All Times Eastern. PBS programming varies regionally.
Thursday, Aug. 31
One Piece
Netflix
New Series!
Based on Japan’s highest-selling manga comic book series in history, this live-action series is a high-seas adventure unlike any other. A youngster named Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) sets off from his small village on a perilous journey to find a legendary fabled treasure, known as One Piece, to become King of the Pirates. But to find the ultimate prize, Luffy will need to assemble the crew he has always wanted before finding a ship to sail, searching every inch of the vast seas and outwitting dangerous rivals at every turn.
Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake
Max
New Series!
Come on, grab your friends! Beloved Cartoon Network series Adventure Time gets a brand-new 10-episode spinoff set in the land of Ooo and follows the alternate universe versions of Finn the human and Jake the dog on a multiverse-hopping journey towards self-discovery. When Fionna and her sidekick Cake find themselves in the crosshairs of a powerful new foe, they have no choice but to seek the help of former Ice King Simon Petrikov. With appearances from Marshall Lee, Marceline the Vampire Queen, Princess Bubblegum, and Finn, Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake transports fans of the classic series to worlds both familiar and alien.
Choose Love
Netflix
Original Film!
This interactive rom-com allows viewers to decide the ending and the fates of its characters. As with other interactive titles Netflix has done, Choose Love will include several different choice outcomes. The film centers around Cami (Laura Marano), a recording engineer who seemingly has everything: the dream job, the dream boyfriend (Scott Michael Foster) and the dream future ahead of her. Yet, she feels something is missing. Cami faces a kaleidoscope of tempting but tough choices, from serious ethical dilemmas to more frivolous things, and what she ultimately chooses will be up to an individual viewer.
The Pact
Sundance Now
Season Premiere!
The hit British anthology returns for a second season that tells a brand-new suspenseful story. BAFTA-winning actress Rakie Ayola plays a woman named Christine, who, along with oldest son Will (Lloyd Everitt), youngest son Jamie (Aaron Anthony) and daughter Megan (Mali Ann Rees), is trying to get on with her life after the recent tragic death of her son Liam. As they look forward to Megan’s wedding, the family will have their lives turned upside down when a stranger named Connor (Jordan Wilks) arrives in town claiming a connection that nobody could have imagined. As buried secrets come to light, the family must consider who they are and grapple with morality and divided loyalty. While their lives spiral out of control, a terrible pact may be all that can save them. The first two episodes are available today; new episodes drop Thursdays.
Summer Under the Stars: John Carradine
TCM, beginning at 6am
Catch a Classic!
It’s a bit surprising that Richmond Reed Carradine — better known by his professional name of John Carradine — is just now getting his first Summer Under the Stars (SUTS) salute, considering how prolific he was over his career. He starred in well over 300 movies from the early 1930s to late ’80s (his death in 1988 at age 82 was likely the only thing that prevented him from continuing into the ’90s), and he also appeared numerous times on television. But better late than never, and Carradine’s SUTS day is finally here, with a lineup that offers a chance to see this legendary character actor in action as he comfortably fits into roles in everything from John Ford Westerns and dramas like Stagecoach (1939), Drums Along the Mohawk (1939), Mary of Scotland (1936) and The Grapes of Wrath (1940), to sensationalistic wartime movies like Hitler’s Madman (1943) and I Escaped From the Gestapo (1943), which is making its TCM premiere.
WNBA Basketball
Prime Video, beginning at 7pm Live
Prime Video continues its exclusive live coverage of the WNBA with tonight’s doubleheader featuring the Phoenix Mercury at the Connecticut Sun and the Washington Mystics at the Las Vegas Aces.
College Football
ESPN & FOX, beginning at 8pm Live
College football’s kickoff week continues tonight with Florida at Utah in a nonconference clash on ESPN and Nebraska at Minnesota in a Big Ten matchup on FOX.
The Price Is Right: A Tribute to Bob Barker
CBS, 8pm
This one-hour special honors the life and career of beloved television legend and animal rights activist Bob Barker, who died Saturday at age 99. Drew Carey, who succeeded Barker as The Price Is Right host, celebrates Barker’s life and legacy as host of the tribute. Barker was was The Price Is Right host from 1972-2007 and was well-known for signing off each day with the quote, “Help control the pet population. Have your pet spayed or neutered.” He earned 14 Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Game Show Host and received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1999 Daytime Emmy Awards. Featuring an array of “priceless” on-camera moments from throughout Barker’s 50-plus year career, the special showcases his talents as a charming, charismatic and razor-sharp “master of ceremonies” who created special connections with countless contestants on The Price Is Right – and his evolution into a pop culture icon appearing as himself in prominent projects on both the silver and small screens.
Friday, Sept. 1
God. Family. Football
Amazon Freevee
New Series!
This six-episode docuseries (all episodes available today) follows high school football coach/pastor Denny Duron as he returns as head coach at Evangel Christian Academy after a 30-year retirement, hoping to lead the football program he founded back to national prominence.
The Wheel of Time
Prime Video
Season Premiere!
In Season 2 of this fantasy drama, threats new and very old seek out the young friends from the Two Rivers, now scattered over the world. The woman (Rosamund Pike) who found and guided them is now powerless to help, and so they must find other sources of strength. In each other, or themselves. In the Light … or the Dark. The first three episodes are available today; new episodes drop Fridays.
A Day and a Half
Netflix
Original Film!
