TNT, 11:00 a.m. ET
After three days of play, the leader at the PGA Championship is Jason Day, with a three-round total of 15-under par. Jordan Spieth, who has won two majors already this year and barely missed winning a third, is in second place two strokes back, at 13-under. That alone will make today’s final an exciting prospect. But there are plenty of other talented golfers within striking distance, including Justin Rose and Branden Grace at 12-under. TNT begins coverage at 11 a.m. ET, and CBS takes over at 2 p.m. ET for the big finish.
NBC, 8:00 p.m. ET
Prime-time musical concert specials aren’t what they used to be – because if they were, they’d generate bigger ratings, and wouldn’t be relegated to the dog days of August. But here’s one – an imported concert from England, where Ed Sheeran drew massive enough audiences in July to fill Wembley Stadium three sold-out nights running. On opening night, his special surprise guest was Elton John, who joined him on “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.” This occurred some 40 years after Elton John himself pulled out the same sort of surprise guest stunt, bringing on John Lennon as an unannounced guest to perform three songs on Nov. 28, 1974 – the last time Lennon would perform in public.
HBO, 8:00 p.m. ET
MINISERIES PREMIERE: Parts 1 and 2 of 6. Oscar Isaac stars as a Yonkers politician in this fact-based story from David Simon and his collaborators, who include director Paul Haggis. It’s a detailed examination of what went wrong, and right, when a judge ordered the politicians of Yonkers, NY to enforce a federal ruling about the integrated placement of low-income housing. It’s a story, in this telling, that demands, yet rewards, close attention. For my full review, see
Bianculli’s Blog, or read and hear my review
at NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross website.
AMC, 9:00 p.m. ET
SEASON FINALE: I feel like this series, wonderful as it is, is just getting started – and here it is, presenting its final show of the season. In it, the Hawkins family defies a police search and tries to hide and protect the fugitive “synths” – while the synths, and some of the humans, struggle to stay alive. (And what happened in last week’s episode, in that regard, was particularly touching.)
Showtime, 10:00 p.m. ET
Now that Masters and Johnson are becoming household names, things are getting really interesting. They’re becoming hotel names as well, and their sudden celebrity status doesn’t exactly help them get away in private. Also tonight, a famous couple checks in to the Masters and Johnson “laboratory,” which is looking more and more like a hotel room – for good reasons. And they’re not the only other couple getting closer this week…
HBO, 10:30 p.m. ET
Tonight’s installment is episode nine, and is titled “Just a Little Crazy Talk.” In this half-hour, though, there’s lots of crazy talk – and, even for a show that concerns the military, a lot of guns.