TV best bets: Michael Phelps vs. shark, Raven Symone returns to Disney, Netflix's 'Ozark' debuts

Michael Phelps will race a shark on Discovery next Sunday, July 23, 2017. I presume this will not be happening in a pool. CREDIT: (left) AP, (right) Getty Images

Credit: Rodney Ho

Credit: Rodney Ho

Michael Phelps will race a shark on Discovery next Sunday, July 23, 2017. I presume this will not be happening in a pool. CREDIT: (left) AP, (right) Getty Images

This was posted on Sunday, July 16, 2017 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Sure, you've got serious dramas like "Game of Thrones," "Queen Sugar" and "Twin Peaks" to keep up with.

Or you can watch Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps race a great white shark on Discovery Sunday to launch the annual absurdity called Shark Week. Choices!

On another light note, former Atlantan Raven-Symone is back home on Disney with a spin-off of her original hit show "That's So Raven!" called "Raven's Home." She's now a mom with two kids.

Tyler Perry's Atlanta-based "For Better or Worse" ends its five-season run on Saturday.

And a drama about a money launderer called "Ozark" debuts on Netflix Friday starring Jason Batemen and Laura Linney.

This covers Monday, July 17 through Sunday, July 23, 2017.

MONDAY

"America Ninja Warrior" 8 p.m. NBC — Denver qualifying rounds include Bouncing Spider, Rail Runner and Ninjago Roll.

"The Bachelorette" 8 p.m. ABC — Rachel returns to the U.S. and goes on four hometown dates where she meets the parents of the final four bachelors.

"So You Think You Can Dance" 8 p.m. Fox — The first round of "The Academy" callbacks begins as dancers vie for a spot in the Top 10.

"Love and Hip Hop Atlanta" 8 p.m. VH1 — Is Joseline quitting for real in part two of reunions.

"Preacher" 9 p.m. AMC— After learning about Tulip's secret relationship, Jesse and Tulip's rocky past is revisited, revealing a darker side of Jesse.

"Will" 9 p.m. TNT — Will has an epiphany that could bring him success, yet he needs Alice's help.

"Daytime Divas" 10 p.m. VH1 — When William's mother visits the set of "The Lunch Hour", Maxine is forced to drop a bombshell on air.

"Loaded" 10 p.m. AMC (new series) — Four friends and business partners realize that they're multi-millionaires following the sale of their company and hit cell-phone game.

TUESDAY

"America's Got Talent" 8 p.m. NBC — The judges start trimming.

"Animal Kingdom" 8 p.m. TNT — The guys contemplate how far they'll go to help Smurf eliminate Javi.

"The Challenge" 9 p.m. MTV (30th season debut) — This reality competition show is now far older than MTV's target audience.

"The Haves and the Have Nots" 9 p.m. OWN — Veronica accuses Officer Justin of sexually harassing Jeffery.

"Being Mary Jane10 p.m. BET — Distrustful of Justin after Kara's firing, Mary Jane tries to make it work with Lee, but resisting Justin is undermining her performance in the coveted co-anchor spot of the morning show.

"The Night With My Ex10 p.m. Bravo (new series) — Former couples are brought together for one night in a camera-rigged apartment.

"Shooter10 p.m. USA (second season debut) — Bob Lee Swagger and wife Julie join his former Marine unit in Germany and narrowly escape a deadly terrorist attack.

WEDNESDAY

"Georgia's Hidden Treasures" 8 p.m. WSB  — Shows viewers where they can catch a ride on a vintage train, discover a waterfall hidden in the city, and witness the rebirth of a piece of the state's history.

"Masterchef" 8 p.m. Fox — Cooks head to Beverly Hills and take over the dining-room breakfast service for The Belvedere restaurant at the five-star Peninsula Hotel.

"Salvation" 9 p.m. CBS — Darius and Liam need to invent a theoretically impossible piece of technology to divert the asteroid.

"Suits" 9 p.m. USA — Harvey butts heads with his partners over a bold move.

"Queen Sugar" 10 p.m. OWN — Charley's opening celebration of the Queen Sugar mills suffers a setback.

"I'm Sorry" 10 p.m. TruTV — Andrea's friend, Kyle, is getting weirder with age, so she sets him up with Amelia's preschool teacher.