In this Swedish action thriller, to reunite with his daughter, Artan (Alexej Manvelov) takes his ex-wife, Louise (Alma Pöysti), hostage and embarks on a thrilling and emotion-charged road trip with her and police officer Lukas (Fares Fares). The journey takes them through rural Sweden during a hot summer, all while having police on their heels.
Disenchantment
Netflix
Season Premiere!
The animated misadventures of hard-hitting, hard-drinking Queen Bean (voice of Abbi Jacobson), her feisty elf companion Elfo (Nat Faxon) and her personal demon Luci (Eric Andre) culminate in an epic battle for Dreamland as Matt Groening’s comedy/fantasy series returns with 10 episodes for its fifth and final season. To save Dreamland from Queen Dagmar’s (Sharon Horgan) wicked rule, Bean must vanquish her mother and outrun a prophecy that foretells she will kill someone she loves.
Friday Night Plan
Netflix
Original Film!
This comedy/drama from India follows two bickering brothers (played by Babil Khan and Amrith Jayan) who come together to try to secretly attend the coolest, most happening party of the year before their mother returns from a business trip.
Family Law
The CW, 8pm
Season Finale!
Two new episodes air back-to-back to close out the season: First, in “Acting Out,” the firm represents a superstar whose behavior has led her brother to push for a conservatorship. Then, in “All Happy Families,” Abby (Jewel Staite) is torn between her new life and a lucrative offer from her former firm.
Power Book IV: Force
Starz, 8pm
Season Premiere!
In Season 2, Tommy Egan (Joseph Sikora) is on a mission to avenge the death of Liliana, and with the Flynn organization weakened, he’s more determined than ever to take over the Chicago drug world.
TCM Spotlight: Coming of Age: “Young Love” & “Young and Rebellious”
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
Tonight, TCM is all about teenagers in love. First up: Starring Laurence Olivier and Diane Lane, A Little Romance (1979) tells the tale of a teenage girl who falls in love with a local Parisian when she moves to France to go to school. In The World of Henry Orient (1964), two mischievous teenage girls begin following an eccentric pianist (Peter Sellers) around New York City after one of them develops a crush. Starring Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood in a role that garnered her a second Oscar nomination, Splendor in the Grass (1961), about a pair of high school sweethearts, is the third movie of the night, followed by The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962), Blackboard Jungle (1955) and the James Dean/Natalie Wood Oscar-nominated coming-of-age classic, Rebel Without a Cause (1955).
Men in Kilts: A Roadtrip With Sam and Graham
Starz, 9:30pm
Season Finale!
Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish finish Season 2 of their travel series with “Last Call,” in which they take a bath in hell, roll down mountains and get a makeover in New Zealand.
How to With John Wilson
HBO, 11pm
Series Finale!
The comic documentary series following John Wilson as he films the lives of fellow New Yorkers while attempting to give everyday advice on relatable topics concludes after three seasons.
Saturday, Sept. 2
“Three’s Company” Three-Day Weekend Marathon
Antenna TV, beginning at 10am
Antenna TV comes knocking on your door this Labor Day weekend with a 60-hour marathon of episodes from the classic 1977-84 sitcom Three’s Company. It kicks off with the pilot episode, “A Man About the House,” and concludes with the two-part series finale “Friends and Lovers,” which also launched the very short-lived spinoff Three’s a Crowd.
College Football
ABC, CBS, ESPN, FOX & NBC, beginning at 12pm Live
College football’s opening week continues with a full slate of Saturday games highlighted by Virginia at Tennessee (ABC), Colorado at TCU (FOX), Ohio State at Indiana (CBS), New Mexico at Texas A&M (ESPN), North Carolina at South Carolina (ABC), West Virginia at Penn State (NBC) and Texas Tech at Wyoming (CBS).
Against All Odds
MOVIES!, 2:50pm
Catch a Classic!
This 1984 neo-noir romantic thriller may be most remembered today for its Oscar-nominated and Grammy-winning title song, “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)” by Phil Collins, which is great, but it is an engaging film outside of that. Loosely based on the 1947 noir classic Out of the Past, it stars Jeff Bridges as an ex-football player hired by a gangster (James Woods) to find his girlfriend (Rachel Ward). When he does find her, they fall in love, and a series of steamy and thrilling twists begins. The film also stars Alex Karras, an actual former football player, Richard Widmark and Jane Greer, who played Out of the Past’s femme fatale alongside Robert Mitchum.
MLB Baseball
FOX, 7pm Live
Saturday’s regional MLB game on FOX has either the Minnesota Twins at the Texas Rangers or the Philadelphia Phillies at the Milwaukee Brewers.
Love in the Great Smoky Mountains: A National Park Romance
Hallmark Channel, 8pm
Original Film!
Former sweethearts (Arielle Kebbel and Zach Roerig) reunite at an archaeological dig in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As they compete for the same research grant, they discover they might still have feelings for each other.
Farm Dreams
Nat Geo Wild, 10pm
Season Finale!
In “Nature Bounty,” the first season finale, Indy Officinalis goes to Missouri to help a couple plant a food forest, teaching them foraging skills that will change their lives.
Sunday, Sept. 3
Is She the Wolf?
Netflix
New Series!
In this reality/dating series from Japan, a group of 10 people are all looking for love. But hidden among the women is at least one saboteur. Is she really falling for one of the men, or is she the “wolf”?
Special Ops: Lioness
Paramount+
Season Finale!
The espionage thriller led by Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman finishes up its first season.
