex-wife. Hopeful to take some time and space to think, the twins head to Turkey on a trip of transformations.

Getaway Driver
Discovery Channel, 9pm; also streaming on discovery+
New Series!

Actress Michelle Rodriguez hosts this real-life version of the Fast & Furious action franchise in which she stars. She is joined by rally champion Wyatt Knox in this ultimate driving fantasy brought to life, an eight-episode competition series that features 24 elite drivers — from drift champions to street racers to hotshot YouTubers — who compete to prove they have the skill behind the wheel and the mental toughness to outrun and out-drive the competition in a massive, nearly 60-acre compound filled with obstacles. Part Baby Driver, part Grand Theft Auto, the Getaway Drivers will put it all on the line, even sacrificing their own cars for the opportunity to be the wheelman in a real-life car chase.

HouseBroken: “Who’s Going to the Vet?”
FOX, 9pm

Chief (voice of Nat Faxon) has to see the doctor after he eats a sex toy in the new episode “Who’s Going to the Vet?”

Duncanville: “Stan in the Place Where You Live”
FOX, 9:30pm

Duncan (voice of Amy Poehler) skips a standardized test to hang out with his grifting Uncle Stan (guest voice of John Viener) in the new episode “Stan in the Place Where You Live.”

The Celebrity Dating Game
ABC, 10pm

Supermodel Tyson Beckford is looking for an adventurous woman who has a great sense of humor. Tyson has spent a lot of time on runways showing off clothes and asks the women to describe an outfit they would feel most confident in while Michael Bolton performs a parody of “Let’s Stay Together.” Meanwhile, Baywatch and Singled Out actress Carmen Electra expresses she is into “vibes.” Carmen asks the potential suitors to describe their vibe in one sentence. Michael Bolton sings “Ain’t No Sunshine” to help the suitors guess Carmen’s identity.

The Beast Must Die
AMC, 10pm

In Episode 2, Frances (Cush Jumbo) is tracking down the man (Jared Harris) who she believes is responsible for the death of her son and sets out to wheedle her way into his home as she plots her revenge. Struggling to deal with his PTSD, DI Strangeways (Billy Howle) takes a closer look at the investigation into Frances’ son’s death.

POV: “Stateless”
PBS, 10pm

Director Michèle Stephenson’s new documentary follows families of those affected by the 2013 legislation stripping citizenship from Dominicans of Haitian descent, uncovering the complex history and present-day politics of Haiti and the Dominican Republic through the grassroots electoral campaign of a young attorney named Rosa Iris.

Taxi
Decades, 12am (late night)

If you asked Marilu Henner for her happiest days on Taxi, she’d likely say Tuesday, September 12, 1978, through Wednesday, June 15, 1983. That’s not the actress’ famous total recall talking but the premiere and finale dates for the Emmy-winning comedy set at Manhattan’s (fictional) Sunshine Cab. Every day on the set was “magical,” says Henner, who played Elaine Nardo, a divorced mom with artsy ambitions and the garage’s only female driver. Henner does single out another date, one connected with “Elegant Iggy,” an episode airing today: “This was shot on February 12, 1982, a Friday. It was one of my favorite episodes. I always loved it anytime Chris and I got to do something together.” As brain-addled coworker Jim Ignatowski, Christopher Lloyd won his first of two Taxi Emmys for this Season 4 outing. Elaine agrees to take Jim to a posh musicale, where he first embarrasses her by plunking out “London Bridge Is Falling Down” on a baby grand, then, in a typically inexplicable Jim move, performs a Chopin opus. (Taxi writer Stan Daniels did the playing.)

Tuesday, July 20

TCM Birthday Tribute: Natalie Wood
TCM, beginning at 7:30am
Catch a Classic!

Beloved actress Natalie Wood would have turned 83 today. She died tragically young in 1981, at the age of 43, but still left an astonishing legacy behind. Wood was a teenager when she was nominated for her first Academy Award, for Best Supporting Actress in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), in which she costarred with James Dean. That classic airs at the end of today’s Turner Classic Movies marathon, which remembers the legend with several of her films. Leading up to Rebel, in order, are: Sex and the Single Girl (1964), The Burning Hills (1956), Splendor in the Grass (1961; Best Actress Oscar nominee), Gypsy (1962), Inside Daisy Clover (1965) and Penelope (1966).

