Dancing with the stars

Before you start “Dancing with the WHO?” high horse, consider rooting for Olympic cult hero Stephen “Pommel Horse Guy” Nedoroscik, the kind of Insta-celebrity this show was made for. Fellow Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher and stars from the NFL (Danny Amendola) and NBA (Dwight Howard) round out the athlete portion of the season 33 cast, which also includes a Bachelor (Joey Graziadei) and a Bachelorette (Jenn Tran), a Real housewife (Phaedra Parks), showbiz veterans (sitcom star Reginald VelJohnson, 90210 graduate Tori Spelling and Oscar nominee Eric Roberts) and a relative newcomer (Chandler Kinney), a glamorous model (Brooks Nader) and a notorious con artist (Anna Delvey aka Anna Sorokin). The voting begins as they compete for the Len Goodman Mirrorball, with couples dancing either tango, cha-cha, salsa, foxtrot or jive. Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough are the hosts, with Julianne’s brother Derek on the judging panel alongside Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.

High potential

Carrie Preston’s Elsbeth is no longer the quirkiest big-city police consultant on TV. She has company in the always welcome Kaitlin Olson (Hacks, it’s always sunny in Philadelphia), in which she shows off her comedic talents and sassy ways as single mom Morgan Gillory, a hot mess with a “high intellectual potential” of 160 IQ. Morgan doesn’t trust authority, nor does she particularly like it, but after this night cleaner shows the LAPD her Sherlock-level analytical skills, the Major Crimes Unit’s lieutenant (Judy Reyes) brings her on board to “discover the things my detectives miss.” Needless to say, her new partner, Det. Adam Karadec (Daniel Sunjata), isn’t thrilled about the arrangement, but fans of offbeat crime dramas might be. (Read the full review.)

American Sports History: Aaron Hernandez

Following the example of Ryan Murphy’s American crime history And feud Anthologies, the first American sports history The limited-run docudrama tells the gritty biography of college football and NFL star Aaron Hernandez (a solid Josh Rivera). The 10-part series, which kicks off with two episodes, chronicles his struggles with drugs, fame, the pressures and setbacks of the game, and his hidden homosexual desires in an arena of toxic masculinity. Broadway’s Tony Yazbeck plays University of Florida coach Urban Meyer, whose tough love is tempered by an arrogant desire to win at all costs, even if that means tolerating the frequent transgressions of his star players. As he watches Aaron accept a major college award, Meyer muses, “He’s going to end up in the Hall of Fame. Or in jail.”

Only murders in the building

The Emmy-winning comedy (this year for music and production design) takes a detour into another bizarre world, that of Charles’ (Steve Martin) murdered stunt double Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch), when our heroes visit a stunt bar aptly named Concussions. What they find is both surprising and oddly familiar. Oliver (Martin Short), meanwhile, is in a “deep, dark pit of despair” at the thought that he might lose Loretta (Meryl Streep) forever.

America’s Got Talent

The season’s top 10 acts get one last chance to impress America in the final round, and you couldn’t ask for more variety. Contenders include a comedian from Zimbabwe (Learnmore Jonasi), a dancing dog act (Roni Sagi & Rhythm), a quick-change artist (Solange Kardinaly), an acrobatic balancing act (Hakuna Matata Acrobats), aerialists (Sebastian and Sonia), two singers (nurse Dee Dee Simon and middle school janitor Richard Goodall), a drone act (Sky Elements) and dance groups from Australia (Brent Street) and Japan (Airfootworks). The winner of season 19 will be announced next Tuesday in a spectacular, star-studded finale.

INSIDE TUESDAY TV:

• Defeat Shazam (8/7c, Fox): The channel’s game show summer comes to an end with a two-hour season finale of the “What’s That Tune” competition, hosted by father-daughter duo Jamie and Corinne Foxx.
• 30 for 30: Stolen Gold (9/8c, ESPN): The sports documentary series delves into a scandal from the 2000 Sydney Paralympics, when the gold medal-winning Spanish basketball team, which included mentally disabled players, was revealed to be a fraud. The film centers on team captain Ramón Torres, one of two players on the team with mental disabilities, who must understand the conspiracy and its devastating consequences.
• Stop the theft (9/8c, HBO): A timely documentary follows the movement to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election, which culminated in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
• Julia Alvarez: A new life (9/8c, PBS): American Masters Teams with Voices for a profile of acclaimed Latin American novelist and poet Julia Alvarez and her life as an exile in New York after leaving the Dominican Republic.

STREAMING:

• Child star (Streaming on Hulu): Demi Lovato co-directs a cautionary documentary that highlights the pitfalls and euphoria of early fame, featuring interviews with Drew Barrymore, Kenan Thompson, Raven-Symoné, Christina Ricci and JoJo Siwa, among others.
• Life from the other side with Tyler Henry (6 p.m. ET, streaming on Netflix): The medium conducts celebrity readings in a weekly live series.
• Nöthin But a Good Time: The uncensored history of 80s hair metal (Streaming on Paramount+): Rock with Bret Michaels and other superstars of the era as they look back on those wild times in a three-part music docuseries.
• The world’s most notorious killers (Streaming on Peacock): A five-part true crime docuseries travels the world, exploring the psyche of notorious killers in Austria, Belgium, Australia, England and Southeast Asia. The final episode includes a new interview with Charles “The Serpent” Sobhraj.
• Munch (Streaming on Viaplay): An innovative film biography of the famous Norwegian painter Edvard Munch divides his life into four chapters, each with a different screenwriter and actor.
• Deon Cole: Okay, sir (Streaming on Netflix): The Comedian (black-like) presents his third comedy special for the streamer, filmed during the “Netflix Is a Joke Fest” in LA.