The Media Tourist

August 23 – August 29

Inside ‘Baywatch,’ ‘Only Murders’ goes to California, and a star-spangled tribute to Toby Keith

Find out the scoop on the beach-y lifeguard franchise “Baywatch.”

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Aug. 23
The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat
The bond of friendship between a trio of best friends is tested by heartbreak and hard times in this movie based on a novel by Edward Kelsey Moore (Hulu).

Lie to Fly
Remember the professional pilot high on psychedelic mushrooms when he allegedly tried to crash a plane mid-flight and kill all 83 passengers? No? This docuseries will remind you, taking you into some not-so-friendly skies!  (10 p.m., FX).

Pachinko
The award-winning international series returns for another season tonight, continuing its tale of love and survival across four generations of a Korean family as they leave their homeland on a quest to survive (Apple TV+).

SATURDAY, Aug. 24
Forever
Taye Diggs and Meagan Good star in this drama about a military vet who returns home to find his marriage over—and falls in love with the female cop who pulls him over for speeding. Ah, the magic of the movies! (Lifetime).

SUNDAY, Aug. 25
Married to Evil
Think you know the person you married? These gripping stories look at the wickedness sometimes lurking behind the wedding vows (10 p.m., ID).

Ol’ Dirty Bastard: A Tale of Two Dirtys
Follows the life of the legendary rapper, a founding member of hip-hop’s Wu-Tang Clan who died of a drug overdose in 2004, with interviews from Mariah Carey, Ghostface Killah, family members, record execs and more (9 p.m., A&E).

No Place Like Nebraska
Come along with the Nebraska Cornhuskers volleyball team in this hour-long documentary as they build on their legacy and eye a national championship title (ESPN).

MONDAY, Aug. 26
The Somerset Murders
Season five of the popular crime drama continues with more dirty deeds in a picturesque Danish coastal town (Acorn TV).

Almost American
Meet a Salvadoran American family whose lives are upended when Temporary Protective Services (TPS) for those from El Salvador and other countries is revoked (8 p.m., PBS).

TUESDAY, Aug. 27
Only Murders in the Building
More murder, more building—and more of Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez in season four of the fun Emmy-winning whodunnit, this time as their podcast enters the production pipeline to become a motion picture in Hollywood! (Hulu)

Counting the Vote: A Firing Line Special with Margaret Hoover
How does voting really work in America? This hour-long special explores ballots, the reliability of voting systems, and why trust has eroding in our election process (9:30 p.m., PBS).

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 28
After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun      
Four-part series begins tonight, exploring the untold stories behind the iconic ‘90s TV show and the indelible mark it made on pop culture. Includes interviewers with creators and cast, a never-aired interview with Pamela Anderson and on-set home videos (Hulu).

Toby Keith: American Icon
The late country superstar, who lost his battle with stomach cancer in February, is celebrated in this all-star concert special by Trace Adkins, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Hardy, Tyler Hubbard, Ashley McBride, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson and others performing his hits, including “How Do You Like Me Now?,” “Who’s Your Daddy” and “American Soldier.” The U.S. Army Band Honor Guard sings a salute, and Keith’s daughter Kristal performs her daddy’s 2018 hit “Don’t Let the Old Man In” (9 p.m., NBC).

THURSDAY, Aug. 29
Gary
Documentary about the late Diff’rent Strokes actor, who died in 2010 at age 42, features interviews with his fellow actors, industry insiders, his ex-wife and his parents (Peacock).

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Season two begins tonight of the Lord of the Rings streaming prequel spinoff, with more Middle Earth drama set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit (Prime Video).

BRING IT HOME

The 2011 action-packed classic Drive, starring Ryan Gosling as a Hollywood stunt driver moonlighting as a wheelman for gangsters, arrives in a new 4K collection, with featurettes and other new content—including a look at the stunts, almost 15 years before Gosling starred in another stunt-centric film, The Fall Guy. (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment).

Dakota Fanning stars in The Watchers (Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment), a scary tale of a young woman stranded alongside three strangers in forest in Ireland…and stalked by a mysterious creature. M. Night Shyalaman’s daughter, Ishana Night Shyamalan, makes her directorial debut, following in her father’s nerve-rattling footsteps.

Set sail with Vikings: Vikings Valhalla: The First Season (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), the fan-favorite series about the epic adventures of Leif Eriksson and his Nordic buds, sailing the seas, clashing with Christians, exploring and marauding.

