ESPN, 9:00 a.m. ET
In yesterday’s women’s final, poor Sabine Lisinki, after playing so brilliantly, and with such heart, to reach the finals, had little left in the tank, and lost in straight sets to Marion Bartoli, coming alive only in the last few games. What that may mean for today’s men’s final is uncertain. Novak Djokovic (pictured), ranked No. 1, may be drained a bit after playing the longest men’s semifinal in Wimbledon history, and prevailing over Juan Martin del Potro in a thrilling match. Murray, trying to be the first Brit male tennis player to win Wimbledon in three-fourths of a century, will have the crowd almost completely on his side – but so did Lisinki. Either way, a final to make a point to watch. ABC repeats the match at 3 p.m. ET – but if you aren’t enjoying “breakfast at Wimbledon” by watching live, what’s the point?
TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
TCM already had scheduled an Essentials, Jr. night devoted to “Down to Size” before the recent death of writer Richard Matheson, whose imagination spawned an astounding list of beloved movies and TV shows. (For my list of his TV greats, see Bianculli’s Blog.) Even so, the night begins with his seminal contribution to the “shrunken drama” genre: 1957’s The Incredible Shrinking Man, starring Grant Williams as a man who finds himself getting smaller and smaller, and facing danger and death from formerly benign objects and pets. Williams’ fine performance in this movie proves the adage that there are no small parts, only small actors.
Showtime, 9:00 p.m. ET
Last week’s Season 8 premiere ended with a stunner – with a visiting police psychologist, played by Charlotte Rampling, casually mentioning to Michael C. Hall’s Dexter that she knows about “Harry’s code” – the rules by which Dexter’s father taught and allowed him to kill. How is that possible? In tonight’s episode, we find out, and the answer makes Rampling’s character even more mysterious and unpredictable.
HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET
SEASON FINALE: In California, Tom (Chris O’Dowd) continues to uncover more, increasingly unsettling information about his ancestors. And while he’s finding loved ones, Bea (Nina Conti) is losing them – at least one, when her beloved Monkey hand puppet vanishes around Venice Beach.
Showtime, 10:00 p.m. ET
In this second episode, Liev Schreiber, as Ray, has to contend with his ex-con father, just released from prison, who embarks on a determined campaign to undermine his son’s wishes by getting closer to Ray’s wife and children. It leads to one of the most friction-filled father-son dynamics on TV in years, and one definitely worth watching – especially with Jon Voight doing such great work as Ray’s loose-cannon dad.