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All Times Eastern. PBS programming varies regionally.
Friday, Sept. 13
Cardigan Classic: Fallon vs. Khaled
NBC, 11:34pm
The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon and hip-hop icon DJ Khaled played a special four-hole challenge golf match at the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in July. Tune in to this hourlong special and find out who won the coveted red cardigan prize and bragging rights.
LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy
Disney+
This “four-piece” animated special showcases and celebrates the popular team-up between Lucasfilm and The LEGO Group, who have been collaborating for 25 years now with their LEGO Star Wars galaxy of toys and animated projects. In the story, everything in this galaxy becomes mixed up when an ordinary nerf-herder, Sig Greebling (voice of Gaten Matarazzo), unearths a powerful artifact from a hidden Jedi temple. He finds himself thrust into adventure in a new, wondrously wild and twisted version of the galaxy where good guys are bad, bad guys are good and the fate of all depends upon Sig becoming the hero who can put all the pieces back together. Mark Hamill voices his iconic character from the live-action Star Wars films, Luke Skywalker, while Ahmed Best — who voiced Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequel films — provides the voice for a character named Darth Jar Jar, to give you an example of how mixed-up things get here.
Officer Black Belt
Netflix
Original Film!
In this action film from South Korea, an ordinary young man with exceptional martial arts skills (Kim Woo-bin) starts a new job as a martial arts officer alongside probation officer Kim Sun-min (Kim Sung-kyun), monitoring offenders to prevent and fight crimes.
Uglies
Netflix
Original Film!
McG (Terminator Salvation) directed this sci-fi film set in a futuristic world that imposes a cosmetic surgery on people at age 16. Young Tally (Joey King) is eager for her turn to join the rest of society, but when a friend runs away, Tally embarks on a journey to save her that upends everything she thought she wanted.
TCM Morning & Afternoon Movies: Val Lewton
TCM, beginning at 6:45am
Catch a Classic!
If you’re not feeling too scared on this Friday the 13th, you can enjoy nearly all of the terrific low-budget and highly atmospheric horror films produced by the legendary Val Lewton in the 1940s with a special lineup this morning and afternoon. Airing in order are The Seventh Victim (1943), one of Lewton’s many collaborations with director Mark Robson; Cat People (1942), perhaps Lewton’s most famous production, led by Simone Simon and directed by Jacques Tourneur, another frequent Lewton collaborator; that film’s sequel, The Curse of the Cat People (1944); Bedlam (1946), which was directed by Robson and led by Boris Karloff, as was the following film, Isle of the Dead (1945); The Ghost Ship (1943), directed by Robson; two more Tourneur-directed productions, I Walked With a Zombie (1943) and The Leopard Man (1943); and the Karloff-led The Body Snatcher (1945), directed by Robert Wise. Concluding the lineup is the fascinating 2007 documentary Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows, narrated by Martin Scorsese.
Women’s Golf: 2024 Solheim Cup: Day 1
Golf Channel, 7am Live
The 19th edition of the Solheim Cup, the premier international match-play tournament in women’s golf, has the U.S. Team taking on Europe at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia. Day 1 has foursome and fourball matches. Golf Channel and NBC televise through Sunday.
College Football
ESPN & FOX, beginning at 7pm Live
The Sunflower State hosts a pair of Friday night college football clashes as the UNLV Rebels are at the Kansas Jayhawks (ESPN), and it’s a war of the Wildcats as Arizona visits Kansas State (FOX).
Making Change: The Most Significant Political Films of All Time
TCM, 8pm
The second night of this series in which TCM host Ben Mankiewicz and notable guests explore the most impactful political movies of all time features six titles, the first three introduced with guests: Reds (1981), cohosted by commentator Bill Maher; The Parallax View (1974), cohosted by singer-songwriter Kyle Smith; Germany, Year Zero (1948), cohosted by filmmaker Alexander Payne; Gabriel Over the White House (1933); The Battleship Potemkin (1925); and The Fog of War (2003).
Ancient Aliens
History, 9pm
Season Finale!