"Snowfall" 10 p.m. FX — Franklin enlists help to retrieve his stolen property.

"Younger" 10 p.m. TV Land — Liza and Kelsey dive back into the dating pool and quickly discover it's much more complicated than they'd hoped.

THURSDAY

"Boy Band" 8 p.m. ABC — The boys perform classic hits, including "Uptown Girl," "Livin' on a Prayer" and "True Colors."

"Penn & Teller Fool Us" 8 p.m. the CW — Aspiring magicians perform their best trick to try and fool the world-famous team of Penn & Teller.

"Battle of the Network Stars " 9 p.m. ABC — Primetime soaps vs. ABC teens.

"Flip or Flop Atlanta " 9 p.m. HGTV (new series) — Ken and Anita Corsini of Woodstock star.

"Nashville " 9 p.m. CMT — Juliette takes great pains to keep Maddie from learning the truth.

"Alone " 10 p.m. History — With rain pummeling the island, teams scramble to avoid freezing flood waters.

"The Gong Show " 10 p.m. ABC— Rob Riggle, Ken Jeong and Regina Hall judge a fortune-telling mystic who can channel flatulence.

"Zoo " 10 p.m. CBS — Abraham and Dariela reunite with the team as they try and stop the hybrids from taking over New York City.

"The Night Shift " 10 p.m. NBC — Drew faces an emergency on his flight home when passengers become sickened.

FRIDAY

"Ozark3:01 a.m. Netflix (new series)   A Chicago financial advisor (Jason Bateman) has been quietly laundering money for a drug kingpin but must quickly uproot his kids and move the operation to The Ozarks. Shot in metro Atlanta.

"Descendants 28 p.m. ABC, Disney, Lifetime, Freeform    Ben, now king of Auradon, attempts to help Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay further adjust to life in Auradon.

"Kendra on Top9:30 p.m. WE  — Kendra gets revealing news about her role in a Las Vegas play, while Patti makes a surprise visit to see Hank. Unable to regain Hank's trust, Patti is forced to choose between fame and family.

"Wynonna Earp10 p.m. Syfy  — Doc and Wynonna's indiscretions haunt the team and ties that bind them.

"Raven's Home10 p.m. Disney (new series)  — "That's So Raven" spin-off in which single-mom Raven raises 11-year-old twins.

WEEKEND

"Gone: The Forgotten Women of Ohio" 9 p.m. Saturday Spike (new series) — Six cases of missing women in Ohio are investigated by filmaker Joe Berlinger and intelligence analyst Angela Clemente.

"The Jury Speaks" 9 p.m. Saturday Oxygen (new series) — The views of original jury members in famous cases. First up: O.J. Simpson.

"Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse" 10 p.m. Saturday  OWN (series finale) — Benny reveals a secret to Marcus.

"Celebrity Family Feud" 8 p.m. Sunday ABC — Louie Anderson vs. Christina Milian.

"Phelps vs. Shark" 8 p.m. Sunday Discovery — Michael Phelps races against a great white shark.

"Claws" 9 p.m. Sunday TNT — The aftermath of a nail competition finds Desna having hope that she can escape Uncle Daddy's grasp.

"Food Network Star" 9 p.m. Sunday Food — The finalists must try their hand at something big, taking their inspiration from Josh Denny and his hit Food Network show "Ginormous Food." 

"Game of Thrones" 9 p.m. Sunday HBO — Daenerys has a surprise visitor; Jon faces a revolt; Tyrion draws up plans to conquer Westeros.

"Power" 9 p.m. Sunday Starz — With tensions high after Proctor's disqualification, Silver warns Ghost that Tasha may have to testify.

"Twin Peaks" 9 p.m. Sunday Showtime — There's fire where you are going.

"$100,000 Pyramid" 10 p.m. Sunday ABC — Ali Wentworth competes against Kathy Najimy; in the second game, Cobie Smulders squares off against Ryan Eggold.

"Ballers" 10 p.m. Sunday HBO (third season debut) — Spencer looks to score some high-profile clients to pay off his debts.

"I'm Dying Up Here" 10 p.m. Sunday Showtime — Goldie learns she may have misjudged her relationship with Eli.

"The Strain" 10 p.m. Sunday FX — Imprisoned as a subject in a strigoi breeding program, Dutch is desperate to escape and find Setrakian.

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