Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Tuesday, August 6. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
The Office (3 p.m.): It often felt like The Office spent its later years chasing the high of its second season—and every December between 2006 and 2012, it specifically chased the high of the second of this week’s episodes, “Christmas Party.” After a two-week hiatus, the show Yankee Swaps its way back into the Tuesday lineup with a seasonally inappropriate double feature, in which it’s barbecue weather during the first episode and the holiday season the next. Erik Adams invites you to join him as he fires up the grill and throws some chestnuts on it.
REGULAR COVERAGE
Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family, 8 p.m.): Every Monday, we stare in quiet awe of the following day’s preposterous Pretty Little Liars episode synopsis—but ultimately fixate on the most mundane detail. This week, that involves Emily meeting “with a prestigious swimming coach,” and now all we want to do is read Joe Reid’s thoughts on an imaginary live-action adaptation of the funny-pages staple Gil Thorp.
Nine For IX (ESPN, 8 p.m.): Kevin McFarland learns an important lesson in consonant pronunciation thanks to a profile of figure skater Katarina Witt. That’s pronounced “Vitt,” like the “Weber” in “Max Weber” and not the “vessel” in “Chekov said ‘I’ve spotted the vessel.’”
So You Think You Can Dance (Fox, 8 p.m.): Dirty Dancing choreographer/High School Musical director Kenny Ortega serves as guest judge, happy that his go-to credit is no longer just “Dirty Dancing choreographer.” Oliver Sava hopes the show salutes Ortega by re-staging one of the basketball-centric routines from the first High School Musical.
Suits (USA, 10:01 p.m.): Tonight’s episode is called “Conflict Of Interest,” and it’s about a conflict of interest. Carrie Raisler appreciates the show’s candor.
TV CLUB CLASSIC
The Shield (Classic) (11 a.m.): David Mamet wanders into The Barn. David Mamet? David Mamet. Fuckin’ David Mamet. Put. That Brandon Nowalk. Down. Brandon Nowalk’s for closers only.
Six Feet Under (1 p.m.): John Teti invites you to a very special Six Feet Under gallery opening. Wine and cheese will be provided; family drama will be dependent on which members of the Fisher clan show up for the shindig.
WHAT ELSE IS ON
Wild Arabia (Animal Planet, 8 p.m.): A look at the flora and fauna of the Arabian peninsula begins with two hours in the desert—which makes sense, because the Arabian peninsula is 90 percent desert by the show’s estimate, so we’re not quite sure how long the non-desert episodes will run.
The Chase (GSN, 9 p.m.): It’s the early 2000s all over again as the network formerly known as Game Show Network dips back into the “British people yelling at American contestants game,” possibly reigniting the United States’ love affair with Weakest Link sourpuss Anne Robinson.
Hard Knocks (HBO, 10 p.m.): The long-running HBO Sports series heads to training camp with the Cincinnati Bengals, a choice of subject that ensures, at the very least, that people with HBO Go access will remember the proper spelling of “Cincinnati” for a few weeks. Scott Von Doviak learned that spelling long ago, thanks to WKRP In Cincinnati reruns.
The Legend Of Shelby The Swamp Man (History, 10 p.m.): It’s the redneck reality show with the title that sounds like it should belong to either a lesser-known Shel Silverstein book or an unreleased Ray Stevens song. (Probably not enough potential for casual racism to be a Stevens song, actually.)
Rebecca (TCM, 8 p.m.): The first film of Alfred Hitchcock’s Hollywood period won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1941, thus beginning the Academy’s love affair with Hitch’s movies, but not the man himself—this psychological thriller also marked the first of his five Best Director nominations, none of which converted to a win.
Hot Fuzz (BBC America, 9 p.m.): With The World’s End slated for release at the end of the month, now’s a perfect time to catch up with the first two-thirds of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost’s so-called “Cornetto Trilogy.” Fitting for the trio’s obsession with the original Star Wars films, the second Cornetto movie—this buddy-cop spoof—is also the best Cornetto movie.
MLB Baseball: Yankees at White Sox (WGN, 8 p.m.): A couple of hours before this writing, Alex Rodriguez’s involvement in Major League Baseball’s latest doping scandal cost him 211 games—and no matter A-Rod’s protests to the contrary, the fans on the South Side won’t be happy to see him on the field tonight.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Under The Dome: Screeners for tonight’s episode bore a fantastic, minimalist rendering of the series’ famed bifurcated cow, so we can only assume that Scott Von Doviak just spent an hour hanging out with the animal’s reanimated remains—because that would make as much sense as anything else that happens on this show.