NBC Olympics coverage will begin on Friday with the opening ceremony, and the Jonas Brothers try their hand at Olympic-level athleticism.
Between network, cable and streaming, the modern television landscape is a vast one. Here are some of the shows, specials and movies coming to TV this week, July 19-25. Details and times are subject to change.
Monday
GAMES OF THE XXI OLYMPIAD (1977) 8 p.m. on TCM. In honor of the beginning of the Tokyo Olympic Games this week, Turner Classic Movies is airing Olympics-related content including “Games of the XXI Olympiad,” a documentary that covers the 1976 Summer Olympics, which were held in Montreal. The city was left in debt after the estimated cost of the Games went from $310 million to $1.03 billion. Notable moments from this Olympics were Caitlyn Jenner’s record-breaking gold medal win in the decathlon, and Nadia Comăneci, just 14 years old at the time, earning the first perfect 10 awarded to a gymnast in the Olympics. Also on Monday, TCM will be airing THE GAMES OF THE V OLYMPIAD STOCKHOLM, 1912 (2016) at 5 a.m., XIVTH OLYMPIAD: THE GLORY OF SPORT (1948) at 10:15 a.m. and TOKYO OLYMPIAD (1965) at 3 p.m.
Tuesday
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: POPE FRANCIS 8 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). Pope Francis will be featured in the second season premiere of PBS’s series “In Their Own Words.” He is considered progressive for his stance on L.G.B.T.Q. rights (he famously said, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”), vaccines and the role of women in the church.
REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955) 8 p.m. on TCM. On Tuesday night, TCM will be airing “Rebel Without a Cause,” directed by Nicholas Ray and starring James Dean and Natalie Wood. As Bosley Crowther described it in his 1955 New York Times review, the film is about “young people neglected by their parents or given no understanding and moral support by fathers and mothers who are themselves unable to achieve balance and security in their homes.”
Wednesday
OLYMPIC DREAMS FEATURING JONAS BROTHERS 8 p.m. on NBC. In keeping with this week’s Olympics-related programming, NBC will be airing a special on Wednesday night featuring the Jonas Brothers. In it, the brothers — Kevin, Joe and Nick — will be put to the test as they get a taste of different Olympic sports, while being trained by Team U.S.A. Olympians. Tune in for Olympic-level athleticism, sibling rivalry, and lots of trips and falls.
Thursday
GOOD GIRLS 10 p.m. on NBC. This comedy-drama will tie up its four-season run, and its loose ends, in a two-hour series finale. The show follows three mothers, played by Christina Hendricks, Mae Whitman and Retta, who are all working together to make ends meet. The show was expected to be picked up for a shortened, final fifth season, so it was a surprise to many when the show was canceled. There is good news if you are sad to see “Good Girls” go — the creator, Jenna Bans, will be working with NBC on a new thriller-dramedy with strong female leads called “Redrum.”
Friday
WOODSTOCK 99: PEACE, LOVE, AND RAGE 9 p.m. on HBO. Though they share the same name, the Woodstock festival that took place in 1969 and the Woodstock festival that took place in 1999 have completely different legacies. The new HBO documentary, directed by Garret Price, takes a deep dive into the chaos and violence that ensued at the 1999 festival after a car was set on fire as the Red Hot Chili Peppers finished their set. The documentary takes viewers through the hours that followed as the situation escalated.
OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY 7 a.m. on NBC. Finally, after a long week of Olympics-related programming and after an even longer year of Olympic postponement, the opening ceremony will be broadcast live from Tokyo at 8 p.m. local time, which is 7 a.m. E.S.T. If you don’t feel like getting up that early, it will be rebroadcast Friday night at 7:30 p.m. Though spectators will not be allowed in the stands in compliance with Tokyo’s Covid-19 safety protocols, The Asahi Shimbun reported that there will be members of the International Olympic Committee, diplomats and foreign dignitaries in the stands. Though it is unclear if the traditional parade of nations, which features athletes from each competing nation walking through the opening ceremony, will take place. The torch relay has been underway since March 25 but will be replaced in Tokyo by private ceremonies.
Saturday
CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG (1968) 8 p.m. on TCM. If you are looking to enjoy something fantastical this weekend, consider “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” The film, directed by Ken Hughes and starring Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes, features a flying car, pirates and a town where children are banned. Though the film was marketed as a children’s musical, “the jokes and puns are fairly distributed among age levels,” the Times critic Renata Adler wrote. “There are some subtle, intelligent concessions to a child’s view of the absolute, unappealable arbitrariness of adult power,” she added.
Sunday
SECRETS OF ROYAL TRAVEL 8 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). For a healthy dose of escapism, this two-part series from PBS — the first installment debuts on Sunday — explores the trains and planes that belong to the British monarchy. This series offers a rare look into how Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of the British monarchy travel in perhaps the most luxurious ways imaginable.
Source: Television - nytimes.com