The season comes to a close as cameras head to Bolivia’s Puma Punku, which features some of the largest stone blocks on Earth, each carved with incredible precision. But the blocks lie scattered across the landscape, baffling archaeologists as to what the ancient site might have been. Could new advancements in technology offer proof of alien intervention on Earth?
Three Women
Starz, 10pm
New Series!
Based on a novel by Lisa Taddeo, this limited series follows three ordinary women from various parts of the country (as well as the woman, played by Shailene Woodley, who persuades them to tell their stories) as they struggle with love, marriage, desire and transition in their lives: Lina (Betty Gilpin), an unhappy Indiana homemaker ready to change her life; Sloane (DeWanda Wise), an entrepreneur in an open marriage that is under strain; and a North Dakota student named Maggie (Gabrielle Creevy) who struggles with whether to admit to an inappropriate relationship she had with her married teacher in high school.
Saturday, Sept. 14
Women’s Golf: 2024 Solheim Cup: Day 2
Golf Channel & NBC, beginning at 7am Live
Day 2 of the women’s international match-play tournament between the U.S. and Europe at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia, has morning foursome and afternoon fourball matches. Coverage begins on Golf Channel and shifts to NBC.
College Football
ABC, CBS, FOX, ESPN & NBC, beginning at 12pm Live
Big matchups on Saturday’s college football slate include Alabama at Wisconsin (FOX), LSU at South Carolina (ABC), Texas A&M at Florida (ABC), Oregon at Oregon State (FOX), Notre Dame at Purdue (CBS), Georgia at Kentucky (ABC), Indiana at UCLA (NBC), Colorado at Colorado State (CBS), UCF at TCU (FOX) and San Diego State at Cal (ESPN).
Roller Boogie
TCM, 12pm
Catch a Classic!
Hitting theaters at the tail end of the ’70s, on Dec. 21, 1979, this cult classic romantic musical drama capitalized on trends that were still popular at the time: disco music and roller-skating, with many dancers who laced up their skates adopting incredibly athletic and rhythmic moves as they “roller-boogied” to disco hits at the local rink. That’s the case for the characters here — played by a cast led by Linda Blair and Jim Bray, who had been a competitive artistic roller skater — who must protect their go-to skate place Jammer’s from a mob takeover. The real draw here is the spectacular skate sequences (including, of course, a final Boogie Contest). The numbers are set to a soundtrack that, while not on par with Thank God It’s Friday or Saturday Night Fever, is still full of disco goodness, with some higher-profile titles like Cher’s “Hell on Wheels” and “Boogie Wonderland” by Earth, Wind & Fire.
Love’s Second Act
Great American Family, 8pm
Original Film!
Jamie (Jodie Sweetin), an aspiring filmmaker, heads back to her hometown for some inspiration. She finds it in ex-boyfriend Nick (Tilky Jones), who still works at the small-town movie theater where they both first fell in love.
The Heiress and the Handyman
Hallmark Channel, 8pm
Original Film!
Heiress June Waltshire (Jodie Sweetin) moves to a rural farm after losing her fortune and mistakes her handsome neighbor (Corey Sevier) for the handyman. She then develops a friendship with him that results in an attempt to reclaim her family’s fall fair legacy.
Have I Got News for You
CNN, 9pm
New Series!
Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black serve as team captains for this American version of the long-running BBC comedy series. Offering an edgy take on the news of the week, a rotating collection of guests, including notable entertainers, political figures and comedians, will be guided through an array of comedic games and quick-witted panel conversations that will test their knowledge of current events. Roy Wood Jr. hosts.
Sunday, Sept. 15
Women’s Golf: 2024 Solheim Cup: Day 3
Golf Channel & NBC, beginning at 8:45am Live
The final day of the Solheim Cup women’s golf tournament between the U.S. and Europe has 12 singles matches and the closing ceremony at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia. Coverage begins on Golf Channel and concludes on NBC.
Brian’s Song
MOVIES!, 12pm
Catch a Classic!