College Football
ABC & CBS, beginning at 12pm Live
Before the NFL takes over Sunday next week, enjoy a trio of college games today beginning on CBS with Northwestern at Rutgers and Oregon State at San Jose State. Later today on ABC, LSU faces Florida State in the Camping World Kickoff in Orlando, Florida.
A Summer Place
TCM, 5:30pm
Catch a Classic!
Even if you’ve never seen the 1959 drama A Summer Place, you likely know the famous melody introduced in it. Created by the film’s composer, Max Steiner, as a secondary theme signifying the romance between young Molly (Sandra Dee) and Johnny (Troy Donahue) — with lyrics added by songwriter Mack Discant — this tune was known at first as the “Molly and Johnny Theme.” But it quickly became better known as “Theme From A Summer Place,” even as it developed a life of its own outside the film. The film in which the tune debuted was a box office hit, and while “Theme From A Summer Place” may have aided in that success, it wasn’t the only reason for it. Beautifully shot along the Northern California coast as a stand-in for Maine and filled with more delicious melodrama than your average soap opera, A Summer Place further established Dee — following a breakout appearance in Imitation of Life earlier in 1959 — as a star and gave Donahue a leading-man break that made him a screen sex symbol. What also helps is that the plot’s hot-and-heavy drama doesn’t only come from the youngsters. Molly and Johnny are the respective children of former teenage lovers Ken (Richard Egan) and Sylvia (Dorothy McGuire), each of whom is riding out an unhappy marriage to another person. When they find themselves together again on Pine Island in Maine — back in that special summer place they shared 20 years earlier — Ken and Sylvia find their old feelings resurfacing just as their kids are also developing feelings for each other. All these elements of sight and sound combine to make A Summer Place a quintessential celluloid version of one of those steamy paperbacks you might pull out for a quick summer read at the beach.
NASCAR Cup Series: Cook Out Southern 500
USA Network, 6pm Live
The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs Round of 16 begins tonight at South Carolina’s Darlington Raceway for the Cook Out Southern 500.
The Chosen
The CW, 8pm
Season Finale!
In the final episode of the season, Jesus (Jonathan Roumie) leaves Capernaum for Samaria and meets with a woman at Jacob’s well.
Professor T
PBS, 8pm
Season Premiere!
The British crime drama is back for Season 2, with criminologist Professor Jasper Tempest (Ben Miller) and the team untangling a series of knotty crimes ranging from an unexplained fire in a student block to the mystery of an entire family found dead in their home. Meanwhile, Professor T is dominated and perplexed by the women in his life, from his mother (Frances de la Tour) to the love of his life, Christina (Juliet Aubrey), and his new therapist, Dr. Helena (Juliet Stevenson).
Billions: “Hurricane Rosie”
Showtime, 8pm
In the new episode “Hurricane Rosie,” Chuck (Paul Giamatti) embarks on a case with ties to Prince (Corey Stoll), forming his newest attempt to bring down his foe.
When Calls the Heart: “The Heart of the Problem”
Hallmark Channel, 9pm
Rosemary (Pascale Hutton) and Lee’s (Kavan Smith) baby has brought up memories of Rosemary’s own mother, and questions about her past. Meanwhile, the kids feel left out of the hot springs with all the tourists.
Renovation Resort Showdown
HGTV, 9pm
Season Finale!
In “It’s Anyone’s Competition!,” all four vacation rental cabins are completely transformed and the teams are surprised with one last “Rock the Dock” challenge. This is their final chance to impress Scott McGillivray and Bryan Baeumler before the top team walks away with bragging rights and $100,000!
Unforgotten
PBS, 9pm
Season Premiere!
As this British cold-case crime drama returns for its fifth season, Sinéad Keenan now leads the cast as DCI Jessica “Jess” James. In the opener, Jess joins DI Sunny Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar) to investigate the discovery of human remains in a newly renovated antique home in West London. The ghost of much-loved former colleague Cassie Stuart, who died in the Season 4 finale, looms large over the team, and Jess knows there will be big shoes for her to fill, while Sunny’s grief puts a strain on his relationship with his fiancée, Sal (Michelle Bonnard).
Van der Valk
PBS, 10pm
Season Premiere!
Season 3 of this crime drama brings a new day and a new dawn to Amsterdam Police Commissioner Piet Van der Valk (Marc Warren) as he welcomes two new sergeants to the team: the hotshot but impulsive Eddie Suleman (Azan Ahmed) and technical whiz Citra Li (Django Chan-Reeves). In the premiere episode, these new partners are immediately plunged into an investigation following the dramatic shooting of an idealistic free-running champion.
Monday, Sept. 4
Son of a Critch: “Merry Critch-mas”
The CW, 8pm
Mark (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) collects Christmas toys for the needy, which leads to a discovery about one of his classmates.
College Football: Clemson at Duke
ESPN, 8pm Live
The NFL’s Monday Night Football season doesn’t kick off until next week, but college football fans can catch the Clemson Tigers at the Duke Blue Devils tonight on ESPN from Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.
Ugliest House in America
HGTV, 8pm
Season Finale!
In “Summer Road Trip to Stunning,” the summer road trip comes to an end when actress and comedian Retta announces the winner of Ugliest House in America. It’s makeover time as HGTV’s design star Alison Victoria leads the charge to turn this nightmare house into a dream home for its owners.
Ancient Empires
History, 8pm
New Miniseries!
