Here’s a bit of sports-on-TV history. Before achieving Good Morning America stardom, Robin Roberts was a high-profile sportscaster, and nearly 30 years ago (June 23, 1997), she teamed with renowned UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma to call ESPN‘s first-ever WNBA game. For one night only, Roberts rejoins Auriemma in the broadcaster’s booth to mark the WNBA’s 30th season as they call a game between the New York Liberty and Dallas Wings, with play-by-play commentator Beth Mowins along for the historic occasion. Roberts says it “feels like coming home. … It’s incredible to reflect on how far the league has come and the bright future ahead.”
Shark vs. Giant Croc
Special
Sounds like a Sharknado spinoff, but it’s for real, as Sharkfest heads Down Under to northeastern Australia for its latest wildlife special. The episode follows shark experts Nico Lubitz and Adam Barnett as they check out reports of bull sharks wrangling with saltwater crocodiles along the Daintree River. To find out how these battles play out, they try to attach a camera to the back of a fearsome boss croc. Don’t try this at home. Followed by Shark Island Showdown (10/9c), which explores shark activity among tiger, dusky and Galapagos predators in and around the South Pacific’s remote Norfolk Island.
Dark Side of the Ring
Season Premiere
The pro-wrestling docuseries returns for a seventh season, opening with a three-part deep dive into the history of Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling. The focus, as is often the case with this series, is on the personal, profiling TNA co-founder and WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett, a wrestler and legendary promoter who weathered the sport’s highs and lows to establish TNA as a force to be reckoned with in this ever-expanding business.
Summer Sparks
Movie Premiere
If waiting until Saturday for the next Hallmark romance feels too long, consider checking out this family-friendly romcom starring channel faves Jesse Metcalfe and Kathryn Davis. They star as single parents Adam and Monica, who bring their respective offspring to a summer cooking getaway at rustic Camp Evergreen for a heated cook-off competition. Turns out love is also on the menu as the amateur chefs warm up to each other between challenges.
America’s Got Talent
After last week’s July 4th-themed retrospective, the judges get back to work assessing new variety acts of all kinds in the fifth round of auditions. Among the hopefuls that may or may not advance to the next stage: a faceoff between dueling magicians, a multigenerational tumbling team, and a dance trio making inventive use of lasers. Will any of them earn a Golden Buzzer?
INSIDE TUESDAY TV:
- FIFA World Cup: The Round of 16 concludes on Fox with Argentina vs. Egypt at 12 pm/ET in Atlanta, followed by Switzerland vs. Colombia at 4 pm/ET in Vancouver.
- Breaking the Deadlock (9/8c, PBS): The provocative series returns with a new panel of politically diverse experts led by moderator and law professor Aaron Tang as they debate a hypothetical situation involving the hot-button issues of voting rights and election integrity.
- Password (10/9c, NBC): Let’s Make a Deal host Wayne Brady tries out a different game, going head-to-head with Jimmy Fallon to guess secret passwords.
ON THE STREAM:
- Jeff Arcuri: Nice to Meet You (streaming on Netflix): The comedian works the crowd in a fast-paced comedy special, turning sincere when he talks about using humor to help his wife get through her cancer treatment.
- Das Boot (streaming on MHz Choice): Catch up on the first season of the hit 2018 German series, based on Wolfgang Peterson’s film set aboard a U-boat in WWII. MHz Choice will present the subsequent seasons, never shown in the U.S., starting with Season 2 on Aug. 4.
- Tides of Temptation (streaming on Microhouse Films): Lifetime collaborates with Microhouse Films, a new venture co-founded by Taye Diggs, producing vertical micro-dramas designed for phones and mobile platforms. A companion piece to the upcoming Lifetime drama Terry McMillan Presents: Paradise with You, the micro-series is set on the Caribbean island of Nevis, where local athlete Jamal (SwagBoyQ) falls for Constance (Mea Wilkerson) but has to contend with her overprotective brother and abusive boyfriend.
