Courtesy of Pond5ALSO SEE: 2021 NFL Preseason TV Schedule
All Times Eastern. PBS programming varies regionally.
Wednesday, Sept. 1
Future of Work
PBS, 10pm
New Series!
This three-part series explores monumental changes in the workplace and the long-term impact on workers, employers, educators and communities. The series premiere episode, “The New Industrial Revolution,” illuminates disruptions to the world of work — artificial intelligence, robotics, globalization and labor practices. The pandemic is a new driver of change, with unemployment flipping from its lowest rate in 50 years to its highest in a century.
Dug Days
Disney+
New Series!
This series of animated shorts (all available today) from Pixar follows the humorous misadventures of Dug, the lovable dog from the beloved, Oscar-winning film Up. Each short features everyday events that occur in Dug’s backyard, all through the exciting (and slightly distorted) eyes of the talking dog.
Marvel Studio Legends: “The Ten Rings”
Disney+
New Episode!
Ahead of the latest feature film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (in theaters Sept. 3), get a backstory on the Ten Rings terrorist organization led by the mysterious Mandarin, as featured in Marvel Comics.
Monsters at Work
Disney+
Season Finale!
In “It’s Laughter They’re After,” the Season 1 finale of the animated series based on the hit film Monsters, Inc., Tylor (voice of Ben Feldman) achieves his dream and is promoted to Jokester, but he feels torn on leaving MIFT. Meanwhile, Laugh Power is threatened when Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sulley (John Goodman) are given an ultimatum — generate more power or be shut down.
How to Be a Cowboy
Netflix
New Series!
See how Dale Brisby uses social media savvy and rodeo skills to keep cowboy traditions alive and teach the world how to “cowboy” right.
Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror
Netflix
New Series!
This five-part docuseries is a cohesive chronicle of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, offering illuminating perspectives and personal stories of how that day’s catastrophic events changed the course of the nation and answering questions like: Who attacked the U.S. and why? What breakdowns in intelligence allowed it to happen? And how did decisions made at the highest levels of three administrations in the war on terror bring us to where we are now?
Kudlow: Labor in America
FOX Business Network, 4pm Live
FOX Business Network presents a special edition of Larry Kudlow’s eponymous post-market program Kudlow in advance of Labor Day. The live, one-hour special brings together top guests to pay tribute to the men and women of this country who built the United States into the greatest nation in the world. Throughout the hour, Kudlow will be joined by a number of guests including Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), economists Stephen Moore and Art Laffer, and FOX & Friends cohost Brian Kilmeade.
Riverdale: “Chapter Ninety: The Night Gallery”
The CW, 8pm
Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) enlists the help of Archie (KJ Apa), Kevin (Casey Cott), Fangs (Drew Ray Tanner) and Reggie (Charles Melton) after she learns there is palladium underneath her maple groves. Meanwhile, Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Alice (Mädchen Amick) confront a trucker who may have been involved in Polly’s (Tiera Skovbye) disappearance. Elsewhere, Jughead (Cole Sprouse) and Archie each confront events from their past.
MasterChef: Legends
FOX, 8pm
MasterChef: Legends continues with two new episodes tonight. Four legendary chefs — Val Cantu, Jonathan Yao, Sherry Yard and Tanya Holland — judge a two-course menu created by the home cooks in “Legends Dinner.” Then, legendary chef Ludo Lefebvre judges French bistro-style dishes in “Ludo Lefebvre — Timed Out Mystery Box.”
America’s Got Talent: “Semifinals Results 1”
NBC, 8pm Live
The semifinals rounds begin tonight, and five acts will eventually move on to the finals. Viewers can send their favorite performer to the next round by using the America’s Got Talent Official App or going to nbc.com to vote.
Age of Humans: “Water”
Smithsonian Channel, 8pm
Water makes the earth unique. All life depends on it and humans use it in many ways. Yet they contaminate it, too, transforming entire landscapes and thereby intervening in important cycles. The ability of water to assume three aggregate states is a guarantee for the water cycle that makes life on earth possible.