This three-night miniseries (continuing tomorrow and Wednesday) links together the stories of the ancient world’s most famous and infamous rulers — Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Cleopatra — to uncover how each successive leader shaped their world. Illuminating stories behind one of these iconic figures are revealed in each night’s episode, beginning tonight with Alexander. The greatest conqueror and general in history, Alexander built one of the largest empires ever in just 13 years. But he eventually had to contend with not only an increasingly powerful enemy, but also the loyalty of his men and his own ever-growing dark side.
American Ninja Warrior: “Las Vegas Finals 3”
NBC, 8pm
The national finals continue in Vegas as the remaining ninjas move on to Stages 2 and 3 for their chance to win $1 million and become the next American Ninja Warrior.
Bad Company
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
Tonight’s Labor Day lineup is all about … labor. The evening begins with the Oscar-winning documentary Harlan County, U.S.A (1976), which spotlights a 1973 coal miners’ strike in Kentucky, followed by Roger & Me (1989), Michael Moore’s directorial debut regarding the closure of a GM plant in his hometown of Flint, Michigan. Next up is Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), the star-studded film adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by David Mamet; followed by Salt of the Earth (1954), a historical drama about a strike in New Mexico; and then, finally, Charlton Heston stars in the classic sci-fi thriller set 50 years into the future in 2022, Soylent Green (1973), which follows a detective who attempts to uncover the dangerous secrets surrounding a manufacturing company and its main food ingredient used to feed an overpopulated Earth.
Run the Burbs: “First Date Date”
The CW, 8:30pm
Andrew (Andrew Phung) and Camille (Rakhee Morzaria) try to relive their very first date as Sam (Julie Nolke) babysits Leo (Roman Pesino).
Secrets of Penthouse
A&E, beginning at 9pm
New Limited Series!
This four-episode limited series tells the extraordinary story behind the rise and fall of Bob Guccione, the founder of Penthouse magazine, who at his height was one of the wealthiest men in America and who pushed the world of adult entertainment further than ever before. When Guccione died in 2010, he had lost his entire fortune.
Little Richard: I Am Everything
CNN, 9pm
Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning director Lisa Cortés helmed this acclaimed documentary that tells the story of the Black queer origins of rock ’n’ roll and reveals its innovator and originator — Richard Penniman, aka Little Richard. Bringing viewers into Richard’s complicated inner world is a wealth of archival and performance material, as well as interviews with family, musicians and scholars.
Children Ruin Everything
The CW, 9pm
Season Finale!
In the last episode of the season, titled “Space,” James (Aaron Abrams) and Astrid (Meaghan Rath) decide to purge their home of clutter.
Tough Love With Hilary Farr
HGTV, 9pm
Season Premiere!
Back for a sophomore season, interior designer Hilary Farr comes to the rescue of discontented homeowners. Best known for her beautiful renovations on Love It or List It, here she solves families’ inadequate living arrangements with her signature wit and no-nonsense approach. In the premiere episode, armed with a hefty $200,000 budget, Hilary helps a Raleigh, North Carolina, family turn a bachelor pad into a forever home. She guts the place to create a new kitchen, separate offices, an open living space and a layout that allows for both individual passions and time together as a family.
Life Below Zero
Nat Geo, 9pm
Season Premiere!
The reality docuseries returns for Season 21 on a special night with “Pulled From the Darkness.” As Alaskans enter a new dawn in the Arctic winter, they must adapt to the changing landscape to survive and thrive in this brutal season. The series resumes in its normal Tuesday time slot beginning tomorrow (Sept. 5).
Bump: “AITA”
The CW, 9:30pm
Oly (Nathalie Morris) needs to get to the bottom of an issue with Santi (Carlos Sanson Jr.) and is given advice prompted by Angie’s (Claudia Karvan) guilt.
MLB Baseball: Baltimore at L.A. Angels
FS1, 9:30pm Live
Anthony Santander and the Baltimore Orioles begin a three-game series vs. Shohei Ohtani and the L.A. Angels in Anaheim, California.
Breeders: “No Kids”
FX, 10pm
Paul and Ally (Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard) are disappointed that their planned family holiday has become one for just the two of them in the new episode “No Kids.”
Life Below Zero: Next Generation
Nat Geo, 10pm
Season Premiere!
The Life Below Zero spinoff kicks off Season 6 on a special night with “A Wild Life.” Alaska’s cold, hard grip is no match for its tough-as-nails residents, who must scour the land for food and fend off predators to survive. The series moves to its regular Tuesday time slot beginning tomorrow (Sept. 5).
American Dad!
TBS, 10pm
New Episodes!
Stan (voice of Seth MacFarlane) goes too far when he tries to keep his work friend away from Francine (Wendy Schaal) as Season 18 resumes with “Frantastic Voyage.”
Tuesday, Sept. 5
One Shot: Overtime Elite
Prime Video
New Series!
This high-stakes, character-driven docuseries uncovers the devotion and resilience of Overtime Elite’s (OTE) players and coaches through every victory on and off the court. Over six episodes, it explores the lives of OTE’s next generation of basketball stars from around the country as they strive for a pro career.
Inside the NFL
The CW, 8pm
Season Premiere!
The CW is the new exclusive home of the Emmy-winning weekly studio series Inside the NFL, which features NFL Films video highlights and analysis from the game’s top experts.