The cowboy crime thriller Ride (Wellgousa), about a rodeo rider and a heist that goes awry, stars C. Thomas Howell, Anabeth Gish and Jake Allyn. It beat out a bunch of other flicks to get a Western Heritage Award for motion pictures earlier this year.

One of TV’s top, award-winning shows comes to Blu-ray with Succession: The Complete Series (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), with over 20 bonus features and featurettes, including interviews with the cast and crew of the satirical dark comedy-drama starring Brian Cox, Alan Ruck, Jeremy Strong and Sarah Snook.

Aug. 9 – Aug. 15

Matt & Casey on the lam, ‘Game of Thrones’ meets ‘Industy’ and the rise and fall of a TV psychic

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Aug. 9
The Instigators
Matt Damon and Casey Affleck star in this heist comedy (above) as thieves on the run…with their therapist in tow (Apple TV+).

Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Who’s your favorite crime-fighting hard-shelled reptile? Leonardo? Donatello? Raphael? They’re all here in this new animated series, which features a guest voice by Pete Davidson as a lazy rich kid who loves the Turtles so much, he’ll do anything to become one (Paramount+).

The Braxtons
New reality series begins tonight with more exploits of the ladies from Braxton Family Values as they embark on an emotional rollercoaster of love, loss, triumph and healing after the death of a beloved sister (9:30 p.m., We TV).

SATURDAY, Aug. 10
Miss Cleo: Her Rise and Fall
Biopic about the Los Angeles woman who stumbled into a career as TV psychic and later expressed her regret about charging people for “spiritual guidance” by the minute—before dying of colon cancer (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, Aug. 11
Industry
Game of Thrones star Kit Harington joins the cast for season three of the acclaimed drama about high finance in a London pressure cooker of sex and drugs. (HBO).

Gangland Chronicles
Delve into some of the world’s most notorious criminal organizations in this new series about money-making rackets, deadly turf wars, monstrous mobsters, crafty informants and federal shakedowns. From the mafia to motorcycle clubs and prison subcultures, the gangs’ all here! (10 p.m., History)

Hollywood Black
Four-part documentary series explores a century of Black experience in Hollywood with personal stories from actors, writers, directors and producers who recall fighting for their places on the screen and behind the scenes (MGM+)

MONDAY, Aug. 12
Celebrity Antiques Road Trip
Euro celebs hop in classic cars and head off across Great Britain scouting for finds to sell in an auction competition (PBS Living on Prime Video).

Houses of Horror: Secrets of College Greek Life
New investigative series explores the cult-like secrecy, power and control of the Greek system and its lifelong impact on young men and women who participate (9 p.m., A&E).

TUESDAY, Aug. 13
Wiggin’ Out with Tokho Stylez
Come along as the famed hairdresser to the stars creates custom wigs for high-profile celeb clients including Cardi B, Trina Braxton and Ari Fletcher (ALLBLK

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 14
Bad Monkey
Vince Vaughn stars in this ten-episode comedy series as a former cop who makes a grisly discovery that puts him back in the law-and-order game—if he can get past a host of Sunshine State oddballs and one bad monkey (Apple TV+).

Daughters
Poignant documentary follows a group of young girls (above) as they prepare for a momentous daddy-daughter dance with their incarcerated fathers (Netflix).

The Tyrant
Scientists in South Korea work to develop a virus that will put their country on a level playing field with the world’s most powerful nations in this new drama mini-series with an all-Korean cast (Hulu).

Rhythm Masters: A Mickey Hart Experience
The Grateful Dead drummer explores the universal rhythm found in music, sports and life itself (9 p.m., ESPN).

THURSDAY, Aug. 15
Bel Air
Season three begins of the Fresh Prince spinoff starring Jabari Banks as a young Will Smith adjusting to life among Hollywood’s upper crust after arriving from the mean streets of Philly (Peacock).

CMT Giants: Alabama
The supergroup is honored in this musical special by Blake Shelton, Steve Wariner, Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, Old Dominion, Martina McBride, Vince Gill and others (8 p.m., CMT).

NOW HEAR THIS

Get down and dirty in the Rio Grande mud with ZZ Top From the Top: 1971-1976 (Rhino), the splendid new box set of high-end vinyl re-releases of five seminal LPs by the three-piece “little ol’ band from Texas”—ZZ Top’s First Album, Rio Grande Mud, Tres Hombres, Fandango and Tejas. Only 2,000 copies were made of this deluxe collection, so if you’re a fan(dango!), order yours today at Rhino.com. 