Together Again, One Last Time
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
Tonight on Turner Classic Movies, enjoy five movies that mark the final onscreen collaborations of legendary Hollywood pairings. The night begins on a musical note with the Oscar-nominated The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), which was the 10th and final film (and the only one in color) costarring iconic dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The pair reunited after 10 years apart when Rogers was called upon as a last-minute replacement for original star Judy Garland. Next, watch Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland in their eighth and last collaboration, in the 1941 Western They Died With Their Boots On. Flynn portrays Gen. George Armstrong Custer, with de Havilland as his wife, Elizabeth. After that, longtime onscreen costars and offscreen couple Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn re-team in their ninth and final film, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. The iconic and groundbreaking 1967 comedy/drama netted Hepburn a Best Actress Oscar win and Tracy a posthumous Best Actor Oscar nomination (he died about two weeks after completing the film). Another famous real-life Hollywood couple who also costarred together on several occasions — Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall — headline tonight’s next movie, Key Largo (1948), the classic film noir that marked their fourth and last appearance together onscreen. Finally, Clark Gable and Ava Gardner — onscreen costars in three films and friends offscreen — reunite in their final production together, Mogambo, John Ford’s Oscar-nominated (including Best Actress for Gardner) 1953 adventure classic.
The $100,000 Pyramid
ABC, 9pm
This week, actor Kal Penn faces off against actress Kathy Najimy followed by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Gilbert Gottfried.
9/11: One Day in America: “It’s All Gone, Kid”
Nat Geo, 9pm
Miniseries Finale!
In the aftermath of the towers collapsing, two former Marines and an ex-paramedic head to Ground Zero to search for survivors. Together, they stumble upon two Port Authority police officers trapped 50 feet beneath the rubble. Putting their own lives on the line and against all odds, the volunteers manage to pull off one of the most daring and inspiring rescue stories of the day.
Family Game Fight!: “The Banayan Family vs. the Williams Family”
NBC, 9pm
Hosts Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard are “adopted” into a family of four to compete in a series of fun-filled and larger-than-life games. The competing families play Helium Hoops, Sounds Bites, Taste Buds, Air Heads and Nosy Neighbors. The winning family moves on to play Spin Cycle for a chance to win $100,000.
2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games
NBCSN, 9pm Live
Six hours of live coverage from Tokyo includes track & field, road cycling, table tennis and wheelchair tennis.
Raid the Fridge
Food Network, 10pm
New Series!
Hosted by comedian, actor and food podcast host Dan Ahdoot, each episode begins with four chef competitors using their intuition to choose a refrigerator based only on how it looks on the outside, with clues from the photos, magnets, calendars and art on the door. But looks can be deceiving, and sometimes a bachelor pad’s shelves are better stocked than the family of four, so there’s always an element of surprise. After three rounds of cooking challenges using only the mix of fresh ingredients, packaged items and leftovers from their chosen refrigerator, judges Jordan Andino and Jamika Pessoa determine which chef wins a fridge full of $10,000.
My Feet Are Killing Me: “Mass of Mystery”
TLC, 10pm
A man with a mysterious hard growth on his foot and a dancer who returns for an encore surgery keep Dr. Brad and Dr. Ebonie on their toes.
Thursday, Sept. 2
Craig Ross Jr.’s Monogamy
ALLBLK
Season Premiere!
Season 3 picks up the tantalizing series where last season’s cliffhanger left off, with the couples beginning to unravel after the rooftop shooting in Las Vegas takes a toll on their lives. Connor (Darius McCrary) becomes obsessed with finding Harvey (Roy Fegan), and Sincere (Caryn Ward Ross) has to decide if she needs to move on. Sawyer (Blue Kimble) hasn’t healed from a past trauma, causing a wedge between him and Caroline (Vanessa Simmons). Caroline gets closer to finding out just who she is and realizes that revelation could be bittersweet if she has to go on alone. Carson (Wesley Jonathan) and Maggie (Jill Marie Jones) have to take a hard look at their relationship and aren’t sure they like what they see.
Afterlife of the Party
Netflix
Original Film!
A social butterfly (Victoria Justice) experiences the biggest party foul of all — dying during her birthday week. To her surprise, she’s given a second chance to right her wrongs on Earth by reconnecting with loved ones and, most importantly, proving that she is worthy enough to get into the big VIP room in the sky.
Q-Force
Netflix
New Series!
This spy-themed adult animated comedy follows Steve Maryweather (aka Agent Mary, voiced by Sean Hayes, also a cocreator and executive producer), who was once the golden boy of the American Intelligence Agency, until he came out as gay. Unable to fire him, the agency sent him off to West Hollywood to disappear into obscurity. Instead, he assembled a misfit squad of LGBTQ+ geniuses. Joining forces with expert mechanic Deb (Wanda Sykes), master of drag and disguise Twink (Matt Rogers) and hacker Stat (Patti Harrison), they form Q-Force. They are upgraded to active secret agents in the field, with one caveat — they must put up with a new member of the squad: straight-guy Agent Rick Buck (David Harbour).