The Flash
The CW, 8pm
Season Finale!

Season 7 closes with a family reunion as Barry (Grant Gustin) and Team Flash “enlist a host of speedster allies” to battle the villainous Godspeed, previews showrunner Eric Wallace. That includes his children from the future, Bart and Nora West-Allen (Jordan Fisher and Jessica Parker Kennedy)!

LEGO Masters: “Demolition Derby”
FOX, 8pm

Contestants must build a LEGO sportscar replica from memory, then build a remote-controlled concept car to battle it out with opponents in the new episode “Demolition Derby.”

The Haves and the Have Nots
OWN, 8pm
Series Finale!

After eight jaw-dropping seasons, expect an over-the-top exit for the Tyler Perry sudser.

In Their Own Words
PBS, 8pm
Season Premiere!

In this series of specials, explore the lives and impact of the most transformative figures in modern history. Through an innovative combination of interview, archive and animated content, each episode will journey into the life and mind of one of the world’s most compelling people. It begins with an episode that looks at Pope Francis. Learn what experiences led Jorge Bergoglio to the highest office in the Catholic Church. Taking the name Francis, he is the first pope from the Americas, and the first non-European and first Jesuit priest to be named pope.

The Oval
BET, 9pm
New Episodes!

Season 2 of Tyler Perry’s primetime soap opera picks up again with new episodes. The series follows a family placed in the White House by people of power while also highlighting the personal side and everyday lives of the staff who run the inner workings of the nation’s most famous residence. The Oval has been renewed for Season 3.

Deadliest Catch: Bloodline
Discovery Channel, 9pm
Season Premiere!

Casey McManus and Josh Harris toil to keep their Hawaiian fishing business alive. Hope for a payday comes with a fresh clue left by Josh’s late dad, an adventurous 1980s Aloha State angler. The guys trace his steps to a new market.

Chopped
Food Network, 9pm

In the wrap-up of judge Alton Brown’s more-twisted-than-usual tournament, “Alton’s Maniacal Baskets,” the chefs are faced with an unexpected entrée-challenge ingredient … that has an actual face.

Mental Samurai
FOX, 9pm
Season Finale!

Host Rob Lowe welcomes a competitive baton twirler, a forensic scientist, a former Navy cryptologist and a premed student to attempt the Circle of Samurai challenge in the Season 2 finale.

America’s Book of Secrets: “Deadly Pandemics”
History, 9pm
Season Finale!

In 2020, COVID-19 effectively shut down the entire world — and, in the process, elevated pandemics to the most important issue across the globe. How do they start? Is it possible to contain them? And could COVID-19 be merely the precursor to something much worse?

The Latino Experience: “Episode 3”
PBS, 9pm
Series Finale!

Four more short films chronicling the wide variety of the Latinx experience air in this final installment of the three-part series. Mi Fango, Mi Cerro is a portrait of an artist who yearns to find utopia in Puerto Rico. The Daily War is the story of a veteran and her son, who struggle to make ends meet. Cuban American Gothic is a comic and surreal story of a New York City woman living alone during the early days of the COVID pandemic whose Cuban parents return from the dead to help. Noche Buena finds a dysfunctional Cuban family gathering on Christmas Eve.

Man vs. History
History, 10pm
New Series!

This series follows acclaimed storyteller and local historian Bil Lepp as he travels off the beaten path across the country to discover the truth behind mysteries and legends of American history. Each episode sees Bil investigate, decode and debunk iconic subjects and figures. In tonight’s series premiere, “Billy the Kid’s Great Escape,” Bil explores tales of the Wild West, putting Billy the Kid’s famous escape to the test, attempting Annie Oakley’s most difficult shot and investigating the validity of the “Tombstone Thunderbird.”

Test Pattern
Starz, 2:45am

Sparse dialogue only adds to the tension in this powerful 2021 story of a corporate professional’s (Brittany S. Hall) assault after being drugged, and her tattoo artist boyfriend’s (Will Brill) determination to get a doctor to confirm the result. The film asks important questions about race, gender, trauma and the unspoken gaps
in the healthcare system.

Wednesday, July 21

Behind the Attraction
Disney+
New Series!