Ancient Empires: “Julius Caesar”
History, 8pm
Beating overwhelming odds as he fights throughout the Mediterranean, Julius Caesar’s decisive actions bring him massive success and make him the most powerful man in the world. But every gambler knows that their luck runs out eventually, as it did for Caesar. This three-night miniseries concludes tomorrow.
America’s Got Talent: “Qualifiers 3”
NBC, 8pm Live
Eleven performers take the stage live from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium as judging is turned over to the American audience to vote for their favorite performer to move to the final round.
Are You Ready for Some Football?
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
The NFL season kicks off this Thursday night with the Detroit Lions against the Kansas City Chiefs. In case you need something to get you ready for some football, Turner Classic Movies is airing five gridiron-themed films this evening, beginning with Paper Lion (1968), a sports comedy starring Alan Alda as writer George Plimpton, based on Plimpton’s nonfiction book about his tryout with Detroit. Up next is the TCM premiere of North Dallas Forty (1979), led by Nick Nolte and Mac Davis as a wide receiver and quarterback on a fictional Dallas team that closely resembles the real-life Cowboys. Following that is the 1977 comedy Semi-Tough, starring Burt Reynolds and Kris Kristofferson. The evening concludes with two biopics: Knute Rockne, All American (1940), with Pat O’Brien as the famed titular college coach and Ronald Reagan as player George Gipp; and Jim Thorpe — All-American (1951), starring Burt Lancaster as the legendary Native American athlete who excelled at football and several other sports.
Secrets of Penthouse
A&E, beginning at 9pm
The third episode of this four-part miniseries details Penthouse entering the 1990s, as the huge success of the magazine has led Bob Guccione to embark on a series of costly investments, including cryogenics and a casino in Atlantic City, which is eventually sold to Donald Trump. Bob’s youngest son, Nick, persuades his dad to let him branch out into video production. But the venture doesn’t last and Bob pushes Nick out of the company, which takes an emotional toll on Nick. Immediately following is the final episode, which covers the 2000s and the magazine’s ultimate troubles.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
Bravo, 9pm
Season Premiere!
Lisa Barlow, Heather Gay, Meredith Marks and Whitney Rose return with frigid family dynamics, red-hot international travel and a shocking betrayal that none of the women saw coming. Joining the ladies are familiar faces Angie Katsanevas and Mary Cosby, and new housewife Monica Garcia.
Life Below Zero: “Like Ghosts”
Nat Geo, 9pm
After last night’s season premiere, the series continues its 21st season in its regular time slot beginning with this episode, in which Alaska residents, faced with the pressures of success, labor their way through winter’s frigid challenges and make their own luck from loss.
My Big Fat Fabulous Life
TLC, 9pm
Season Premiere!
The Thore family is grieving the devastating loss of Whitney’s mom, Babs. Whitney is desperate to help her father find joy in life again and helps to create a bucket list for him, but a long-held secret from the past emerges — Whitney has a sister she never knew about!
Hard Knocks: Training Camp With the New York Jets
HBO, 10pm
Season Finale!
HBO’s Hard Knocks documentary series finishes its 18th season as the New York Jets make their final roster cuts and break training camp in Florham Park, New Jersey.
Life Below Zero: Next Generation: “Winter From Hell”
Nat Geo, 10pm
The series continues its sixth season in its regular time slot starting with this episode. To survive deep winter and maintain their subsistence lifestyle, Alaskans learn new skills and endure deadly hardships.
Frontline: “Two Strikes/Tutwiler”
PBS, 10pm
This episode features reporting on two criminal justice stories in collaboration with The Marshall Project. First, see how a former West Point cadet ended up in prison for life under a little-known Florida law. Then, take a rare and unforgettable look into the lives of pregnant women in prison, and what happens to their newborns.
Welcome to Plathville
TLC, 10pm
Season Premiere!
Life for the Plath family looks very different as parents Kim and Barry are separated and on their way to a divorce, splitting their time with their five youngest. The older children continue to explore their independence.
Wednesday, Sept. 6
I Am Groot
Disney+
Season Premiere!
Five new animated shorts find Marvel’s beloved tree-like character Baby Groot (Vin Diesel reprising his voice role from the Guardians of the Galaxy feature films) getting into more mischief as he explores the universe and beyond aboard the Guardians’ spaceships.
The Little Mermaid
Disney+
Feature Film Exclusive!
The latest of Disney’s live-action re-imaginings of its past animated classics offers a new take on 1989’s The Little Mermaid and its tale of mermaid Ariel (Halle Bailey), who makes a deal with evil sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) to be with the human prince (Jonah Hauer-King) she has fallen in love with. Like the earlier film, this one also has musical interludes, with famous songs by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, and some new lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The Disney+ streaming of the film will feature special bonus content, including a scene where King Triton (Javier Bardem) performs the song “Impossible Child,” with music by Menken and lyrics by Miranda. Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina and Jacob Tremblay also star.
Infamy
Netflix
New Series!
After years of living in the U.K., teenage Roma girl Gita (Zofia Jastrzębska) and her family move back to their native Poland. After returning, she tries to find herself and discover her passions, while at the same time trying to live the life of a normal 17-year-old. But when she falls in love, she will have to balance the modern world of teenagers and traditional family rules.
Predators
Netflix
New Series!
Tom Hardy narrates this heart-pounding, five-episode natural history series that follows five predator species around the world as they work to survive in their environments. Experience life through the eyes of cheetahs, polar bears, wild dogs and more.
Reporting for Duty
Netflix
New Series!