A.P. Bio
Peacock
Season Premiere!
The critically acclaimed comedy drops all eight of its Season 4 episodes today. The series stars Glenn Howerton as Jack Griffin, a disgraced Harvard philosophy scholar forced to return to Toledo and work as a high school advanced placement biology teacher. Patton Oswalt, Mary Sohn, Lyric Lewis, Jean Villepique and Paula Pell also star.
Superhost
Shudder
Original Film!
In this darkly humorous thriller, travel vloggers Teddy (Osric Chau, Supernatural) and Claire (Sara Canning, Nancy Drew) share their experiences in and around vacation homes with their subscribers while maintaining a moderate level of internet fame. When their follower count starts to dwindle, they pivot to creating viral content around their most recent host, Rebecca (Gracie Gillam, Z Nation). With all eyes turned toward their “superhost,” they slowly start to realize something isn’t right, and as they investigate further, they unlock a horrifying truth.
College Football
ESPN & FOX, beginning at 7pm Live
The Boise State Broncos are in Orlando, Florida, to face the UCF Knights on ESPN. A Big Ten matchup has the Ohio State Buckeyes in Minneapolis to battle the Minnesota Golden Gophers on FOX.
Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles
Bravo, 8pm
Season Premiere!
Returning for Season 13 are powerhouse agents Josh Flagg, Josh Altman, Tracy Tutor, James Harris and David Parnes. New York’s Fredrik Eklund will also join the L.A. team. As homeowners seek larger spaces and privacy, the agents are busier than ever as they negotiate huge listings and manage even bigger egos. Flagg returns to his Old Hollywood roots focusing on high-end, historic properties in the Beverly Hills Flats, including his own.
grown-ish: “You Beat Me to the Punch”
Freeform, 8pm
Season Finale!
At a luau party with the crew, Zoey (Yara Shahidi) accepts Luca’s (Luka Sabbat) career advice, making Aaron (Trevor Jackson) uncomfortable. Doug (Diggy Simmons) and Kiela (Daniella Perkins) navigate a roadblock in their relationship, while Vivek (Jordan Buhat) tries to help Nomi (Emily Arlook) and Ana (Francia Raisa) take their minds off the LSATs.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
NBC, 8pm
In the first of two new episodes tonight, Terry (Terry Crews), Jake (Andy Samberg) and Charles (Joe Lo Truglio) visit the Boyle Family Farm. Meanwhile, Amy (Melissa Fumero) and Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz) help out Capt. Holt (Andre Braugher) in “Game of Boyles.” Then in “Renewal,” the squad comes together to work an important, high-stakes case.
The Sounds of Silents
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
Tonight’s five-film lineup on Turner Classic Movies features a range of sound movies that are set in or in some way reference the silent film era. First up, cowriter/director Carl Reiner’s The Comic (1969) stars Dick Van Dyke as a Buster Keaton-like silent film comedian in a story comprised of flashbacks of his rise to stardom and subsequent fall from popularity. Next, Best Director Oscar nominee Martin Scorsese’s Best Picture Oscar-nominated fantasy/adventure Hugo (2011) is set in the 1930s and follows a young boy who becomes embroiled in a mystery surrounding his late father’s automaton and the pioneering, early 20th century filmmaker Georges Méliès. Following that is the Best Picture Oscar-nominated Sunset Boulevard (1950), Best Director Oscar nominee Billy Wilder’s film noir starring Best Actress Oscar nominee Gloria Swanson (who, in real life, had been a star of the silent screen) in an iconic performance as faded former silent film actress Norma Desmond, whose loss of celebrity in the “talkie” age and increasing isolation has caused her to retreat into a demented fantasy world, a world into which she tries to draw a struggling young screenwriter (Best Actor Oscar nominee William Holden). Then, enjoy Singin’ in the Rain (1952), one of the greatest big-screen musicals, starring Gene Kelly (who codirected and choreographed with Stanley Donen), Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds in a lighthearted story set in late-1920s Hollywood. The actors play three performers caught up in the transition from silent films to sound. Right after that, TCM ends the evening with the film that best embodies that transition era — 1927’s The Jazz Singer, the first feature-length movie with synchronized singing and dialogue, which allowed audiences to hear, with amazement, star Al Jolson’s famous and prophetic line: “Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain’t heard nothin’ yet!” — Jeff Pfeiffer
Christina on the Coast: “Zen Kitchen Transformation”
HGTV, 9pm
Christina Haack has new Long Beach clients who have lived in their 1950s-era home for over a decade and want to overhaul their walled-in kitchen and living room into an open indoor/outdoor living space.
