ESPN, 7:00 p.m. ET
Parts 3 and 4. ESPN continues its repeat run of this outstanding documentary miniseries about the career, celebrity, and murder trial of O.J. Simpson. If you watched episodes 2 and 3 yesterday, remember that Part 4 begins at 9 p.m. ET – unless you just want to see the other hours again, which is entirely possible. They’re that good.
TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
Marilyn Monroe gets most of the attention, and deserves it, for her role in this 1959 comedy, directed by Billy Wilder. It’s about two musicians (Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis) who witness a gangland murder, then hide out by dressing in drag and going on tour with a women’s traveling band. (Monroe is the featured singer.) Recently on TCM, Curtis did a short feature in which he saluted Cary Grant as his childhood idol and inspiration for becoming an actor. When it came time to star in Some Like It Hot, Curtis found himself playing three roles: the musician on the run, his female alter ego, and another alter ego, pretending to be a suave millionaire. And for that latter role, Curtis asked to, and was allowed to, adopt the recognizable accent and demeanor of Cary Grant. That may sound like a full-circle kind of show-biz story, but the real full circle came two films later that same year of 1959, when Curtis was cast as co-star of Operation Petticoat – opposite Cary Grant.
MeTV, 8:30 p.m. ET
In one of my recent YouTube recommendations, I talked about the value of TV “comfort food” – and The Andy Griffith Show is a perfect example. And binge-watching isn’t necessary: You don’t need to relocate to Mayberry, just drop in and visit from time to time. And tonight’s 8:30 p.m. ET episode on MeTV is a good time to visit: The 1960 episode, “Bailey’s Bad Boy,” stars Bill Bixby as a wealthy out-of-town teenager jailed by Sheriff Andy after a hit-and-run on the streets of Mayberry. Bixby was 26 years old at the time, and only nine years from starring as a single parent in TV’s The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, but go with it.
IFC, 10:00 p.m. ET
Set in the year 2030, this final season of Brockmire allows Hank Azaria to go from playing a cranky old man to an even crankier older man – and it works. And in tonight’s second episode, he reunites with a former colleague – or tries to, even though the former colleague, while smiling politely, is less than thrilled by the prospect.