One of the great cable success stories, “The Closer” (TNT, 9 p.m.) comes to an end with the short, six-episode summer season that begins tonight.
Kyra Sedgwick’s award winning performance as the transplanted police chief Brenda Leigh Johnson has animated a cop show with more than its share of good character actors (so many that they’ll continue to operate on an upcoming series called “Major Crimes.” But Sedgwick brought a lot to the series and if it’s like the rest of the series, they’ll play her out with style.
Accompanying it is a new series, “Perception” (TNT, 10 p.m.) starring Eric McCormack as a professor who is more than a little eccentric, and is enlisted to help solve crimes. The full extent of his eccentricity is the basis of the pilot, which also features Rachael Leigh Cook and Arjay Smith.
If there’s not already enough quirky crimesolvers on TV, there may be room for McCormack’s “Perception.”
Economic times have been tough all over, but even among the upper middle class. There, the shock of joblessness leads to insecurity, foreclosure and even death. The families featured in Marc Levin’s “Hard Times: Lost on Long Island” (HBO, 9 p.m.) still look wealthy enough to live off the proceeds of their homes, if they could only sell them. In this, the documentary with its biting statistics speaks squarely to its audience: HBO subscribers, who may have to cut their premium cable as a result of economic decline.
Andrew Zimmern’s “Bizarre Foods America” (Travel, 9 p.m.) begins its sixth season with its 100th episode, highlighting the excesses of Las Vegas including $750 cupcakes, sundaes that cost a cool grand and a hamburger that costs $5K. It’s preceded by highlights from the first 99 shows in a special, “Bizarre Foods Celebrates 100” (Travel, 8 p.m.). Zimmern recently visited D.C. to shoot an episode for its seventh season, a report on that is here.
Since his “Do You Think You Can Dance” has been reduced this season to one night a week instead of two, Nigel Lythgoe might be searching for some other way to insert himself into the television landscape. And so comes “Opening Act” ((E!, 11 p.m.), a new reality show where he picks an act to open for a big star just days before the performance. First off is somebody to open for Rod Stewart.
The new season of “Border Wars” (National Geographic, 9 p.m.) begins in Puerto Rico, which is technically inside our own border – it’s a U.S. territory. They do all speak Spanish though, which may qualify it for this show.
It’s the sleaziest night of the season on “The Bachelorette” (ABC, 8 p.m.), where Emily invites her final three suitors to the fantasy suite. Hide this episode from Ricky.
Where once “The Revolution” filled the spot of a canceled soap now comes the awkwardly named “Good Afternoon America” (ABC, 2 pm.), a nine week run anchored by Lara Spencer and Josh Elliott. Their first guests today are Liza Minelli, Sherrod Small and “coupon pro” Judy Pezza. Earlier, Savannah Guthrie officially takes over Ann Curry’s spot on the “Today” (NBC, 7 a.m.) show.
“Glass House” (ABC, 10 p.m.) has actually been turning out some pretty cool episodes, like last week’s, where a vote on elimination turned to a referendum on Prop 8. This will be the last episode before they start getting competition from their rival, “Big Brother.”
“Remodeled” (The CW, 9 p.m.), the series in which the boorish Paul Fisher invades modeling agencies and tries to turn them around in his image, makes an unexpected return.
Bummer: Both “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report” are bumped all week by marathons of some of the other Comedy Central series, including, tonight, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” (Comedy Central, 9 p.m.).
Michelle is still trying to figure out her living arrangement on “Bunheads” (ABC Family, 9 p.m.).
“I Killed my BFF” (Bio, 9 and 10 p.m.) would seem to be a contradiction in terms.
It’s all classic adventure stories on Turner Classic Movies with the 1938 Errol Flynn version of “The Adventures of Robin Hood” (8 p.m.), the 1948 “The Three Musketeers” (10 p.m.), Ava Gardner in the 1953 “Knights of the Round Table” (12:15 a.m.), Elizabeth Taylor in the 1952 “Ivanhoe” (2:15 a.m.) and Stewart Granger as “The Prisoner of Zenda” (4:15 a.m.).
The Tour de France (NBC Sports Network, 8 a.m.) returns to cable after a weekend on broadcast TV. Stage 8 covers Arc-et-Senans to Besancon.
This is always fun: The Home Run Derby (ESPN, 8 p.m.) that precedes Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Kansas City. IT’s followed by something called the “All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game” (ESPN, 10 p.m.) which includes among the participants all manner of reality stars, actors Jon Hamm, Eric Stonestreet and James Denton and some old players, from George Brett to Bo Jackson.
Daytime Talk
Kelly Ripa: Kyra Sedgwick, Eric McCormack, Lawrence Zarian, Seth Meyers. The View: Dr. Mehmet Oz, Terry Wrong, Aaron Paul, Lara Spencer, Josh Elliot. The Talk: Lisa Kudrow, Phil Keoghan, Casey Noble, LeAnn Rimes. Ellen DeGeneres: Minnie Driver, Sarah Hyland (rerun).
Late Talk
David Letterman: Ray Romano, Tom Waits. Jay Leno: Wanda Sykes, Rob Riggle, Kimbra. Jimmy Kimmel: Paul Reubens, Dreama Walker, Marina and the Diamonds. Jimmy Fallon: Howie Mandel, Rose Byrne, Robin Zander. Craig Ferguson: Jason Schwartzman, Rory Scovel (rerun). Tavis Smiley: Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Elijah Wood. Carson Daly: Max Greenfield, Golden Road Brewing, Laura Marling (rerun). Conan O’Brien: Kristin Chenoweth, Liam Hensworth, Moshe Kasher (rerun).