Originally aired as an ABC Movie of the Week, this tear-jerking 1971 drama is a cut above a standard made-for-television production thanks in large part to its two leads: James Caan and Billy Dee Williams, both of whom received Emmy nominations for their performances. The movie recounts the life of Brian Piccolo (Caan), who played for the Chicago Bears for four years before he lost his life to cancer at age 26 in 1970. Piccolo’s story is told through his friendship with teammate Gale Sayers (Williams), based on Sayers’ account of that relationship in his 1970 autobiography I Am Third. Among the 11 Emmy nominations Brian’s Song received, it won five, including Outstanding Single Program — Drama or Comedy and Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Drama for Jack Warden as Coach George Halas. And, of course, it always ranks high whenever a list of “guy-cry” movies is put together.
NASCAR Cup Series: Go Bowling at the Glen
USA Network, 3pm Live
The second of three Round of 16 playoff races takes place today at Watkins Glen International in New York as drivers compete for 90 laps around the 2.45-mile road course.
NTT IndyCar Series: Big Machine Music City Grand Prix
NBC, 3:30pm Live
The final race of the IndyCar season has top contenders Alex Palou, Will Power, Colton Herta, Pato O’Ward and Scott Dixon hoping for a championship finish on the 1.33-mile D-shaped oval at Nashville Superspeedway.
76th Emmy Awards
ABC, 8pm Live
Following a special one-hour presentation on the red carpet, the 76th Annual Emmy Awards will air live tonight, with the FX historical drama Shōgun in the lead with 25 nominations, followed by The Bear, with 23 nominations — the most nominations ever for a comedy series in a single year.
Universal Basic Guys: “Sunset Cruise”
FOX, 8pm
In the new episode “Sunset Cruise,” Mark (voice of Adam Malamut) is preoccupied with catching a really big fish while everyone else is enjoying their cruise getaway.
National Parks: USA: “Yellowstone” & “Olympic”
Nat Geo, 8pm
In the first of tonight’s two hourlong episodes, experience a year in Yellowstone, the world’s first national park. Meet remarkable wildlife, from the steadfast Wapiti wolves and resilient bison to playful grizzly cubs, and discover the park’s Indigenous heritage, ecological diversity and geological wonders. Then, travel to Olympic National Park on Washington’s rugged coast, which protects almost 1 million acres of diverse habitat and wildlife, including Roosevelt elk, bobcats and one of the last Pacific salmon runs in the Lower 48.
NFL Football: Chicago at Houston
NBC, 8:15pm Live
A matchup of young quarterbacks has rookie Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears in Houston to face second-year signal caller C.J. Stroud and the Texans on Sunday Night Football.
Bob’s Burgers: “The Right Tough Stuff”
FOX, 8:30pm
In the new episode “The Right Tough Stuff,” Gayle (voice of Megan Mullally) tells the Belcher family she’s sending in an audition tape to be on the Tough Stuff Island reality show.
The Great North
FOX, 9pm
Two new episodes of the animated comedy air tonight. In “Look Who’s Squawking Adventure,” Moon
(voice of Aparna Nancherla) is pet-sitting an eagle that manages to escape. Then, Beef and Honeybee (Nick Offerman and Dulcé Sloan) bond on an ice-fishing trip in “Am I the Ice Hole? Adventure.”
Emperor of Ocean Park
MGM+, 9pm
Season Finale!
The drama about a law professor (Grantham Coleman) who goes on a dark journey to uncover the truth about his father’s (Forest Whitaker) unexpected death finishes its first season.
Moonflower Murders
PBS, 9pm
New Series!
Editor Susan Ryeland (Lesley Manville) gets embroiled in a murder investigation linked to a mystery novel and a present-day missing hotelier in this six-part Masterpiece series adapted from a book by Anthony Horowitz.
Baby Animal Rescue
Nat Geo, 10pm
New Series!
Conservationist Giles Clark travels to South Africa to work with two dedicated teams that rescue and care for wildlife orphans. At Umoya Khulula Wildlife Centre, Giles helps Archie, a baby pangolin, learn essential skills for the wild. Then, at Hoedspruit Elephant Rehabilitation and Development, he meets Phabeni, a troubled baby elephant looking to join a herd of his own kind again.
Van der Valk
PBS, 10pm
Season Premiere!
