The MTV Video Music Awards (MTV, BET, VH1, 9 p.m.) stopped being important about the time MTV did. Still, they will try to wring out a little bit of excitement at Madison Square Garden with performances from Britney Spears, Nick Jonas, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj. Rihanna will receive the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. But the real royalty may be Beyonce, up for the most awards.
While the show is shared on a number of Viacom networks, the 2016 MTV VMA Preshow (MTV, 8 p.m.) occurs only on the mother network, preceded by a special VMA edition of “Lip Sync Battle” (MTV, 7 p.m.).
What is “We Day” (ABC, 7 p.m.)? An event that encourages young people to participate. Celebrities such as Charlize Theron, Jennifer Hudson, Selena Gomez, Natalie Portman, Common, Seth Rogen and Orlando Bloom join in the effort.
This week’s milestone is marked by the special “America’s National Parks at 100” (Smithsonian, 8 p.m.).
Sunday Night Football (NBC, 8 p.m.) kicks off with Cincinnati at Jacksonville in preseason action. Earlier, it’s San Diego at Minnesota (Fox, 1 p.m.) and Arizona at Houston (Fox, 4 p.m.).
A third season starts for “The Strain” (FX, 10 p.m.), which has turned into a full-fledged battle series vs. the vampire invasion. Carlton Cuse, who knows a thing or two about series structure, may pull out another season of the Benito el Toro saga.
Jackson Browne finally gets to sing “The Load Out” on the first season finale of Cameron Crowe’s uneven “Roadies” (Showtime, 10 p.m.), in which the U.S. tour for the Staton-House Band comes to end, and changes are made before the European leg.
“Fear the Walking Dead” (AMC, 9 p.m.) resumes its second season with a new episode, followed by the usual analysis in “Talking Dead” (AMC, 10 p.m.).
The stakes are heightened further on “Vice Principals” (HBO, 10:30 p.m.).
Ghost tries to land a big nightclub deal on “Power” (Starz, 9 p.m.).
“Celebrity Family Feud” (ABC, 8 p.m.) has Gus Kenworthy, Sheryl Underwood, David Chokachi and Alan Thicke; “The $100,000 Pyramid” (ABC, 9 p.m.) has Niece Nash, Kavin Pollak, Bridget Moynihan and Rex Lee; and Ellie Kemper, David Alan Grier, Jack McBrayer, Joshua Malina, Sherri Shepherd and Sheryl Crow are on “Match Game” (ABC, 10 p.m.).
Nominations for evictions are planned on “Big Brother” (CBS, 8 p.m.).
Having run out of stuff for Sunday night, and no new Benedict Cumberbatch production to show as of yet, public television trots out an old special “How Shellacked Changed the World” (PBS, 9 p.m.), preceded by “Secrets of Scotland Yard” (PBS, 8 p.m.). Earlier, the misleadingly titled “My Wild Affair” (PBS, 8 p.m.) is between a wild animal, in this case a baby elephant, and the connection with a human.
Six new families compete on a new season of “The Great Food Truck Race” (Food Network, 9 p.m.).
The sequel “Austin Powers in Goldmember” (BBC America, 7 p.m.) precedes the original “Austin Powers” (BBC America, 9 p.m.).
I don’t believe I was previously aware of the feature length “Teen Titans Go!” (Cartoon Network, 7:15 p.m.) in which Mojo Jojo is the villain and the Powderpuff Girls are enlisted to help.
Baseball includes Cubs at Dodgers (TBS, 4 p.m.) and Kansas City at Boston (ESPN, 8 p.m.).
In WNBA action, it’s Seattle at Minnesota (ESPN2, 7 p.m.) and Los Angeles at Phoenix (ESPN2, 9 p.m.).
Final rounds are played in golf’s Barclays (CBS, 2 p.m.).
The Little League World Series (ABC, 3 p.m.) wind up with its championship game between South Korea and the team from Endwell, N.Y. The consolation is on ESPN this morning at 10.
Sunday Talk
ABC: Interim head of the Democratic National Committee Donna Brazile, Gov. Chris Christie. CBS: Brazile, Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, Ben Carson, Rep. Jason Chaffetz. NBC: Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus. CNN: Mike Pence. Fox News: Conway, Gary Johnson.