2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games
NBCSN, 9pm Live
Six hours of live coverage from Tokyo includes track & field, canoe, road cycling and wheelchair tennis.
What We Do in the Shadows
FX, 10pm
Season Premiere!
In the Season 2 finale, Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) rescued Nandor (Kayvan Novak), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), Laszlo (Matt Berry) and Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) from a trap set by the Vampiric Council. In Season 3, the housemates realize that Guillermo, exposed as a vampire hunter, might be their only protection against more assassination attempts. The season debuts with two episodes tonight.
Friday, Sept. 3
Cinderella
Amazon Prime Video
Original Film!
Kay Cannon (Pitch Perfect) wrote and directed this musically driven take on the classic fairy tale that incorporates pop songs from contemporary global artists and original songs by stars Camila Cabello (the singer plays Cinderella in her feature film debut) and Idina Menzel (who plays Cinderella’s stepmother). Billy Porter (Pose) plays Fab G, the fairy godparent who helps ambitious young Cinderella work toward her dreams. The cast also includes Minnie Driver, Pierce Brosnan and Nicholas Galitzine.
Doctor’s Orders
discovery+
This true-crime special enters the wild world of motorcycle gangs to explore the sordid truth behind a woman’s planned murder, orchestrated by a husband who believed he was too powerful to get caught. With unique animation in place of re-creation, informant Andrew Glick takes viewers through the fatally twisted tale of greed, murder and municipal corruption. Set against the backdrop of America’s opioid epidemic, the program exposes the underbelly of crime with a well-respected doctor at the forefront.
Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles
Disney+
Fresh off the release of pop star Billie Eilish’s latest album, Happier Than Ever, this film — described as a “cinematic concert experience” — captures the artist during an intimate performance of every song in the album’s sequential order, for the first and only time, from the stage of the Hollywood Bowl.
The D’Amelio Show
Hulu
New Series!
This docuseries follows the D’Amelio family, whose daughters Charli and Dixie have become hugely successful TikTok stars.
Money Heist
Netflix
Season Premiere!
As this Spanish action thriller begins its fifth and final season, the gang has been shut in the Bank of Spain for 100 hours. They have managed to rescue Lisbon (Itziar Ituño), but their darkest moment is upon them after losing one of their own. The Professor (Álvaro Morte) has been captured by Sierra (Najwa Nimri) and, for the first time, doesn’t have an escape plan. Season 5 will air in two batches of episodes; the first batch drops today, and the second and last group of episodes will be available Dec. 3.
Sharkdog
Netflix
New Series!
In this animated kids series, the big-hearted Sharkdog — half shark, half dog — and his human pal Max take on a variety of silly and sometimes messy adventures.
The J Team
Paramount+
Original Film!
Pop star and social media sensation JoJo Siwa stars in this 90-minute feature film. The story follows a young girl named JoJo (Siwa) whose life is turned upside down when her beloved dance coach, Val (Laura Soltis), decides to retire and is replaced by a sparkle-hating instructor named Poppy (Tisha Campbell-Martin). When JoJo is ultimately kicked out of her dance troupe, she must rediscover what dancing means to her.
College Football
ESPN & FS1, beginning at 6pm Live
Week 1 Friday night college football action features North Carolina at Virginia Tech (ESPN), Michigan State at Northwestern (ESPN) and South Dakota State at Colorado State (FS1).
Party From Hell
LMN, 8pm
Original Film!
Denise is a loving mother and wife running a successful startup when she hires a professional party planner with a personal vendetta who turns her world upside down. Stars April Martucci, Jackie Moore, Nicolette Langley, Matt Pohlkamp, Eric Roberts and Nicholas Heard.
Rock Robberies
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
Jewel thieves and the hot rocks they are after are the focus of tonight’s triple feature on Turner Classic Movies. The night starts with the Oscar-winning 1955 Hitchcock classic To Catch a Thief, a colorful romantic thriller starring Cary Grant as suave retired cat burglar John Robie (aka “The Cat”), who has gone straight but finds himself having to save his newfound reputation when an impostor starts targeting wealthy tourists along the French Riviera. Grace Kelly, in her final film with Hitchcock, costars as Robie’s romantic interest. Next is the TCM premiere of the Oscar-nominated The Hot Rock (1972), a fun crime comedy/drama directed by Peter Yates and with a screenplay by William Goldman, based on Donald E. Westlake’s novel. Robert Redford plays career burglar John Dortmunder, who, after being released from his latest stint in prison, is immediately approached for another job by a man named Dr. Amusa (Moses Gunn). Amusa wants to steal back a valuable gem, being housed in a museum, which is of great importance to the people of his African nation, and which was stolen from the country during colonial times. Dortmunder assembles a team, but their increasingly elaborate schemes keep going hilariously wrong. George Segal, Paul Sand and Zero Mostel also star. Finally, Jack of Diamonds (1967) stars George Hamilton as the title character, who becomes the protégé of “Ace of Diamonds,” an international jewel thief on the brink of retirement who wants to impart everything he knows about burglary to the young man.