The unapologetic Dutch detective (Marc Warren) is back for a fourth season solving crime in Amsterdam beginning tonight.
Sister Wives
TLC, 10pm
Season Premiere!
In “A House Divided Cannot Stand,” things get awkward as Kody, Robyn and Christine see each other for the first time in months at Mykelti’s baby sprinkle. Meri tells her friend Brandi that she’s done with Kody. Janelle reveals that she’s looking at buying property in Montana.
Monday, Sept. 16
Candice Renoir
Acorn TV
Season Premiere!
All six episodes in the 10th season of this French crime drama led by Cécile Bois as the title character, a police investigator in a Mediterranean seaside resort suburb, are available today.
All American: Homecoming: “After the Love Has Gone”
The CW, 8pm
Simone (Geffri Maya) is determined to return to tennis as a champion; JR (Sylvester Powell) thinks Noah may be hiding something.
Star of the Month: Lauren Bacall
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
TCM’s third of four Monday night lineups saluting legendary actress Lauren Bacall this month is especially notable, since it airs on what would have been the icon’s 100th birthday (she was born Sept. 16, 1924, in New York City, and died there on Aug. 12, 2014, at the age of 89). Tonight, you can enjoy all four of the films in which she costarred with Humphrey Bogart, whom she married in 1945 after they fell in love on the set of their first movie together — and Bacall’s first film overall — director Howard Hawks’ 1944 romantic war adventure drama To Have and Have Not, based on Ernest Hemingway’s novel. That title kicks things off this evening, followed by the three other Bogie/Bacall classics, all films noir: The Big Sleep (1946), also directed by Hawks and featuring Bogart as Raymond Chandler’s detective Philip Marlowe; Dark Passage (1947), also with Agnes Moorehead; and Key Largo (1948), directed by John Huston, and costarring Edward G. Robinson and Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner Claire Trevor. Finishing things up early tomorrow morning is Bacall on Bogart, an episode of PBS’ Great Performances that originally aired in 1988. Presenting a retrospective of Bogart’s life and career, the roughly 80-minute production is hosted by Bacall and features clips, photos and recollections from costars, colleagues and friends.
NFL Football: Atlanta at Philadelphia
ESPN, 8:15pm Live
Week 2’s Monday Night Football action has Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons flying into Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field to take on Jalen Hurts and the Eagles.
Celebrity Family Feud
ABC, 9pm
Season Finale!
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend go head-to-head with David Chang; later, team Deadliest Catch battle it out with favorites from the Star Trek universe to see who will win the grand prize for their selected charities.
Halloween Baking Championship
Food Network, 9pm
Season Premiere!
Ten intrepid bakers explore the steampunk vibes of the madly scientific institution known as Henson Laboratories. For the first time ever, the stakes are sky high in the Thriller Heat as the advantage for winning is immunity in the Killer Heat! Host and lab owner John Henson cheekily chairs the chaos, while judges Stephanie Boswell, Carla Hall and Zac Young evaluate the sweets — for science, of course. At the end of this grand experiment, one baker will win the title of Halloween Baking Champion and earn the $25,000 prize.
Celebrity IOU: “Mira Sorvino’s Mighty Makeover”
HGTV, 9pm
Mira Sorvino enlists Drew and Jonathan Scott to help breathe new life into the home of someone she considers a sister. Plumbing problems have forced the family to move out, so Mira steps in to repair and transform this generational home.
Tuesday, Sept. 17
Culinary Class Wars
Netflix
New Series!
This South Korean cooking competition series features a “class war” among 100 chefs, among whom are hidden masters (aka “black spoon”) who will challenge the star chefs (“white spoon”) in a fierce battle to become the best.
A Night at the Opera
TCM, 9:45am
Catch a Classic!