Go behind the scenes of Disney Parks’ popular attractions with this docuseries. All 10 episodes are available at once, and include visits to attractions like Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, Star Tours, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Space Mountain, it’s a small world, Hall of Presidents and others.

Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Loki
Disney+
New Episode!

Learn the secrets behind how Marvel’s latest live-action series, Loki, was made.

Turner & Hooch
Disney+
New Series!

The 1989 comedy that paired Tom Hanks’ cop character with a hilarious canine partner is now a series. When ambitious, buttoned-up U.S. Marshal Scott Turner (the son of Hanks’ original Scott Turner character, portrayed by Josh Peck) inherits a big unruly dog, he soon realizes the dog he didn’t want may be the partner he needs. The cast includes five French mastiffs stepping into the role of Hooch, Scott’s slobbery, lovable pooch.

Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans
Netflix
Original Film!

Following the events of the Tales of Arcadia trilogy, the heroes of Arcadia must band together to protect humanity from the evil Arcane Order, who wield their dark and uncontrollable magic to summon ancient titans that threaten to destroy the world. Alfred Molina, Steven Yeun, Nick Offerman, Diego Luna, Nick Frost, Kelsey Grammer and Cheryl Hines are among the voice cast of this CG-animated film from producer Guillermo del Toro.

Women’s Soccer: Team USA vs. Team Sweden
USA Network, 4am

Wake up early! In this Tokyo Olympics match, Megan Rapinoe and the USWNT are out for payback against Sweden, who knocked them out in the quarterfinals at the 2016 Games.

Press Your Luck: “Battle Royale”
ABC, 8pm

Host Elizabeth Banks is joined by contestants Julian Villafana (hometown: Union City, California), Natalie Hammon (Mission Viejo, California) and Allise Hart (Hacienda Heights, California).

Kung Fu
The CW, 8pm
Season Finale!

Martial-arts crime fighter Nicky (Olivia Liang) races against the clock to infiltrate the Forge, where the eight mystical weapons she’s been hunting down were created.

Expedition Unknown
Discovery Channel, 8pm; also streaming on discovery+
Season Premiere!

Host Josh Gates returns for daring new adventures in a season that follows him as he investigates the hunt for a massive fortune at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean; new discoveries about infamous skyjacker DB Cooper; the truth behind the legend of El Dorado; and more.

MasterChef: Legends: “Jonathan Waxman — California Mystery Box”
FOX, 8pm

The cooks take on the high-stakes California Mystery Box Challenge in an attempt to impress guest judge Jonathan Waxman in the new episode “Jonathan Waxman — California Mystery Box.”

Married at First Sight
Lifetime, 8pm
Season Premiere!

The Lone Star State gets a little less lonely as Season 13 of the arranged-nuptials sensation heads to Houston. And according to exec producer Montré Burton, the show is “bringing more diversity than ever,” including its first Asian American couple, Bao and Johnny, and a cast mostly in their 30s instead of 20s.

Olympic Dreams Featuring Jonas Brothers
NBC, 8pm

For three brothers raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey, becoming Olympians was a dream established at an early age. And it was only sidelined by another lofty goal — pop superstardom. Now, after more than a decade as one of music’s biggest names, the Jonas Brothers are ready to prove they have what it takes to compete at an Olympic level. Joe, Kevin and Nick will be trained by some of Team USA’s best athletes as they compete against their biggest rivals — each other. Commentators and participating Olympians had not been announced at presstime.

Special Theme: From Hollywood to the Heartland: “Small Town Musicals”
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!