This Brazilian workplace comedy follows the quirky events at a police station in the Tijuca neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, where a new — and bumbling — chief (Leandro Hassum) has just started.
Scouts Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America
Netflix
Through compelling onscreen interviews and verité filmmaking techniques, this investigative documentary reveals the institutional coverup and follows the whistleblowers fighting to bring justice against what was once one of America’s most beloved and trusted institutions.
Ancient Empires
History, 8pm
Miniseries Finale!
This three-night look at some of the ancient world’s most famous and infamous rulers concludes with a look at Egyptian Queen Cleopatra. Her untold story is one of a ruthless genius who did anything necessary to cling to power in the face of an aggressively expanding Roman Empire. But as Cleopatra increases her influence across the Mediterranean, her ambitions grow — and new enemies rise up against her.
Ultimate Cowboy Showdown
INSP, 8pm
Season Premiere!
The fourth season of this cowboy competition series is an all-stars edition. Contestants from the previous three seasons are back and in battle for an awe-inspiring prize: their own herd of cattle, valued at $50,000; top-of-the-line cattle and ranch gear; and the Ultimate Cowboy Showdown belt buckle. Trace Adkins hosts and serves as a judge.
America’s Got Talent: “Qualifiers 3 Results”
NBC, 8pm Live
Find out which two acts from last night’s show will move on to the final round of competition.
America Outdoors With Baratunde Thurston
PBS, 8pm
Season Premiere!
Bestselling writer Baratunde Thurston is back for a second season of traveling across the United States to uncover more stories about how we work, play and interact with the outdoors. In tonight’s premiere, Thurston journeys downstream on the Suwannee, one of the last wild rivers in America, starting at its headwaters in the Okefenokee Swamp, encountering jet skiers, herpetologists, manatees and snapping turtles as he learns how this unique environment inspires a wide range of passions.
Star of the Month: Dirk Bogarde
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde wisely decided to go by the much more manageable professional name of “Dirk Bogarde” when he embarked upon the first, and most renowned, of his artistic careers: acting. (At various points in his life, Bogarde also painted, with one of his works hanging in the British Museum; wrote novels, poetry and memoirs; and even recorded an album of love songs.) As an actor, the British star was a matinee idol early on, then later became an impactful and acclaimed presence in art house cinema. Each Wednesday night in September, Turner Classic Movies salutes Bogarde with several of his films grouped by a particular theme. In tonight’s lineup, you’ll first see him alongside Judy Garland in the 1963 musical-drama I Could Go on Singing, followed by the drama The Spanish Gardener (1956); Song Without End (1960), a biopic about Franz Liszt led by Bogarde as the famed composer; and The Angel Wore Red (1960), an Italian-American war drama costarring Ava Gardner and Joseph Cotten.
Crime Scene Confidential
Investigation Discovery, 9pm
Season Premiere!
The true-crime docuseries is back for Season 2, with each of the eight episodes following forensic expert and former CSI Alina Burroughs as she journeys into controversial murder cases ripped from the headlines. In the season premiere, Burroughs travels to Mansfield, Ohio, to investigate the January 1988 killing of single mother Margie Coffey.
Archer: “Plaque Removal”
FXX, 10pm
The team travels to England to stop a thief who is stealing cursed artifacts in the new episode “Plaque Removal.” Can Archer (voice of H. Jon Benjamin) break the curse before it breaks him?
Evolution Earth
PBS, 10pm
New Series!
Evolutionary biologist Shane Campbell-Staton, who hosted PBS’ fascinating recent series Human Footprint, is back as host of this equally compelling program that finds him on a global expedition to reveal the animals that are keeping pace with a planet changing at superspeed. Across five episodes, Campbell-Staton tracks how animals are moving, using ingenuity to adapt their behavior and evolving in unexpected ways, perhaps even showing us a path toward a sustainable future for Planet Earth.
Thursday, Sept. 7
Dear Child
Netflix
New Series!
Lena and her two children spend years in captivity under the supervision of a mysterious “he,” until Lena manages to escape. After an accident sends her to the hospital, she wakes up to find parents who’ve been searching for her for 13 years. And that’s where this chilling limited series from Germany truly begins. The six episodes look at both the awful rigidity of the kids’ imprisonment and the nightmare of trying to find a way back to living once you’re free.
Gamera: Rebirth
Netflix
New Series!
Gamera, the beloved giant turtle who was a “friend to all children” and appeared in a series of live-action Japanese monster movies for about 30 years starting in 1965, is back in this anime series that finds him facing off against five of his most memorable kaiju opponents from those movies.
Top Boy
Netflix
Season Premiere!
The British crime drama returns for its third and final season. Sully’s (Kane Robinson) actions at the end of Season 2 have rewritten his business rules with Dushane (Ashley Walters). As new shared problems arise, everything they’ve built comes under threat from both outside forces and those within their empire.
Virgin River
Netflix
Season Premiere!
Season 5 of this romantic drama based on Robyn Carr’s novels features surprising new relationships, a shocking breakup, a difficult court trial, a heartbreaking goodbye and a wildfire that threatens the town, bringing some people of Virgin River together while tearing others apart. The season will be divided into two parts; Part 1, consisting of the first 10 episodes, drops today, while the remaining two installments, which are holiday episodes, will be available Nov. 30.
Star Trek: Lower Decks
Paramount+
Season Premiere!