Considered by many to be the Marx Brothers’ finest and funniest film, this 1935 musical comedy classic finds Groucho, Harpo and Chico (in their first movie after Zeppo left the act) bringing hilarious anarchy to the staid, snooty and often pretentious world of opera, ultimately (and literally) bringing down the house during a staging of Verdi’s Il trovatore. There is ostensibly a plot, which finds the brothers working to see that a talented tenor (Allan Jones) gets a chance to perform with the beautiful soprano (Kitty Carlisle) who he’s fallen for. It’s worth sitting through the young lovers’ scenes until the Marxes show up onscreen again with more uproarious antics, notably in Groucho’s interactions with the always-terrific and frequent Marx Brothers comedic foil Margaret Dumont, who re-teams with the boys here as a wealthy dowager, and the film’s legendary scene set in a very crowded ship’s stateroom.
Live From the Other Side With Tyler Henry
Netflix, 5:30pm Live
New Series!
In this live weekly series, medium Tyler Henry gives celebrity guests hope, healing and long-sought-after answers through emotional readings.
Dancing With the Stars
ABC, 8pm
Season Premiere!
Season 33 of the beloved dancing competition series, once again hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough, will begin airing tonight with an all-new assemblage of celebrities.
Beat Shazam
FOX, 8pm
Season Finale!
The musical guessing game wraps up Season 7 tonight with a two-episode finale. Jamie Foxx hosts alongside his deejay daughter Corinne.
100 Day Hotel Challenge
HGTV, 8pm
Season Finale!
In “And the Winner Is…,” Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt bring back all their teammates to help tackle the hotel exteriors. Also, Drew and Jonathan Scott have help judging as they decide who takes home the bragging rights and the $50,000 charity prize!
America’s Got Talent
NBC, 8pm Live
Starting tonight, the six acts that have received the most votes during the semifinal rounds will join the four Live Show Golden Buzzer winners for a two-night finale that concludes next Tuesday, Sept. 24.
American Masters: “Julia Alvarez: A Life Reimagined”
PBS, 9pm
The work of author Julia Alvarez, which spans multiple genres and audiences, is the focus of tonight’s episode.
High Potential
ABC, 10pm
New Series!
Based on the French hit Haut Potentiel Intellectuel, this new fish-out-of-water drama follows a brainiac single mother (Kaitlin Olson) who uses her exceptional intelligence to form an unlikely alliance with the LAPD, while she also juggles parenthood and the search for a missing beau.
American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez
FX, 10pm
New Series!
An investigation into the various elements that coalesce to turn a young man into a murderer, this American Crime Story spinoff will feature the dramatized life story of NFL player Aaron Hernandez (portrayed by Josh Rivera), who died by suicide in prison without ever revealing why he killed a man in 2013.
Wednesday, Sept. 18
What’s Next? The Future With Bill Gates
Netflix
New Series!
Across five episodes, Bill Gates delves into the pressing issues facing our world today, including the promise and risks of artificial intelligence, the pervasive challenge of misinformation, and the scale of the climate crisis and potential of cutting-edge technologies to solve it. Among the contributors to the series are Anthony Fauci, Bono, James Cameron, Lady Gaga, Sen. Mitt Romney and more.
TCM Spotlight: Studio Directors
TCM, beginning at 6am
Catch a Classic!
Turner Classic Movies monthlong Wednesday marathon of films from noted directors who worked for particular studios during the golden age of Hollywood continues today with 13 more titles, mostly from the 1940s but starting to creep into the ’50s: Nothing but Trouble (1944), a Laurel and Hardy feature film directed by Sam Taylor; the musical romantic comedy It Happened in Brooklyn (1947), directed by Richard Whorf and led by Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, Peter Lawford and Jimmy Durante; The Story of Seabiscuit (1949), a drama about the famed racehorse of the title directed by David Butler, whose human cast is led by Shirley Temple and Barry Fitzgerald (with Seabiscuit portrayed by two of his family members); director John Cromwell’s romantic fantasy The Enchanted Cottage (1945), starring Dorothy McGuire and Robert Young; the mystery film The Woman in White (1948), directed by Peter Godfrey; My Reputation (1946), a romantic drama directed by Curtis Bernhardt and headlined by Barbara Stanwyck; director George Sidney’s Judy Garland-led musical The Harvey Girls (1946), which featured the Oscar-winning song “On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe”; White Heat (1949), director Raoul Walsh’s iconic gangster drama led by James Cagney and Virginia Mayo; director Tay Garnett’s legendary film noir The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), starring Lana Turner and John Garfield; Born to Kill (1947), director Robert Wise’s first of several films noir; the Best Picture-nominated drama Kings Row (1942), helmed by Best Director nominee Sam Wood and starring Ann Sheridan, Robert Cummings and Ronald Reagan; director Irving Rapper’s tear-jerking drama Now, Voyager (1942), led by Best Actress nominee Bette Davis and Paul Henreid; and director Charles Walters’ Easy to Love (1953), one of Esther Williams’ last big-screen musicals.