It’s a tuneful trip to the heartland tonight on Turner Classic Movies, as this month’s theme turns to classic movie musicals set in small-town America. The evening starts with the Oscar-nominated Bye Bye Birdie (1963), about a rock star who, before heading off for a stint in the Army, arrives in Columbus, Ohio, for a farewell performance, with the town unprepared for the furor that is about to hit it. Janet Leigh, Dick Van Dyke and Ann-Margret lead the cast of this story inspired by the real-life upheaval among fans when Elvis Presley was called into the service. Following that is the Best Picture Oscar-nominated The Music Man (1962), in which they’ve got trouble right here in River City, Iowa, in the form of notorious con man “Professor” Harold Hill (Robert Preston). Shirley Jones costars. Early-1900s St. Louis and its World’s Fair is the setting for the next film, Meet Me in St. Louis (1944). Judy Garland stars as Esther Smith, a young woman whose romance with the boy next door (Tom Drake) is endangered when her father announces the family is moving to New York. Margaret O’Brien and Mary Astor also star in this film that was nominated for four Oscars, including one for “The Trolley Song” — one of the enduring Hugh Martin/Ralph Blane musical standards introduced by Garland in the film, along with “The Boy Next Door” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” She also memorably performs the film’s title tune. The lineup concludes with Janie (1944), starring Joyce Reynolds; and the Oscar-nominated Four Daughters (1938), starring the Lane Sisters (Priscilla, Rosemary and Lola). — Jeff Pfeiffer

The $100,000 Pyramid
ABC, 9pm

This week, comedian Bridget Everett faces off against Dulcé Sloan (The Daily Show With Trevor Noah), followed by actress Kathy Najimy and actor and comedian Mario Cantone.

Crime Scene Kitchen
FOX, 9pm
Season Finale!

See which team is declared the winner and walks away with the $100,000 prize in the Season 1 finale. Joel McHale hosts with judges Yolanda Gampp and Curtis Stone.

Hunting Atlantis
Discovery Channel, 9pm
New Series!

The lost city of Atlantis has fascinated philosophers and historians for nearly 2,400 years. Now, with a new trail of evidence, expert Stel Pavlou and volcanologist Jess Phoenix set out on a quest to solve the greatest archaeological mystery of all time — the rediscovery of Atlantis. Pavlou is the author of the groundbreaking new theory on the date for Atlantis’ destruction near the beginning of the fifth millennium BCE. Phoenix’s expertise is in volcanic hazards. In this series, they travel around the world exploring ancient sites and uncovering clues in search of the legendary lost city.

Fasten Your Seatbelt
A&E, 10pm
New Series!

Airplane!’s Robert Hays, hosting a series about shocking moments in air travel? Surely A&E can’t be serious! (They are. And don’t call them Shirley.) Look for clips of bad behavior, emergency landings and more.

Thursday, July 22

Ultra City Smiths
AMC+
New Series!

Kristen Bell and Debra Winger are among the voice cast of this stop-motion animated baby doll series. First two episodes available today; subsequent new episodes drop on Thursdays.

Ghost Adventures: “The Great Saltair Curse”
discovery+
Season Premiere!

As the Ghost Adventures crew returns for Season 25, Zak, Aaron, Billy and Jay are on the banks of Utah’s Great Salt Lake to investigate the Great Saltair, a century-old music venue that is host to terrifying hauntings and plagued by misfortune, disaster and even death. Many believe the property is haunted by Saltair Sally, a woman whose body was found on the property in 2000, and evidence suggests the surrounding land is cursed, amplifying the hostile paranormal energy. During their investigation, the team is plagued by intense physical afflictions, disembodied voices, unexplained figures and an array of frightening anomalies. New Ghost Adventures episodes are available Thursdays.

Through Our Eyes
HBO Max
New Series!

This four-part documentary series from Sesame Workshop showcases the perspectives of children as they experience challenging issues facing families today, including homelessness, parental incarceration, military caregiving and climate displacement.

Walker: “Dig”
The CW, 8pm

Walker (Jared Padalecki) and Micki (Lindsey Morgan) investigate a bomb threat at the school that targeted Liam (Keegan Allen) and Stan (guest star Jeffrey Nordling). Abeline (Molly Hagan) and Bonham (Mitch Pileggi) plan a vow renewal, and Trey’s (Jeff Pierre) mother (guest star Schelle Purcell) comes for a visit.

Beat Shazam: “All About the Abs, Butt and Thighs!”
FOX, 8pm

The musical guessing game gets physical as teams of fitness moms, male cheerleaders and lifeguards compete for a chance to win $1 million in the new episode “All About the Abs, Butt and Thighs!”

Hot Mess House: “Hidden Hacks”
HGTV, 8pm

A couple’s home has been overtaken by their children’s stuff, so Cas Aarssen and Wendell Holland tackle the large basement to make it a multifunctional space. Plus, they give another couple’s kitchen some clever hidden organization.