BRING IT HOME

The Bikeriders—based on a real-life Midwestern motorcycle club in the 1970s—roars on to Blu-ray with bonus features that includes interviews with the cast (Jodie Comer, Austin Butler and Tom Hardy) and an inside look at the making of the movie. Vrooom! (Read a full film review of Bikeriders here: https://neilsentertainmentpicks.com/2024/06/19/movie-review-the-bikeriders/)

Director George Miller continues his epic of road rage in the post-apocalyptic prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), starring Anya Taylor-Joy as the young woman who would grow up to become the one-armed badass played by Charlize Theron in the previous film, Mad Max: Fury Road.  Come for the wild ride, stay for the extras, especially on the 4K version.

July 26 – Aug. 1

A Bugs Bunny celebration, Michael Keaton fights dementia & Batman’s back…again!

FRIDAY, JULY 26
Antiques Roadshow Recut
Season three features themed half-hour highlight episodes of standout moments of the popular every-object-has-a-story series (10 p.m., PBS).

Knox Goes Away
Michael Keaton directs and stars in this film as a hit man with dementia (below), racing to save his son from a vengeance-fueled mistake before his mind deteriorates (Max).

SATURDAY, JULY 27
Family Movie Marathon
Sit back with the fam and get ready to laugh all through the p.m. hours with this mega movie marathon featuring Paul Blart: Mall Cop, The Addams Family and two Despicable Me’s (begins 12 noon, TBS).

Hare’s to Bugs! A Bugs Bunny Marathon
Celebrate the 84^th birthday of cartoondom’s most famous wascally wabbit with an all-day slate of Bugs’ greatest ‘toon hits, plus commentary from voice actors, animation historians and more (begins 10 a.m., MeTV Toons). 

SUNDAY, JULY 28
Hotel Portofino
Bella (Natasha McElhone) prepares for the arrival of her brother (Lucian Ainsworth) and sister (Constance March) but is thrown off when Cecil (Mark Umbers) shows up requesting a divorce. Season three of the made-in-Croatia period drama, set during the era of the crash of Wall Street in the 1920s, begins tonight (PBS, Masterpiece and Prime Video).

Hustlers Take All
When an underground casino run by women recruits a brilliant young business grad, their biggest rival hatches a murderous plot to stay on top. Carole Davis—you might have seen her in small roles on Hacks, Madam Secretary or Two Broke Girls—stars as Talia (Tubi).  

MONDAY, JULY 29
Futurama
Season 12 begins tonight of the far-out animated sci-fi comedy series, created by The Simpson’s Matt Groening (Hulu).

Signora Volpe
More adventures of the British spy (Emilia Fox, below) with a new quiet life in the Italian countryside…until murder and blackmail pull her back into the world of crime (BBC America).

TUESDAY, JULY 30
Betrayal: A Father’s Secret
New series based on the hit podcast follows a Utah wife and mother of three who makes a horrifying discovery about her husband, causing her to safeguard her family from the man she thought she knew (Hulu).

Under the Radar: Secrets of a Swedish Serial Killer
In this new docuseries, a journalist traces additional crimes though clues he finds in songs by a convicted serial killer (Viaplay).

WEDNESDAY, JULY 31
Women in Blue
Brush up on your Spanish for this crime drama (above) with an entirely Hispanic cast, about four women who defy cultural notions of the time and join Mexico’s first female police force (Apple TV+).

Mountain Queen
Doc about Lhaka Sherpa, a Nepali-born woman who’s climbed Mount Everest ten times, more than any other woman the world. High (very high) five, sista! (Netflix).

THURSDAY, AUG. 1
Batman: Caped Crusader
Yes, yet another adaptation of the tale of the Dark Knight. This new high-pedgree animated version, which drops all 10 episodes in the wee a.m. hours, features voices by Hamish Linklater, Christina Ricci, Minnie Driver and McKenna Grace (Prime).

Influenced
Social media personalities host this new series about content creators with varying spheres of influence in lifestyle, food, home décor, travel, beauty and entertainment (Prime).

