TV best bets with returns of 'Game of Thrones,' 'The Strain,' 'Suits'

ajc.com

Credit: Rodney Ho

Credit: Rodney Ho

This was posted Monday, July 10, 2017 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Like AMC did with "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men," HBO is stretching a single season of "Game of Thrones" episodes into two seasons. The first seven of 13 will air this Sunday.

I don't follow the show (I know, I know! Blasphemy!) but The Daily Beast has a nice summary of what has happened and what may come to pass.

On the same night, FX's creepy drama "The Strain" opens its fourth and final season. USA's veteran series "Suits" suits up for a seventh season on Wednesday.

Plus, Netflix provides a look at forty-something life in "Friends From College" with several familiar faces including Cobie Smulders ("How I Met Your Mother"), Fred Savage ("The Wonder Years," "The Grinder") and Keegan-Michael Key ("Key & Peele").

And CBS enters the apocalyptic route with "Salvation" Wednesday.

This covers Monday, July 10 through Sunday, July 16, 2017.

MONDAY

"America Ninja Warrior" 8 p.m. NBC — A qualifying round in Cleveland features the Razor's Edge and I Beam Gap obstacles.

"The Bachelorette" 8 p.m. ABC — Rachel and the six remaining bachelors visit Geneva, Switzerland.

"So You Think You Can Dance" 8 p.m. Fox — New York auditions continue, with dancers competing to move on to "The Academy" callback rounds.

"Love and Hip Hop Atlanta" 8 p.m. VH1 — Reunions edition. Will Joseline show up?

"Preacher" 9 p.m. AMC— Jesse pursues a lead and dives deeper into his search for God with Cassidy.

"The Real Housewives of Orange County" 9 p.m. Bravo (12th season debut) — Vicki expands her business and Tamra reunites with a friend.

"Will" 9 p.m. TNT (new series) — Young William Shakespeare (Laurie Davidson) arrives from a small town to the wild streets of 1589 London with little more than his dreams and a treacherous letter.

"Daytime Divas" 10 p.m. VH1 — Kibby reluctantly agrees to throw a party to celebrate one year of sobriety.

TUESDAY

"America's Got Talent" 8 p.m. NBC — The auditions continue because, for many, this is the best part of the show.

"Animal Kingdom" 8 p.m. TNT — Javi puts pressure on Smurf, so she enlists J for help.

"The Haves and the Have Nots" 9 p.m. OWN — Veronica threatens to expose David's dark secrets.

"American Ripper10 p.m. History (new series) — H.H. Holmes' great-great-grandson, Jeff Mudgett, sets out to prove a controversial theory: thatHolmes and Britain's most notorious serial killer, Jack The Ripper, were the same man.

"Essence Festival 201710 p.m. OWN — Highlights from an annual festival.

WEDNESDAY

" The 2017 Espys" 8 p.m. ABC — Peyton Manning hosts.

"Little Big Shots: Forever Young" 8 p.m. NBC — Atlanta's Beverly Watkins will perform.

"Masterchef" 8 p.m. Fox — Cooks take part in a skills test that requires them to prepare racks of lamb with fine artistry.

"The 15 Most Iconic Summer Blockbusters of All Time" 9 p.m. the CW — Among the top 15: "Aliens," "Grease" and "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial."

"Salvation" 9 p.m. CBS (new series) — An MIT grad student discovers an asteroid is set to collide with Earth in just 186 days.

"Suits" 9 p.m. USA (seventh season debut) — Mike returns to Pearson Specter Litt as Harvey takes the reins.

"Queen Sugar" 10 p.m. OWN — Charley's therapist appointment brings to light childhood issues.

"I'm Sorry" 10 p.m. TruTV (new series) — Andrea discovers a secret about another mom at her daughter's school, and everyone wonders why she's calling her doctor's office on a Saturday.

"Snowfall" 10 p.m. FX — Franklin ajdusts to the reality of his niew enterprise.

"Younger" 10 p.m. TV Land — Liza and Kelsey reach breaking point at a work retreat.

THURSDAY

"Boy Band" 8 p.m. ABC — A tribute to the greatest boy bands of all time features the contestants singing number-one songs.

"Penn & Teller Fool Us" 8 p.m. the CW (fourth season debut) — 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 — Actors who played on White House dramas vs. those who play lawyers.

"Growing Up Hip Hop Atlanta " 9 p.m. WE (first season finale) — Bow and his estranged father face off.

"Nashville " 9 p.m. CMT — Juliette continues to be plagued by her injuries.

"Alone " 10 p.m. History — Reunited teams dive into the difficult task of surviving together and feeding two people.

"Akil the Fugitive Hunter " 10 p.m. A&E (new series) — Modern-day superhero Akil encounters a fugitive who has a similar background to him

"The Gong Show " 10 p.m. ABC— Ed Helms, Alison Brie and Will Arnett judge a roller skater who limbos under a flaming bar.

"House Hunters " 10 p.m. HGTV — Atlanta sisters search for a larger place of their own, but struggle with completely different style tastes.

"Zoo " 10 p.m. CBS — Abraham and Dariela consider making a deal with Reiden Global for personal reasons; Jamie and Clementine perform a risky surgery on Mitch.

"The Night Shift " 10 p.m. NBC — A patient from a distant town arrives for surgery

FRIDAY

"Friends From College3:01 a.m. Netflix (new series)   A group of friends from Harvard played by Keegan-Michael Key (Ethan), Cobie Smulders (Lisa), Annie Parisse (Sam), Nat Faxon (Nick), Fred Savage (Max) and Jae Suh Park (Marianne) are facing down their forties.

"Killjoys8 p.m. Syfy   The Killjoys trace the last coordinates of a Black Root ship to a radiation scorched planet, finding an abandoned Hullen training camp, creepy inhabitants and a surprising connection to their past.

"Kendra on Top9:30 p.m. WE  — Kendra is enraged when her manager reveals her mom's secret that Patti met with a publisher behind her back.

"Wynonna Earp10 p.m. Syfy  — Wynonna races against the clock to save Purgatory before the whole town takes a permanent dirt nap.

WEEKEND

"The Christmas Cure" 9 p.m. Saturday Hallmark — An ER doctor returns home for Christmas and learns that her father has decided to retire. (Yes, Christmas movies in July!)

"Orphan Black" 10 p.m. Saturday BBC — Cosima is forced into an alliance when an old enemy returns to the island.

"America in Color" 8 p.m. Sunday Smithsonian — Color footage of America during the 1940s spotlights the decade's most significant moments, including Pearl Harbor and the Manhattan Project.

"Celebrity Family Feud" 8 p.m. Sunday ABC — Neil deGrasse Tyson and his family square off against Rick Fox.

"The Shahs of Sunset" 8 p.mSunday Bravo (sixth season debut) — Asa is thrilled to share the news with her friends that she and her longtime boyfriend are expecting their "miracle" baby.

"Claws" 9 p.m. Sunday TNT — The ladies go to their fancy new salon for the first time, but they aren't met with the kindness of strangers.

"Game of Thrones" 9 p.m. Sunday HBO (seventh season debut) — Jon organizes the defense of the North; Cersei seeks to even the odds; and Daenerys comes home.

"Power" 9 p.m. Sunday Starz — Mak brings back Angela to the prosecution team and assigns her a task that brings her face-to-face with Tasha.

"I'm Dying Up Here" 9 p.m. Sunday Showtime — Nick gets a life-changing booking.

"The Strain" 9 p.m. Sunday FX (fourth season debut) — Night Eternal has set in following the nuclear war and Eph abandons New York for Philadelpha.