Star of the Month: Elvis: “Troubled Youth”
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!

Tonight’s lineup of Elvis Presley film classics begins with four titles covering a spectrum of the “troubled youth” theme, from the King playing such youths, to him portraying a character helping underserved youngsters in need. The night begins with one of Elvis’ most famous movies, 1957’s musical drama Jailhouse Rock, his third feature and the one that introduced some of the most iconic images of Presley’s film career against the backdrop of a soundtrack filled with classic Jerry Lieber/Mike Stoller songs, including the rockin’ title track, “Treat Me Nice” and “(You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care.” Next, in the musical Follow That Dream (1962), Elvis plays the son of a vagabond family traveling through Florida, while the 1966 musical Frankie and Johnny finds him playing a compulsive riverboat gambler. Rounding out tonight’s themed lineup is Change of Habit (1969), Elvis’ final acting role, in which he plays a doctor serving an underprivileged community, starring alongside Mary Tyler Moore as a nun who can’t really be blamed when she finds herself tempted with feelings for a physician who looks like Elvis. After this film, early the next morning, is Elvis on Tour (1972), a Golden Globe-winning concert documentary. — Jeff Pfeiffer

CMT Campfire Sessions
CMT, 9pm
Season Finale!

In this intimate fireside jam, country queen Trisha Yearwood and her longtime band strip down her hits “She’s in Love With the Boy” and “Walkaway Joe” as well as her latest collaboration, “Ran Into You.”

Christina on the Coast: “Home Run Reno”
HGTV, 9pm

Christina Haack’s sports-loving clients just purchased a home that needs major rehab and got in over their heads trying to take it on themselves. And, Christina helps her best friend get ready for her big wedding.

Good Girls
NBC, 9pm
Series Finale!

The crime drama/comedy starring Christina Hendricks, Retta and Mae Whitman as the titular “good girls” ends with two back-to-back hourlong episodes tonight.

Alone
History, 9:30pm

If only this episode were in 3-D! A grizzly comes running at one of the survivalists in the Canadian wilderness — and it’s “not even 10 yards” away before bear spray repels the predator, the relieved competitor recalls. “That is something you never forget.”

Friday, July 23

Jolt
Amazon Prime Video
Feature Film Exclusive!

Kate Beckinsale and Stanley Tucci lead this darkly funny action thriller. Beckinsale plays a woman struggling to manage a lifelong, rare neurological disorder that causes her to react violently to anyone she witnesses being cruel, deceitful or abusive.

Ted Lasso
Apple TV+
Season Premiere!

Jason Sudeikis’ acclaimed and award-winning comedy sensation returns for a second season. Also an executive producer, Sudeikis stars in a Screen Actors Guild Award- and Golden Globe-winning performance as the title character, a small-time college football coach from Kansas hired to coach a professional soccer team in England, despite having no experience coaching soccer. Hannah Waddingham, series codeveloper Brendan Hunt, Jeremy Swift and Juno Temple also star. The series has already been renewed for Season 3.

Roswell: The Final Verdict: “Extraterrestrial Truth”
discovery+
Season Finale!

Decades after the Roswell incident, the U.S. government fights to suppress public interest in UFO sightings and extraterrestrial contact. Cutting-edge AI compares the government’s account of the crash with what it has uncovered. After 70 years, are we getting closer to the truth?

Playing With Sharks
Disney+

This special from National Geographic Documentary Films follows underwater filmmaking and shark research pioneer Valerie Taylor, whose life’s work has become the basis for much of what we know about sharks today. Through remarkable underwater archival footage, along with interviews with Taylor herself, the special traces this daring ocean explorer’s trajectory from champion spearfisher to passionate shark protector. From the birth of cage-diving to Jaws hysteria to the dawn of cageless shark-diving, she became a trailblazing advocate for the ocean’s most maligned and misunderstood creatures.

Blood Red Sky
Netflix
Original Film!

Flying with her young son, a mysteriously ill woman is forced to unleash a dark secret when terrorists attempt to hijack their trans-Atlantic flight.

The Last Letter From Your Lover
Netflix
Original Film!

