— Can football survive? Given frequent scandals among its ranks, greedy team owners, ongoing worries about concussions and fears for the very future of the sport, the NFL could use all of the good ambassadors it can get. "Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel" (11 p.m., HBO, TV-PG) offers a profile of a star player with a surprising avocation.
Many casual fans of the game may know the Baltimore Ravens’ placekicker Justin Tucker for his uncanny accuracy and for his $20 million contract, the most money ever lavished on that position.
Tucker explains that in his downtime and off season, he gigs as an opera singer, performing in seven different languages. He tells correspondent Bernard Goldberg that the discipline required for his opera training helps him concentrate on the football field.
Also up on "Real Sports" tonight: the rise in fatal heat strokes on practice fields, Olympian Ryan Lochte’s hopes for a comeback after turning 35 and golfer Ken Green’s attempts to return to the PGA Tour after losing his leg in an accident.
"Real Sports" has been pushed back an hour by an episode of "Hard Knocks: Training Camp With the Oakland Raiders" (10 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
— Blanca endures a health scare and Pray Tell faces old demons with a new category for the ball competition on the season finale of "Pose" (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA).
I’ve long been struck by the strident nature of this series and its sometimes discordant habit of putting long, heated political harangues in the mouths of characters portrayed by actors of modest abilities.
But these jarring, over-the-top performances are also where "Pose" derives its power. Despite its setting in a demimonde some see as decadent, no show has ever been so passionate about the fate of its characters. There’s a naive optimism at work here that’s often heartbreaking. That’s rare in any art form, not to mention ad-supported television.
— Best known for his assumed personas, from the anarchic Ziggy Stardust to the sleek Thin White Duke, the performer who emerges in the 2019 documentary "David Bowie: Finding Fame" (6:55 p.m., Showcase, TV-14) is an uncertain pastiche of Dylan poses and showbiz hippie schtick, a refreshing, if occasionally embarrassing, reminder that even the coolest characters had to start somewhere.
TV-themed DVDs available today include the first season of FX’s "Mayans M.C."
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— 2019 Little League World Series action (7:30 p.m., ESPN).
— Short on funds, a 90-year-old becomes a drug courier in the 2018 drama "The Mule" (8 p.m., HBO).
— The squad searches for the source of a leak that led to an agent’s murder on "FBI" (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).
— After the heist, the Codys see the world close in on them on the season finale of "Animal Kingdom" (9 p.m., TNT, TV-MA).
— "Big, Small & Deadly" (9 p.m., Animal Planet, TV-PG) profiles a variety of dangerous whales.
— A petty officer perishes on "NCIS: New Orleans" (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).
— The comedy clash round concludes on "Bring the Funny" (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
— A daylong salute to the films of Dorothy McGuire features her turn in the technicolor splendor of the 1959 melodrama "A Summer Place" (8 p.m., TCM, TV-PG), directed by Delmer Daves. Her role here as a miserably married woman who leaves her husband for her lover (Richard Egan) is a departure for McGuire, whose role as Gary Cooper’s wife in "Friendly Persuasion" (12:30 a.m., TV-G) better represents her reputation for playing supportive wives and mothers. She was even cast as the Virgin Mary in 1965 epic "The Greatest Story Ever Told."
SERIES NOTES
An active shooter situation on "NCIS" (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … The audience gets to vote on a live "America’s Got Talent" (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) … Devon receives some shocking answers on "The Resident" (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) … Demi feels conflicted on "Bachelor in Paradise" (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … Hacked and exposed on "Pandora" (8 p.m., CW, TV-14).
Cameras capture "First Responders Live" (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … Legends of the Mothman revisited on "Mysteries Decoded" (9 p.m., CW, TV-PG) … Mike hates his nickname on "Bless This Mess" (10 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG) … When doves cry on "black-ish" (10:30 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG).
LATE NIGHT
"The Daily Show With Trevor Noah" (11 p.m., Comedy Central) puts the spotlight on leading ladies … Marc Maron is scheduled on "Conan" (11 p.m., TBS) … Isla Fisher and Bobby Lee appear on "Lights Out With David Spade" (11:30 p.m., Comedy Central) … Jeff Goldblum and Aisha Tyler are booked on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" (11:35 p.m., CBS, r) … Lily James, Millie Bobby Brown and Little Mix appear on "The Late Late Show With James Corden" (12:35 a.m., CBS, r).
