By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Sunday, June 14, 2015
HBO found a way to bring A list film actors onto TV by committing them to just one season at a time. This season of "True Detective" Sunday features Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn and Rachel McAdams. (Reviews? Mixed, after kudos for season one)
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson follows with his own TV series "Ballers." (Now there's a man who keeps a busy schedule!)
TNT brings back its most ambitious show "The Last Ship" for a second season Sunday against "True Detective." And it brings back its most popular show "Rizzoli & Isles" Wednesday followed by a new series starring two 80s icons in Jennifer Beals and Matthew Modine about life and death.
And we can't got a week without something out of Atlanta. This time, it's USA's "Complications" starring Jason O'Mara as an ER doctor who gets caught up in some crazy Atlanta gang warfare. Check that out Thursday.
This covers Monday, June 15 through Sunday, June 21, 2015.
MONDAY
"American Ninja Warrior" 8 p.m. NBC — A qualifying round in Orlando features such obstacles as the Paddle Boards and Tire Swing.
"The Bachelorette " 8 p.m. ABC — Producers bring back last year's villain Nick Viall to torture Kaitlyn.
"So You Think You Can Dance " 8 p.m. Fox — The third round of auditions features dancers in Los Angeles.
" Devious Maids " 9 p.m. Lifetime — Zoila and Javier prepare to get married.
" Major Crimes" 9 p.m. TNT — A dead body pops out of a trunk at the end of a car chase.
"Texas Rising " 9 p.m. History (miniseries finale) — The Texas Rangers revel in victory.
"Unreal " 10 p.m. Lifetime — Rachel is forced to ask her mother for financial support.
"Murder in the First " 10 p.m. TNT — A manhunt for a missing shooter proves to be more difficult than anticipated.
"Odd Mom Out " 10 p.m. Bravo — Stress increases for Jill over interviews with kindergartens for her twins.
"Making the Mob " 10 p.m. AMC (new series) — Charles "Lucky" Luciano arrives in New York City, teaming with Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel, in the opener of this docudrama chronicling the roots of organized crime in America.
TUESDAY
"America's Got Talent" 8 p.m. ABC — Focus on extreme acts.
" Deadliest Catch " 9 p.m. Discovery — Johnathan Hillstrand deals with a troublesome deckhand aboard the Time Bandit.
" Chrisley Knows Best " 9 p.m. USA — Todd puts Savannah on a budget to help her prepare for the real world.
" Rizzoli & Isles " 9 p.m. TNT (sixth season debut) — An unarmed man is shot on a Boston subway platform.
" The Real Houseswives of New York " 9 p.m. Bravo —Bethenny invites the women to decorate cupcakes.
" Clipped " 10 p.m. TBS (new series) — A workplace comedy centered on workers at a Massachusetts barbershop.
"Royal Pains " 10 p.m. USA — An actor wants to shadow Hank in order to prepare for a role.
"Proof " 10 p.m. TNT (new series) — A terminally ill billionaire (Matthew Modine) hires Dr. Carolyn Tyler (Jennifer Beals) to investigate cases of life after death.
WEDNESDAY
"Masterchef " 8 p.m. Fox —The cooks go to Las Vegas, where they split into two groups and take over a nightclub to prepare a meal for 101 performers.
"Duck Dynasty " 9 p.m. A&E — The Robertsons of the reality series "Duck Dynasty" prepare to tell their family's rags-to-riches tale in the Broadway-style production "Duck Commander: The Musical."
"C elebrity Wife Swap " 10 p.m. ABC — "Love Boat" alums Charo and Jill Whelan swap places.
"Deutschland 83" 11 p.m. Sundance (new series) — Spy drama set in the 1980s begins with a 24-year-old East German native going undercover in West Germany, where he enlists in their army to glean secrets concerning NATO military strategy.
THURSDAY
"The Astronaut Wive's Club" 8 p.m. ABC (new series) — This adaptation of Lily Koppel's novel tells the story of seven women whom, in the opener, are transformed and forever bonded when their husbands are chosen to be the first Americans in space.
"Inside the Actor's Studio" 8 p.m. Bravo — Jim Parsons of "The Big Bang Theory" gets the love.
"Aquarius" 9 p.m. NBC — Hodiak's investigation of a black woman's murder is impeded by the Black Panthers.
"Complications" 9 p.m. USA (new series) — Disillusioned ER doctor Ellison saves the life of a young boy when he intervenes in a drive-by shooting in this Atlanta-based drama.
"The Seventies" 9 p.m. CNN — A look at the fall of Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal.
"Mistresses " 9 p.m. ABC (third season debut) — Karen delivers some bad news to Joss.
"The Comedians " 10 p.m. FX — A sketch gets thrown out at the last minute, so the crew have to work on the Fourth of July.
"Alone " 10 p.m. History (new series) — Ten adventurers (including Alan Kay from Blairsville) attempt to survive the wilderness of Vancouver Island with whatever they've been able to place into a backpack.
"Hannibal " 10 p.m. NBC — Will gains a potential ally in his continuing hunt for Hannibal when he makes his way to Hannibal's childhood home in Lithuania.
FRIDAY
"Defiance" 8 p.m. Syfy — Amanda negotiates with the Omec, a new alien race, for the future of Defiance.
"Briefcase" 8 p.m. CBS (new time slot) — Two families who have very different views and lifestyles face the decision of planning for their own future or sharing the money they have been offered.
"Killjoys" 9 p.m. Syfy (new series) — Warrants are served by a fun-loving, hard-living trio of interplanetary bounty hunters.
"Dark Matter" 10 p.m. Syfy — The crew come to terms with revelations about their respective pasts.
"Preach" 10 p.m. Lifetime — Some Christians online are trying to get this show cancelled because they feel the female preachers show too much buffoonish behavior.
WEEKEND
"Cops" 8 p.m. Saturday Spike (28th season debut) — Crime never ends and neither does "Cops."
"Power" 9 p.m. Saturday Starz — Ghost brings Angela to Miami, where they indulge in the fantasy of being a couple.
"Orphan Black" 9 p.m. Saturday BBC (third season finale) — Castor and Topside force Sarah to make uneasy alliances.
"Celebrity Family Feud" 8 p.m. ABC (new series) — Anthony Anderson vs. Toni Braxton, then Curtis Stone vs. Monica Potter.
"A.D.: The Bible Continues" 9 p.m. Sunday NBC (first season finale) — James confronts Caiaphas to win concessions for the disciples.
"Battlebots" 9 p.m. ABC (new series)— Fights between remote-controlled robots, though the new version eliminates weight classes and includes profiles of the builders.
"The Last Ship" 9 p.m. TNT (second season debut) — The fractured team joins an underground resistance.
"True Detective" 9 p.m. HBO (second season debut) — The murder of a corrupt California politician with possible ties to a career criminal in a season starring Vince Vaughn and Colin Farrell.
"Food Network Star" 9 p.m. Food Network — The contestants create and photograph trendy "tiny" foods.
"Ballers" 10 p.m. Sunday HBO (new series) — This comedy-drama about the complicated lives of current and former NFL players stars The Rock.
"Penny Dreadful" 10 p.m. Sunday Showtime— Sir Malcolm goes to confront Evelyn.
"The Brink" 10:30 p.m. Sunday HBO (new series) — A black comedy about a military coup in Pakistan.
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