Consisting of a pair of interwoven stories set in the present and past, this drama based on the novel by JoJo Moyes follows Ellie Haworth (Felicity Jones), a journalist who discovers a trove of secret love letters from 1965 and becomes determined to solve the mystery of the forbidden affair at their center. As she uncovers the story behind Jennifer Stirling (Shailene Woodley), the wife of a wealthy industrialist, and Anthony OʼHare (Callum Turner), the financial journalist assigned to cover him, a love story of Ellieʼs own begins to unfold with the assistance of an endearing archivist (Nabhaan Rizwan) who helps her track down more letters.

Masters of the Universe: Revelation: Part 1
Netflix
New Series!

The war for Eternia culminates in this animated series developed by filmmaker Kevin Smith that picks up where the iconic characters of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe left off decades ago. After a cataclysmic battle between He-Man (voice of Chris Wood) and Skeletor (Mark Hamill), Eternia is fractured, and the Guardians of Grayskull are scattered. And after decades of secrets tore them apart, it’s up to Teela (Sarah Michelle Gellar) to reunite the broken band of heroes and solve the mystery of the missing Sword of Power.

The Movies That Made Us
Netflix
Season Premiere!

The series that looks at influential and popular films returns for Season 2. The four-episode batch will include examinations of Jurassic Park (1993), Back to the Future (1985), Pretty Woman (1990) and Forrest Gump (1994).

Sky Rojo
Netflix
Season Premiere!

The female-led action crime drama from Spain returns for Season 2. The series follows three prostitutes who go on the run after fleeing their pimp. Together, they embark on a frantic, chaotic journey during which they face dangers of all kinds and live every second as if it was their last.

2020 Tokyo Olympics: Opening Ceremony
NBC, 7am Live

The world finally comes together for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games. In a first for the network, NBC airs the opening ceremony live this morning. (Tokyo is 13 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.) The opening ceremony will air again tonight during NBC’s primetime broadcast.

Parks and Recreation
IFC, 9:30am

From 2012: Gloria Estefan’s “Get on Your Feet” accompanies a side-splitting campaign event … on ice (long story).

Charmed: “I Dreamed a Dream…”
The CW, 8pm
Season Finale!

When an encounter with the Whispering Evil leaves Macy (Madeleine Mantock) on the brink of death, Mel (Melonie Diaz) and Maggie (Sarah Jeffery) cast an ancient spell sending the Charmed Ones off on a series of epic adventures. Meanwhile, realizing only a Whitelighter can save Macy, Harry (Rupert Evans) asks Jordan (Jordan Donica) and Celeste (guest star Kate Burton) to help him do the unthinkable.

My Lottery Dream Home: “Scratch Offs: Vacation Time at the Cape”
HGTV, 8pm

A Massachusetts couple has been vacationing with their family in Cape Cod for over 30 years, and now they’re buying a dream home there. David Bromstad must work fast to help them snatch up their perfect place in this hot market.

Friday Night Neo-Noir
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!

Tonight’s lineup of film noir titles not made in the genre’s heyday of the 1940s and ’50s, but in the ensuing decades, features one title from the 1970s, and two from the ’80s. First up is Blood Simple (1984), the fantastic debut movie from writers/directors Joel and Ethan Coen. The thriller follows a Texas bartender (John Getz) who finds himself in the middle of a murder plot after his boss (Dan Hedaya) discovers that the bartender is having an affair with the boss’ wife (Frances McDormand in her feature-film debut). Then, check out Arthur Penn’s outstanding Night Moves (1975), which is one of the bleakest thrillers of the ’70s, and that’s saying something. Gene Hackman is terrific as L.A. private investigator Harry Moseby, who uncovers all kinds of sinister activity while searching for the missing teenage daughter (Melanie Griffith) of a famous actress. Susan Clark, Jennifer Warren and James Woods also star. The final film is Cutter’s Way (1981), making its network premiere. The thriller provides a devastating look at post-Vietnam, post-Watergate America, as exemplified by its trio of damaged protagonists: a slightly dim beach-boy gigolo (Jeff Bridges), a ferocious disabled veteran (John Heard) and the cynical, alcoholic young woman (Lisa Eichhorn) they both love. All three actors are explosive in this dark tale set in sunny Santa Barbara about the attempt to pin a murder on a local tycoon (Stephen Elliott) — who may, in fact, be guilty.