The Golden Bachelorette
ABC, 8pm
New Series!
The franchise’s first Golden Bachelorette, Joan Vassos, the vivacious 61-year-old school administrator from Rockville, Maryland, who exited Golden Bachelor Gerry’s season early following a family medical matter, will get a chance to find love again in this new series from the Bachelor universe.
Survivor
CBS, 8pm
Season Premiere!
It’s a two-hour premiere tonight as host Jeff Probst welcomes a diverse batch of Survivors to the mix for Season 47. Comedian/podcaster Jon Lovett, who knows little about surviving in the wilderness (or so he claims), should add some humor as one of the castaways.
MasterChef: Generations
FOX, 8pm
Season Finale!
Find out which chef wins the opportunity of a lifetime as the culinary competition series concludes its “Generations” season in a two-hour finale tonight.
Big Cats 24/7
PBS, 8pm
New Series!
Over six episodes, the expert wildlife filmmakers in this coproduction of PBS and the BBC use the latest filming technology — including military-grade thermal imagery — to follow lions, leopards and cheetahs in Botswana’s Okavango Delta and reveal details of their lives like never before. The camera teams document individual big cats for six months, over two extreme seasons, all day and all night, as the creatures battle to survive dramatic changes within their families and their home. Two hourlong episodes premiere tonight.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
Bravo, 9pm
Season Premiere!
“This season is unexpected and full of twists and turns. Our friendships are back in full bloom with plenty of drama but even more fun,” shares Heather Gay, who dropped the news last season that fellow housewife Monica Garcia was behind the Instagram troll account that was bashing the ladies. Garcia won’t be a part of Season 5.
Agatha All Along
Disney+, 9pm
New Series!
Jac Schaeffer, the creative force behind the 2021 Marvel Cinematic Universe series WandaVision, is showrunner for and directed the pilot episode of this nine-episode follow-up series that focuses on Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness, who was introduced in that earlier show. Here, the infamous Agatha finds herself down and out of power after Joe Locke’s character, goth teen Billy Kaplan (who in the comics becomes the magically powered superhero known as Wiccan), helps break her free from a distorted spell. Her interest is piqued when the young man begs her to take him on the legendary Witches’ Road, a magical gauntlet of trials that, if survived, rewards a witch with what they are missing. Together, Agatha and this mysterious youngster pull together a desperate coven and set off down the road. The first two episodes drop today; new episodes will be available Wednesdays.
Like a Girl
Fuse, 9pm
Wimbledon doubles champion Taylor Townsend discusses the hard-hitting subjects of body image and pregnancy for professional women athletes.
Wild West Chronicles: “Bronco Bill’s Treasure”
INSP, 10pm
When Bronco Bill and his gang are robbing trains at will, two veteran lawmen join forces to stop the violent outlaws once and for all. Years later, gunfighter-turned-reporter Bat Masterson (Jack Elliott) hears the story from the last surviving member of the gang.
Thursday, Sept. 19
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
Netflix
New Series!
Following Dahmer, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s true-crime anthology series Monster returns, this time focusing on multiple monsters as it dramatizes the case of real-life brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez (portrayed by Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch), who were convicted in 1996 for the murders of their parents, José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez (Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny). Nathan Lane costars as journalist Dominick Dunne, who covered the trials for Vanity Fair.
The Queen of Villains
Netflix
New Series!