BRING IT HOME

The award-winning and fan-favorite hit series Ted Lasso comes to Blu-ray and DVD for the first time, with all episodes from three acclaimed seasons available in a specially packaged box set. Relive all the magic, merriment and comedic mayhem led by the cast of Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham and Juno Temple (Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

I grew up with G.I. Joe, “America’s movable fighting man,” which ultimately became a multimedia franchise with countless action-figure spinoffs, a TV series and movies.  The G.I. Joe Roster (McFarland), by Teresa Bane, gives the ultimate rundown on all the iterations and “characters” in the G.I. Joe-verse, with details on their names, nicknames, missions, weaponry, areas of combat expertise, dates of service and more. It’s the field book for all those Joes who “served” the gung-ho military fantasies of gazillions of kids since the 1960s.

Steve Harvey celebrates, Zendaya’s love triangle & John Cena goes deep…with sharks!

July 5 – July 11

Steve Harvey celebrates a ‘Family Feud’ milestone this week.

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, July 5
The Real Bros of Simi Valley: High School Reunion
A continuation of the comedy mockmentary series The Real Bros of Simi Valley, this one finds the castmates preparing for the milestone of their 10^th high school reunion. Tony Hawk, Zoey Deutch and Rob Riggle are among the new stars (Roku).

Down in the Valley
Buckle up for this wild ride as P-Valley star Nicco Allman goes deep into the deep South in this new docuseries (below) exploring sex workshops, strip clubs and other edgy elements of life below the Mason Dixon—and often, below the waist! (9 p.m., Starz).

SATURDAY, July 6
Amish Affair
An Amish woman (Mackenzie McCall) sets out to prove her innocence after she’s accused of murder (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, July 7
Shark Week
It’s summer, and that means one thing: Another fin-tastic week of shark-related programming hosted by John Cena (Discovery).

Shark Attack 360: Urban Jaws
Follow a shark-bite investigation team as they investigate a shark attack Down Under, fishing for clues across the world that connect the incident in Australia to something even wider…and wilder (9 p.m., National Geographic, Hulu and Disney+).

MONDAY, July 8
BBQ Brawl
Chef Bobby Flay oversees pitmasters from around the country vying for the title “Master of ‘Cue.” Saucy! (9 p.m., Food Network).

The Bachelorette
Join 25 men on their jet-setting journey to find love with Vietnamese beauty Jenn Tran (below) as the 21^st season of the hit reality dating show begins tonight (8 p.m., ABC) .

TUESDAY, July 9
Family Feud: Four Decades of Laughs
The primetime star-studded showdown celebrates its milestone 100^th episode and its 10^th anniversary tonight, with Steve Harvey continuing his reign as host (8 p.m., ABC).

Sasha Reid and the Midnight Order
New series about a group of brilliant young women uniting for the common goal of protecting those law enforcement has ignored (10 p.m., Freeform).

WEDNESDAY, July 10
Sunny
Ten-episode dark-comedy mystery thriller stars Rashida Jones as an American woman in Japan who gets a robot (named Sunny) to fill the void in her life, embarking together on adventure to solve the mystery of the plane crash in which her husband vanished (Apple TV+).

In the Arena: Serena Williams
Eight-part documentary series spotlights the life and legendary career of the tennis superstar (ESPN+).

WEDNESDAY, July 11
The 2024 ESPYS Presented by Capitol One
Ah, remember the good ‘ol days, when advertising sponsors didn’t demand that their brand name be part of the show title? Anyway, tennis legend Serena Williams hosts this annual awards ceremony honoring sports achievements and memorable moments (8 p.m., ABC).

Sausage Party: Foodtopia
New animated series (below) continues the, ahem, adventures of a bunch of randy, raunchy R-rated supermarket items as they build their own society. Voice by Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Michael Cera, Will Forte and others. Hold on to your bratwurst, it’s a crazy ride! (Prime Video).

BRING IT HOME

Put your heebie-jeebies on ice with the latest season of the Max crime-solving series True Detective, this time around starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis as a pair of cops trying to solve a really cold cold-case mystery in the prolonged darkness of an Alaska winter. The DVD comes with bonus features, including a cast Q&A and a discussion of this season’s densely woven indigenous themes (Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment).

And Zendaya stars as a former tennis prodigy with romantic troubles in Challengers (Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment), a sexy love-triangle drama about past and present colliding, and the costs of coming out on top. With The Crown’s Josh O’Connor and Mike Faust.