Music Box: Woodstock ’99: Peace, Love and Rage
HBO, 9pm

Or, how a musical celebration of high-minded ideals devolved into three days of mayhem and violence. Artists such as Korn’s Jonathan Davis, Moby and Creed’s Scott Stapp weigh in.

Icon: Music Through the Lens: “On the Road”
PBS, 9pm

Episode 2 features touring stories from early trailblazers who went on the road with artists such as Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones and The Who, mixed with tales from the punk era of CBGB, the Clash and the Sex Pistols. The episode also explores photographers’ relationships with Oasis, Metallica, U2, Ed Sheeran and Courtney Barnett, plus special sections on music photography legend Jim Marshall and the origins of the “Three Songs, No Flash” rule.

Saturday, July 24

Major League Baseball
FS1, beginning at 4pm Live

A Saturday MLB doubleheader on FS1 has the New York Yankees at the Boston Red Sox, followed by the Tampa Bay Rays at the Cleveland Indians.

The Adventures of Robin Hood
TCM, 6pm
Catch a Classic!

This action-packed, Best Picture Oscar-nominated 1938 adventure classic directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley took home three Academy Awards, for its editing, art direction and the rousing musical score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Robin Hood (Errol Flynn) accuses Prince John (Claude Rains) of treachery when he discovers his plan of overthrowing the throne while King Richard (Ian Hunter), John’s brother, is being held captive for ransom. Robin escapes John’s knights and assembles a team to help the poor who have been suffering the rich’s oppression. When Robin is lured out of the woods and finds himself sentenced to death, his men come to help, and Robin is left in the ultimate standoff with Prince John. Along with the action, the film also incorporates a subtle love story between Robin and Maid Marian (Olivia De Havilland, in one of her many popular onscreen pairings with Flynn) that does not overpower the initial plot. Basil Rathbone, Melville Cooper and Patric Knowles also star.

Crown for Christmas
Hallmark Channel, 7pm

Christmas in July jingles on with a weekend countdown of greatest holiday hits. We just love this 2015 Danica McKellar-Rupert Penry-Jones romance.

Eden: Untamed Planet
BBC America, 8pm & AMC, 9pm
New Series!

Helena Bonham Carter narrates this new natural history series taking viewers to the far corners of the planet to discover the secrets of Earth’s few remaining untouched lands, all flourishing with rich biodiversity. The premiere episode, “Borneo: Sacred Forest,” visits the Southeast Asian island’s primeval rainforest.

Vacation House Rules: “Groovy Getaway”
HGTV, 8pm

Two siblings need help bringing their 1960s vacation home into the 21st century. Capitalizing on the home’s retro design, contractor Scott McGillivray and designer Debra Salmoni transform the mid-century cottage into a blast-from-the-past vacation rental.

Next Door Nightmare
Lifetime, 8pm

In tonight’s world premiere film, a young couple — Sarah and Kyle — move next door to Helen, a charismatic older woman, but they have no idea she’s a deeply disturbed psychopath who will stop at nothing to become Sarah’s surrogate mother, and grandmother to the child she is expecting. Stars Julia Borsellino, Mark Taylor, Deborah Grover and Marium Carvell.

Cold Justice: “A Touch of Evidence”
Oxygen, 8pm

Kelly Siegler and Tonya Rider investigate the shocking murder of Leola Jordan, a 91-year-old grandmother in Picayune, Mississippi, who was stabbed nearly 40 times in her bed. New DNA technology may help identify her killer and reveal a tragic family secret.

Freaky
HBO, 8:15pm

How can the Freaky Friday film formula of two people switching bodies get even freakier? This 2020 comedy tries it with a bullied high school teen (quirkily believable Kathryn Newton) and a local slasher known as the Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn).

Snapped: Notorious
Oxygen, 9pm

Anthony Sowell, the Cleveland Strangler, raped and killed 11 women, receiving a death sentence in 2011. Tonight, hear from women who escaped his so-called “house of horrors.”

Destination Fear: “Waverly Hills Sanatorium”
Travel Channel, 9pm; also streaming on discovery+
Season Premiere!

The team is back for Season 3, and their first stop is straight out of a nightmare. They’ve feared Waverly Hills Sanatorium their entire lives, and for good reason. What they catch on video lives up to the location’s reputation as the most haunted in all of America.