This five-episode series unveils the story of Dump Matsumoto (Yuriyan Retriever), the most terrifying “heel” during the golden age of women’s pro wrestling in Japan during the 1970s and ’80s. As pro-wrestling tag teams like the “Crush Gals” became national icons, there was Matsumoto, their sworn rival. She made all of Japan her enemy, wreaking havoc in and outside of the ring. But once upon a time, young Dump Matsumoto was told she was too kind to be a villain. What events made her into one of the most disliked figures in Japanese wrestling history?
Twilight of the Gods
Netflix
New Series!
Zack Snyder is an executive producer of this animated vision of Norse mythology that is billed as a “heroic story of love, loss and revenge … and wars waged against gods and demons.” In this world, Leif (voice of Stuart Martin), a mortal king, is saved on the battlefield by Sigrid (Sylvia Hoeks), an iron-willed warrior with whom he falls in love. On their wedding night, Sigrid and Leif survive an attack from Thor (Pilou Asbæk), which sets them — and a crew of crusaders — on an against-all-odds and merciless mission for vengeance.
MLB Baseball
FOX, 7pm Live
Thursday night MLB regional action on FOX features either the Philadelphia Phillies at the N.Y. Mets or the Arizona Diamondbacks at the Milwaukee Brewers.
Technology in the Movies — Part 2
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
The second of two nights devoted to notable depictions of technology in films concludes with five titles tonight. Given that many of the movies spotlighted so far have been set in future dystopias and/or featured psychotic computers, you might be surprised to find a Spencer Tracy/Katharine Hepburn-led romantic comedy leading things off tonight. But Desk Set (1957) does indeed deal with technology, and in fact might have been one of the earliest films to look at how computers could impact everyday work and life, with Tracy and Hepburn playing two strong-willed personalities clashing over the potential computerization of a television network’s research department via an “electronic brain” known as the EMERAC (“Emmy,” for short). Next, in the famed comedy Modern Times (1936), writer/director/star Charlie Chaplin’s “Little Tramp” character struggles to survive as a factory worker in an increasingly industrialized world. Following that is Westworld (1973), written and directed by Michael Crichton, about an amusement park with different themed “worlds” where visitors interact with lifelike androids (including Yul Brynner’s Gunslinger), who unfortunately begin to malfunction. The lineup concludes in late night with director Fritz Lang’s silent sci-fi masterpiece Metropolis (1927) and THX 1138 (1971), a film set in a future dystopia that was expanded by cowriter/director George Lucas from a student film.
NFL Football: New England at N.Y. Jets
Prime Video, 8:15pm Live
Week 3’s Thursday Night Football matchup has the New England Patriots against Aaron Rodgers and the N.Y. Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Lucky 13
ABC, 9pm
Season Finale!
The debut season ends with two episodes. In “Playing to Win,” a consultant takes on a sales manager, and in “High Stakes,” a stay-at-home dad and a marketer compete.
The Penguin
HBO, 9pm
New Series!
Colin Farrell reprises his role as the Penguin (also known as Oz Cobb) in this spinoff from the hit 2022 film The Batman. The new DC Universe series will take place a week after the events of The Batman but is intended to be a stand-alone story that is more about the American dream than heroes vs. villains, exploring the disfigured criminal’s rise to power in Gotham City’s underworld and bringing some humanity to the supernatural character.
Friday, Sept. 20
His Three Daughters
Netflix
Feature Film Exclusive!
In this tense, touching and funny portrait of family dynamics, Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen and Carrie Coon play three estranged sisters who return to their father’s home to prepare for the worst, as his health is failing and his time is running out. As they wait at his bedside, old resentments rise to the surface, and the sisters’ relationships face new strains. Will their father’s imminent death bring them closer together — or push them apart for good?
Strangers on a Train
TCM, 9am
Catch a Classic!
