ABC, 12:00 p.m. ET
ABC and ESPN divide today’s World Cup games, with the last and biggest of them (for stateside viewers, anyway) earmarked for cable. Meanwhile, on ABC, all four Group H teams are in play, and playing one another. At noon ET, it’s Belgium (shown here, the only Group H team with a win) vs. Russia, followed at 3 p.m. ET by Korea Republic vs. Algeria. Algeria is at the very bottom of this group, and Russia and Korea Republic occupying the middle – and hoping to climb out with a victory.
ESPN, 6:00 p.m. ET
This, though, is the big one today: Group G’s United States vs. Portugal. The U.S. surprised just about everyone, maybe even themselves, by beating Ghana in its first game, and now shares the Group G lead with Germany, which has much more secure footing at the top because, in its initial game, it trounced Portugal and emerged with a plus-four goal differential, a key factor in tiebreakers. (The U.S., after its first game, has a goal differential of plus-one.) So Portugal, which didn’t even expect to lose, much less be internationally embarrassed, against Germany, will be hitting the pitch today with a vengeance, and with a lot to prove. But the U.S. needs to hang on with at least a draw if it hopes to advance to the next stage, because its final Group round game, next week, is against top-ranked Germany. ESPN coverage begins 30 minutes before the game begins.
TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
This is the 1956 American version of the 1954 Japanese monster movie Gojira – released by the same Japanese studio for the American market, with many of its best scenes cut, and with many scenes added featuring an American actor, Raymond Burr, as a reporter, whose inserted scenes made it an “acceptable” story line for U.S. moviegoers. It’s interesting to watch, but only in the context of realizing how much better the original movie is – a movie that, by the way, is now available in a special golden-anniversary restored edition. One odd factoid about America’s Godzilla? The character played by Burr is named… Steve Martin.
HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET
SEASON PREMIERE: This is the final season for True Blood, and it begins with an instant bloodbath that redefines the rules, and the various allegiances, for the remaining episodes. The early hours are mostly setup for what’s to come – but they do serve as reminders of how enjoyable many of these characters, and performers, are. Anna Paquin stars.
HBO, 11:00 p.m. ET
John Oliver showed up this week for a sparkling, smart, very funny interview on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross. She likes his show for the same reasons I do – its extended single-subject focus on its lead feature, and Oliver’s defiant outsider way of looking at… almost everything. See his newest installment tonight, and see if you agree.