Category Archives: What’s On TV

The latest iteration of the cult series, “Star Trek: Discovery” (CBS, 830 p.m.) makes its debut — but look quick. It only shows on network TV once. Like a previous series it introduced this way, “The Good Wife” sequel “The Good Fight,” the one time showing is meant to build up the CBS All Access [...]

Stevie Wonder, Green Day, the Chainsmokers, Pharrell Williams, Andra Day, the Lumineers, Big Sean and Alessia Cara all play the Global Citizen Festival 2017  (MSNBC, 3 p.m.), a benefit for fighting inequality and ending poverty, live from New York’s Central Park. College football dominates network prime time TV with Penn State at Iowa (ABC, 7:30 [...]

After successfully mastering action comedy with his first-rate “Silicon Valley,” Mike Judge returns to the animation with the unusual approach to music documentary, “Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus” (Cinemax, 10 p.m.). It’s a strange hybrid, with live action Judge explaining his motivations — there’s a lot of weird stories in country music [...]

Some great rock ’n’ roll concert films and documentaries back-to-back and commercial-free on Turner Classic Movies with the classic “Monterey Pop” (8 p.m.), 50 years after the event that helped kickstart careers for Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Otis Redding, with some great performances by the Who and Ravi Shankar. It’s followed by the Bob [...]

As marathon runners get closer to breaking the two-hour mark, the sneaker manufacturer Nike is trying all it can do to help, funding scientific and technological research that might help. And they’re documenting it in the film “Breaking2” (National Geographic, 8 p.m.) making its debut tonight. The returning network comedy “The Good Place” (NBC, 10 [...]

I always thought Jay Leno would be the former “Tonight” show host who would travel the world and send back specials. Instead, it’s been Conan O’Brien, whose latest sends him to the Middle East, where he creates laugh and has at least as good a chance as Jerod Kushner in creating good will in “Conan [...]

With the success of its Emmy-nominated “Genius,” National Geographic moves further into scripted programming with the four-hour, two-night film “The State” (Nat Geo, 9 p.m.). Partnering with England’s Channel 4, Peter Komisnsky, writer of “The Promise” and director of “Wolf Hall” wrote the compelling, well-acted drama about four Brits who decide to join ISIS in [...]

Stephen Colbert hosts The 69th Primetime Emmy Awards (CBS, 8 p.m.). Oddly, “Westworld” and “Saturday Night Live” come into the competition with the most nominations — 22 each and so far they’ve each won five at the Creative Arts Emmys — “Stranger Things” also got five so far. HBO again has the most nominations with [...]

Interest in Sunday’s actual Emmy Awards are stoked by tonight’s presentation of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards (FXX, 8 p.m.) held last week. While a lot of it is technical awards for cinematography, editing costumes, sound editing, makeup, there are also awards for best guest actor in drama and comedy roles. Because it was held [...]

As vital as a genre it’s becoming, the true crime documentary series is also ripe for parody, which it gets today in the Funny or Die-produced send-up “American Vandal” (Netflix, streaming). That it’s about cars that have been spray painted with penises makes it central to Funny or Die humor sensibility (but also recalls Chris [...]