Robert Burks rightly earned an Oscar nomination for his black-and-white cinematography in this 1951 suspense classic based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel, but how Alfred Hitchcock did not receive a directing nod, nor Robert Walker an acting nomination for his chilling performance as Bruno Antony, is beyond us. Either way, it is a thrilling watch, as pro tennis player Guy Haines (Farley Granger) has the bad luck of happening to sit next to Walker’s Antony on a train, and their conversation turns toward Antony “jokingly” suggesting that the two men “trade murders” — Antony will kill Haines’ wife if Haines kills Antony’s father. Unfortunately for Haines, the deranged Antony is not joking at all; he proceeds with his end of the deal, and makes life increasingly terrifying for Haines in order to get him to hold up his. The film’s classic climax aboard an out-of-control carousel isn’t the only way in which the Master of Suspense delivers a memorable thrill ride with this production. Strangers on a Train is a highlight among other train-based thrillers that TCM is airing starting earlier this morning and continuing through this afternoon. Other notable titles you might want to get onboard for include Shanghai Express (1932), Avalanche Express (1979) and Berlin Express (1948).
College Football
ESPN, FOX & The CW, beginning at 7:30pm Live
Friday night college football kicks off on ESPN with Stanford at Syracuse in an ACC game. FOX airs a Big Ten matchup with Illinois at Nebraska, and The CW carries San Jose State at Washington State.
Secret Celebrity Renovation: “Mookie Betts”
CBS, 8pm
In this special new episode of the home makeover series, L.A. Dodgers star Mookie Betts trades in his baseball bat for a sledgehammer as he returns to his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, to surprise his father, Willie, with a much-needed house renovation.
Making Change: The Most Significant Political Films of All Time
TCM, 8pm
The third night of this series in which TCM host Ben Mankiewicz and notable guests explore the most impactful political movies of all time features six titles, the first three introduced with guests: Dr. Strangelove (1964), cohosted by Spike Lee; Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), cohosted by politician/lawyer Stacey Abrams; Hearts and Minds (1974), cohosted by CNN correspondent Phil Mattingly; The Lives of Others (2006); Born in Flames (1983); and Bicycle Thieves (1948).
20/20
ABC, 9pm
Season Premiere!
The 47th season of this long-running investigative series featuring unforgettable true-crime mysteries begins airing tonight.
Deadlock
PBS, 9pm
Aaron Tang of the UC Davis School of Law guides a panel of thought leaders through complex, ethical dilemmas based on real-life scenarios. The special encourages civil dialogue and critical thinking in an era dominated by polarizing debates.
Saturday, Sept. 21
College Football
CBS, The CW, FS1, NBC & truTV, beginning at 3:30pm Live
Catch USC at Michigan (CBS), Miami (Ohio) at Notre Dame (NBC), UTEP at Colorado State (truTV), Purdue at Oregon State (The CW), Fresno State at New Mexico (truTV) and Portland State at Boise State (FS1) in Saturday’s college football action.
Jeremiah Johnson
TCM, 5:45pm
Catch a Classic!
If all you’ve seen of Robert Redford’s 1972 film Jeremiah Johnson is the ubiquitous “bearded guy nodding approvingly” clip that has been used as a popular internet reaction meme for a while now, here’s your chance to check out its full, compelling source material. In director Sydney Pollack’s film — the first Western to ever be accepted into the Cannes Film Festival, where it was in competition for the highest prize, the Palme d’Or — Redford plays the title character, a veteran of the Mexican-American War who becomes an isolated mountain man enduring cruel winters alone in the Rockies, supporting himself as a trapper while engaged in personal war with the Crow warriors responsible for the deaths of his common-law wife and adopted son. Based partly on the life of real-life mountain man John Jeremiah Johnson, the film features terrific location filming shot in many areas across Utah.
NASCAR Cup Series: Bass Pro Shops Night Race
USA Network, 7:30pm Live
Four drivers will be eliminated from the Cup Series playoffs following tonight’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Tennessee’s famous Bristol Motor Speedway.
Falling Together
Hallmark Channel, 8pm
Original Film!
Natalie (Ashley Williams) tries to bring feuding neighbors together in her new condo building, and unexpectedly finds an ally in the building’s superintendent (Paul Campbell), who prefers to avoid getting involved.
Buried Alive & Survived
Lifetime, 8pm
Original Film!
Inspired by a true story, this horrifying tale follows a woman named Alicia (Eva Marcille) who is trapped underground by her ex-husband (Tyler Lepley) after he gets out of prison and must claw her way to freedom in order to save herself and her son.