In Season 4 of the adult animated series, an unknown force is destroying starships and threatening galactic peace. Luckily, the crew of the USS Cerritos isn’t important enough for things like that. Instead, Ensigns Mariner (voice of Tawny Newsome), Boimler (Jack Quaid), Tendi (Noël Wells) and Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), and Provisional Ensign T’Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz), are keeping up with their Starfleet duties, avoiding malevolent computers and getting stuck in a couple of caves — all while encountering new and classic aliens along the way. The series has been renewed for Season 5.
Tennis: US Open: Women’s Singles Semifinals
ESPN, 7pm Live
The four remaining women’s singles players compete at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York, to advance to Saturday’s final match.
WNBA Basketball: Los Angeles at New York
Prime Video, 7pm Live
Prime Video’s final exclusive live WNBA broadcast of this season sees the L.A. Sparks traveling to Barclays Center in Brooklyn to take on the N.Y. Liberty.
Peter Lawford 100th Birthday Celebration
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
To celebrate what would have been Peter Lawford’s 100th birthday, tonight’s lineup will feature some of the English actor’s greatest films. First up is Good News (1947), a lighthearted musical costarring June Allyson, followed by It Happened in Brooklyn (1947), a musical romance costarring Frank Sinatra and Kathryn Grayson; Little Women (1949), an adaptation of the classic Louisa May Alcott novel, which again costars Allyson; Son of Lassie (1945), one of the many film sequels to the beloved pet drama Lassie Come Home; and, lastly, On an Island With You (1948), a comedy/musical costarring Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalban.
NFL Football: Detroit at Kansas City
NBC, 8:15pm Live
The NFL regular season kicks off on NBC with Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Super Bowl LVII champion Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Detroit Lions in a primetime spectacular.
Christina on the Coast
HGTV, 9pm
Season Finale!
Christina Hall previously helped clients Eric and Gina renovate their kitchen. Now, in “New Bathroom, New Baby,” the couple needs Christina to upgrade their outdated primary bathroom, and Christina’s friend Cassie has a baby boy on the way and enlists her help to convert a spare bedroom into a nursery and add a bathtub to the home.
The Dead Files
Travel Channel, 10pm
New Episodes!
The paranormal investigation series’ 15th season returns with its remaining seven new episodes starting tonight, picking up where the season left off, with psychic medium Cindy Kaza joining former NYPD homicide detective Steve DiSchiavi as lead investigator. Tonight’s episode finds a woman seeking Steve and Cindy’s help in finding answers to the terrifying paranormal activity that has been tearing her family apart since her adult daughter moved back in.
Friday, Sept. 8
Star Trek Day 2023
Various Networks/Streaming Services
Paramount is holding its fourth annual Star Trek Day to commemorate the iconic franchise that began 57 years ago with the premiere of Star Trek: The Original Series on Sept. 8, 1966. Among other events, Jerry O’Connell, who voices Commander Jack Ransom on the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks, will host a special program that looks back at memorable Trek moments over the past nearly six decades; celebrates 50 years of Star Trek animation (Star Trek: The Animated Series debuted in 1973); pays tribute to Star Trek: Discovery ahead of its final season; and more. This special will be available to watch online at StarTrek.com/Day, YouTube (on the official Paramount+ and Star Trek pages), Twitch (@ParamountPlus) and Facebook (@StarTrekOnPPlus and @StarTrek). It can also be streamed on Paramount+, Pluto TV (on the Paramount+ Picks, Star Trek, More Star Trek and Pluto TV Sci-Fi channels) and Mixable. The CBS broadcast network will also air the first two episodes of the Paramount+ series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds this evening. Visit StarTrek.com/Day for more info.
Burning Body
Netflix
New Miniseries!
This Spanish miniseries, based on a true event, looks at a scandalous crime of passion. Sex, violence and deceit play roles in the brutal murder of a policeman (José Manuel Poga). After his charred body is found in a reservoir in Barcelona, an investigation unravels a deeper mystery concerning two of his colleagues (Úrsula Corberó and Quim Gutiérrez). Was there a stronger motive for the homicide than originally thought?
Selling the OC
Netflix
Season Premiere!
Reputations, romances and relationships are on the line when The Oppenheim Group’s Orange County team returns for Season 2 of this reality series. The young and hungry agents will risk everything while navigating a hot real estate market and even hotter rumors.
Spy Ops
Netflix
New Series!
This true-crime series features interviews with real-life intelligence operatives, from MI6 to the CIA, who share insider stories of spy craft, Cold War campaigns and coups carried out by covert agents.
Sentinelle
Prime Video
Original Film!
François Sentinelle (Jonathan Cohen) leads a double life. During the day, he is the most media-exposed cop on the Island of Réunion, known for his tough methods and floral shirts, chasing criminals in his famous yellow Defender. But outside of working hours (and often during them), Sentinelle has another profession: variety singer. All Réunionnais have danced to “Le Kiki,” a hit song he had in his youth, which is now somewhat embarrassing. For the past 15 years, he has been trying to regain his fame by preparing a new album, without success. However, Sentinelle doesn’t want to choose between the police and music. While he remains busy with his concerts and the release of his album, a wave of violent crimes shakes the island. A prominent figure from the local elite is kidnapped, and another one is murdered. For any cop, it would be the case of a lifetime. But Sentinelle, who is completely absorbed in his music, doesn’t really have the inclination to investigate.
Sitting in Bars With Cake
Prime Video
Original Film!
