NBC, 8:00 p.m. ET
The popularity of The Voice means that even as the singing competition gets narrower, the shows themselves tend to get fatter. Tonight’s semifinal competition has been expanded by NBC to two hours – leaving room for, among other things, judge Usher to perform his newest single, “Twisted.”
HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET
If you know the Soviet performance protest artists Pussy Riot only as a late-night punch line, or a musical act endorsed by Madonna, this 90-minute documentary will be very, very educational. Without narration, but with lots of behind-the-scenes and news footage, it shows the genesis of Pussy Riot as an all-female, anti-Vladimir Putin “feminist punk group,” dedicated to shaking things up and protesting the Soviet intermingling of church and state. The Pussy Riot story isn’t simple, or predictable – two of the three young women arrested and imprisoned in 2012, for attempting to perform a song at the altar of a Russian Orthodox Church, have young children. And one, Nadia, has a history of provocative social protest that includes being part of a group that had public sex at a biology museum, and another protest movement that involved videotaping her, and other activists, “Kissing a Cop,” surprising uniformed officers, male and female, to make some point about something. But even if some of their actions are unclear, this documentary explains other Pussy Riot motivations perfectly, such as why they wear brightly colored masks, and why and how they protested their own arrests and trial.
NBA TV, 9:00 p.m. ET
The NBA TV network presents this new documentary about Julius Erving, which means a largely positive slant and an avoidance of unflattering detours. But it also means an abundance of exciting footage, in this case including when Erving first drew attention as a high-schooler playing at New York’s Rucker Park. That was long before he became a legend as “Dr. J,” winning a title and performing amazing acrobatic feats for the Philadelphia 76ers – but even then, he had earned his doctoral status – as evidenced by the crowd that gathered, even then, to watch him play basketball.
TNT, 9:00 p.m. ET
SEASON PREMIERE: For its second season, this Closer spinoff introduces a new character, supposedly a source of new tension for Mary McDonnell’s Captain Raydor: a deputy district attorney played by Nadine Velazquez (left), minus the exaggerated accent she employed on My Name Is Earl. But without Kyra Sedgwick, this group has lost much of its flair, with only G.W. Bailey’s Provenza being as much fun to watch as before.
Comedy Central, 11:00 p.m. ET
Beginning today, and continuing until September, this series is swapping one Jon for another. While host Jon Stewart takes the summer off to direct his first movie, “senior British correspondent” John Oliver takes over as guest host. I expect he’ll do fine: Oliver is the funniest member of Stewart’s current team. And he starts with a strong guest: Seth Rogen.