HBO and David Simon want to Show [You] A Hero

Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Sunday, August 16th. All times are Eastern.

Top pick

Show Me A Hero (HBO, 8 p.m.): The Wire’s David Simon is back with HBO for a new miniseries about low-income housing crises and, as is inevitable with a Simon joint, a greater condemnation of society at large. The cast is stacked: Oscar Isaac, Catherine Keener, Alfred Molina, and Winona freakin’ Ryder are only the tip of the iceberg. Joshua Alston watched all six episodes and gave it a solid A, saying “it’s not only [Simon’s] most concise and accessible work yet, it’s also the most timely—a neat trick for a period piece set in 1987.” The rest of us will just have to watch along weekly with Genevieve Valentine, or run the risk of getting cornered at a dinner party in five years by a bespectacled dude who won’t stop saying, “you have to watch Show Me A Hero, what are you doing with your LIFE.”

Also noted

Humans (AMC, 9 p.m.): The first season comes to a close with a mass synth kidnapping. Brandon Nowalk doesn’t know why you’re looking at him like that, he just cuts out magazine letters for fun sometimes, geez, relax.

Masters Of Sex (Showtime, 10 p.m.): John Teti officially taps in for weekly coverage of the show as a celebrity couple asks for help with their sex lives.

Regular coverage

Ballers (HBO, 10 p.m.)
The Brink (HBO, 10:30 p.m.)
Rick And Morty (Adult Swim, 11:30 p.m.)

Classic coverage

The Simpsons (3 p.m.)

Tomorrow in TV Club

The TV section is taking over Watch This for the week, and this one’s close to our hearts, because every day is gonna be TGIF day.

What else is on?

Teen Choice Awards 2015 (Fox, 8 p.m.): Teens are magic and/or the worst depending on who you talk to, but Golden Globe Winner Gina “I Can And I Did” Rodriguez is delightful according to approximately everyone. So if you were ever going to tune into the Teen Choice Awards, the one she’s hosting (with Josh Peck) is probably the one.

Ed Sheeran: Live At Wembley Stadium (NBC, 8 p.m.): Meanwhile.

Falling Skies (TNT, 10 p.m.): is still on television, and this one is directed by Noah Wyle! Neat!

Next Food Network Star (Food Network, 9 p.m.): “And We Have a Winner!” is pretty self-explanatory, so there you go.

Bar Rescue (Spike, 9 p.m.): “Too Many Managers, Not Enough Man.” Jon Taffer, everyone!

Up (ABC Family, 6:30 p.m.): When we first saw this movie, we missed the first fifteen minutes and couldn’t understand why the hell everyone was sobbing. We have since fixed that mistake and will not be tuning in to this for fear of losing our minds, but you should know it’s on in case you need a quick shot of emotional devastation to wrap up your weekend.

In case you missed it

Wet Hot American Summer: First Day Of Camp: You might’ve knocked First Day Of Camp out in a day, but poor Joshua Alston had to take ’em one at a time. So let’s all reward his sacrifice by reading his A review of the final episode, “Day Is Done.”