TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
Every Tuesday night this month, TCM presents movies starring Sidney Poitier, whio was such a force and presence, especially during the 1950s and 1960s, that any sampling of his movies from that era is worth watching as an all-evening event. Today’s schedule, for example, features five films from a five-year span, at the start of the Sixties, and all deserve your time and attention. At 8 p.m. ET, the Poitier salute begins with 1961’s A Raisin in the Sun. Following that film: 1965’s The Slender Thread (at 10:15 p.m. ET) and the same year’s A Patch of Blue (midnight ET), then a change-of-pace comedy, 1963’s delightful Lilies of the Field (pictured, 2 a.m. ET), and culminating at 3:45 a.m. ET with a war movie, 1960’s All the Young Men. I just rewatched Lilies of the Field recently, in which Poitier played a handyman of sorts helping some German nuns realize their dream of building a local parish chapel, and wow, what a playful (and musical!) performance from Poitier.
Showtime, 9:00 p.m. ET
The actual season premiere of this series was last week’s preview episode, setting up the season, but I consider tonight’s assembled-on-deadline program the actual season premiere of Inside the NFL, when the studio team works its way through the week’s issues, the biggest games, and, as always, the unsurpassed footage from the NFL Films crews. And no, I’m not expecting a lot of highlights footage of the Miami Dolphins. Not this week. And realistically, not this year. Sigh.
AT&T Audience Network, 10:00 p.m. ET
SEASON PFREMIERE: With David E. Kelley and Stephen King both still involved as executive producers, Mr. Mercedes moves forward tonight with its Season 3 premiere. It’s based on Finders Keepers, the second book in the Bill Hodges trilogy by Stephen King – and this season has Hodges (Brendan Gleeson, the most angst-filled TV detective this side of Luther) and Holly (Justine Lupe) operating their own detective agency, called, cleverly, Finders Keepers. This season’s prominent guest stars include Bruce Dern, fresh off Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood, and Holland Taylor.