Inspired by true events, this film follows best friends Jane (Yara Shahidi) and Corinne (Odessa A’zion) as they navigate life in Los Angeles in their 20s. Corinne, the ultimate extrovert, convinces her shy but extremely talented home baker best friend Jane to commit to a year of baking cakes and bringing them to bars with the goal of meeting people and developing confidence — also known as “cakebarring.” During their year of cakebarring at some of L.A.’s most colorful watering holes, Corinne receives a life-altering diagnosis, and the pair face a challenge unlike anything they’ve experienced before.
Tennis: US Open: Men’s Singles Semifinals
ESPN, 3pm Live
ESPN airs both semifinal matches to determine which men’s singles players will square off in Sunday’s final at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York.
TCM Spotlight: Coming of Age: “Growing Up in Poverty” & “All in the Family”
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
This evening’s lineup focusing on families living in poverty begins with the four-time Oscar-nominated drama Sounder (1972), about a family of sharecroppers coming of age in the South during the 1930s, followed by Wild Boys of the Road (1933), a film about Depression-era train-hopping teens. Next, Spencer Tracy stars as Father Flanagan, the founder of a home for neglected children, in the biopic Boys Town (1938), followed by Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), a musical comedy starring Judy Garland and directed by her future husband Vincente Minnelli. Lionel Barrymore stars as Judge Hardy in A Family Affair (1937), the first of many Hardy family films, and to end the lineup is the very first (non-silent) feature film adaptation of Little Women (1933), starring Katharine Hepburn and Joan Bennett.
Guiding Emily
Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, 9pm
Original Film!
Emily’s (Sarah Drew) life veers off course when she becomes blind after a rock-climbing accident. But when she is paired with a guide dog named Garth (voiced by Eric McCormack), Emily may finally be ready to take on her biggest challenge yet: opening her heart.
American Masters: “Bella! This Woman’s Place Is in the House”
PBS, 9pm
Follow the meteoric rise of firebrand politician and lawyer Bella Abzug, and discover how her commitment to women’s rights and progressive causes upended the status quo in Washington, D.C.
Minx
Starz, 9pm
Season Finale!
The comedy following the creators and staff of Minx, the first erotic magazine for women, finishes its second season with “Woman of the Hour.” Ophelia Lovibond, Jake Johnson and Jessica Lowe star.
Heels: “The Things That Matter”
Starz, 10:10pm
Ace (Alexander Ludwig) begins to lose himself in the myth of his character, and Staci (Alison Luff) digs further into the Dome’s sordid secrets in the new episode “The Things That Matter.”
Saturday, Sept. 9
College Football
ABC, CBS, ESPN & FOX, beginning at 12pm Live
Top college football action today includes Nebraska at Colorado (FOX), Utah at Baylor (ESPN), Notre Dame at NC State (ABC), Iowa at Iowa State (FOX), Texas A&M at Miami (ABC), UNLV at Michigan (CBS), Texas at Alabama (ESPN), Wisconsin at Washington State (ABC), UCLA at San Diego State (CBS) and Stanford at USC (FOX).
Musical Matinee: “Jailhouse Rock”
TCM, 12pm
Catch a Classic!
Once the successful use of “Rock Around the Clock” in 1955’s Blackboard Jungle showed Hollywood it was safe to incorporate that new “rock ’n’ roll” sound the kids were listening to in its films, it was only natural that a full-blown movie musical largely featuring rock music would be made. And it was equally natural to have that film star the King of Rock ’n’ Roll, Elvis Presley. That movie was 1957’s Jailhouse Rock. It was Elvis’ third film, but the first to really let him cut loose with his mesmerizing energy and physical moves. Those moves — including the pelvic gyrations that already had some parents worried about the King’s influence on their kids — were the centerpiece of this musical drama’s iconic dance sequence set to the killer title tune, choreographed by Elvis himself and unlike anything seen in musicals before. That song was one of several belted out in the film by Elvis that were penned by legendary songwriters Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller (who played the band’s pianist in the film), along with “Treat Me Nice,” “I Want to Be Free” and “(You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care.” Blackboard Jungle may have ushered in the use of rock music on a film soundtrack, but Elvis and Jailhouse Rock ensured that rock was here to stay as a cultural force in movies as well as on records.
Tennis: US Open: Women’s Singles Final
ESPN, 4pm Live
The US Open’s two remaining women’s singles players compete for the title at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York.
9/11: In Memoriam Marathon
Nat Geo, beginning at 6pm
National Geographic Channel begins its commemoration of the upcoming 22nd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks with an evening of documentaries it has aired in years past. Tonight’s lineup begins with Inside 9/11: War on America and includes Inside 9/11: Zero Hour, National Geographic Investigates: The Fall of Osama bin Laden and George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview. The network will also have more anniversary programming over the next two days.
Fourth Down and Love
Hallmark Channel, 8pm
Original Film!
Sparks are reignited when a single mother (Pascale Hutton) and a pro football player (Ryan Paevey) coincidentally meet again on her daughter’s flag football field after his career is interrupted by a sports injury.
Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet
Nat Geo Wild, 10pm
Season Premiere!
This docuseries that follows Dr. Michelle Oakley, the only all-species veterinarian across the remote and inhospitable Yukon terrain, returns for Season 12 with “Runaway Reindeer.” The episode finds Dr. Oakley herding a group of unruly reindeer and treating a breeding mini ram with a limp. Meanwhile, back in Haines, the team treats a dog with a mass and a supersized cat with painfully matted fur.