One Week to Sell
HGTV, 9pm
In the first of two back-to-back episodes, “Disco Fever gets a Retro Rehab,” Taylor Spellman steps into a sprawling New Jersey ranch and it’s like stepping back into 1978 — complete with mustard carpet. With a tight timeline and tighter budget, she aims to modernize the home into a chic oasis for a multi-generational family. Then, in “Bridging the Style Gap Sight Unseen,” Spellman agrees to revamp a home, sight unseen, in the highly coveted town of Rockville Centre, New York. Plagued with floral wallpaper and an outdated kitchen, she relies on her artistic skills to make the house blend in with its chic neighborhood.
Great Performances: “Yannick — An Artist’s Journey”
PBS, 9pm
Filmmaker Susan Froemke’s cinema verité documentary chronicles Metropolitan Opera conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s meteoric rise to become one of the most acclaimed and sought-after music directors of his generation.
2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games
NBCSN, 10pm Live
Five hours of live coverage from Tokyo includes track & field, wheelchair tennis, canoe and the men’s sitting volleyball team bronze medal match.
Saturday, Sept. 4
College Football
ABC, ESPN, FOX & FS1, beginning at 12pm Live
The first full Saturday of the college football season includes Penn State at Wisconsin (FOX); Stanford vs. Kansas State in Arlington, Texas (FS1); Oklahoma at Tulane (ABC); Alabama vs. Miami in Atlanta (ABC); West Virginia at Maryland (ESPN); Louisiana at Texas (FOX); Georgia vs. Clemson in Charlotte, North Carolina (ABC); LSU at UCLA (FOX); and BYU vs. Arizona in Las Vegas (ESPN).
Major League Baseball: Minnesota at Tampa Bay
FS1, 4pm Live
Jorge Polanco and the Minnesota Twins face Brandon Lowe and the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 2 of a three-game set at Tropicana Field.
Eden: Untamed Planet: “The Making of Special”
BBC America, 8pm
Go behind the scenes with the film crews who traveled to the farthest reaches of the planet to capture the stunning wildlife footage seen in Eden: Untamed Planet.
Cheer for Your Life
Lifetime, 8pm
Original Film!
A high school girl’s spirits are crushed as she suffers through a humiliating “Cheerleader Initiation Week,” but her dreams aren’t the only thing in danger when another girl on the squad turns up dead. And when she disappears herself, her mom will have to rush to save her. Grace Patterson, Anna Belle Bayley, Allison McAtee and Marisa Lynae Hampton star.
Mitzi Gaynor 90th Birthday
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
Turner Classic Movies celebrates the 90th birthday of beloved actress/singer/dancer Mitzi Gaynor (she was born Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber in Chicago on Sept. 4, 1931) with a double feature of two of her classic films tonight. First up, Gaynor costars with Gene Kelly in Les Girls (1957), the Oscar-winning musical featuring the music and lyrics of Cole Porter in what was one of the legendary composer and songwriter’s final film scores. Gaynor is also the female lead of tonight’s second feature, The Joker Is Wild, the Oscar-winning 1957 musical drama about the life of singer/comedian Joe E. Lewis, portrayed by Frank Sinatra.
Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty
BBC America, 9pm
New Episodes!
Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty picks up with the second half of Season 1 episodes tonight. In “Hard Times,” Flint is expecting the arrival of her third litter, but the land-grabbing Ubuntu mob threaten to make her homeless.
2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games
NBCSN, 9pm Live
Six hours of live coverage from Tokyo includes the men’s wheelchair basketball final and the women’s sitting volleyball final (both events will also stream on Peacock).
Destination Fear: “Edinburgh Manor”
Travel Channel, 9pm
Six years ago, Dakota and Alex attempted to explore Iowa’s menacing Edinburgh Manor, where it’s said that residents literally slit their own throats to escape the misery. Without a plan, they were chased away by something in the basement. Now they return with the entire team, armed with a new understanding of the paranormal. But they once again encounter something in the basement. Can Dakota turn the tables on the poltergeist known as the Joker?
