The wrestler fixation of pop culture continues. Not only does Dwayne Johnson star in hit movies, host “The Titan Games” (8 p.m. Sunday, NBC, r, TV-PG) and have an HBO comedy under his belt, he’s now part of a group of investors that just purchased the XFL. It’s like an episode of “Ballers” coming true.
Fellow wrestler John Cena follows close behind. He now hosts “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” on Nickelodeon and “appears” in the adult cartoon comedy “Dallas & Robo” (midnight Saturday, Syfy, TV-MA). The eight-episode series originated on YouTube Premium and can also be streamed on Syfy on Demand.
Cena voices Robo, a cowboy hat-wearing robot who teams up with an intergalactic space truck driver named Dallas (Kat Dennings) as they scrounge for freelance assignments in the crustier corners of the universe. Dennings is best known for her co-starring role in the CBS comedy “Two Broke Girls” and appearances in two films in the “Thor” franchise.
Cartoons at midnight are nothing new; Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim bloc debuts “YOLO Crystal Fantasy” (midnight Sunday, TV-14), a new pop-culture satire from Australia.
Mike Tyson has come a long way since his role in the absurd Adult Swim series “Mike Tyson Mysteries.” Now he’s the tattooed face of Discovery’s “Shark Week,” with “Tyson vs. Jaws: Rumble on the Reef” (9 p.m. Sunday, TV-PG), the second event of a week of prime-time documentaries about deep-water killers.
Tyson isn’t the only familiar face to mug for the waterproof cameras during 20 hours of shark-related fare. On Monday, “ShaqAttack” pairs NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal with YouTube stars Dude Perfect and Mark Rober to determine which killer fish has the fiercest attack.
On Tuesday, “Will Smith: Off the Deep End” features a certain former “Fresh Prince” in shark-infested waters. On Thursday, Snoop Dogg appears in “Sharkadelic Summer,” a glance at some recent shark invasions in the least likely locations, as well as some of the weirdest shark attacks caught on tape. For the second summer in a row, Adam Devine (“Pitch Perfect,” “Modern Family”) tags along. On Wednesday, he hosts “Adam Devine’s Secret Shark Lair.”
For every celebrity stunt event, there will be many original documentaries focused on marine science. But there’s no taking a bite out of network promotion. “Shark Week” wraps up next Sunday with “Naked & Afraid of Sharks 2.”
Shark Week has been around since 1988, making it older than some of its fans and one of the most durable gimmicks in cable history. It has inspired copycats. National Geographic has been airing shark-related programming for some time, and the streaming service Shout Factory will feature “Killer Fish Week” from Sunday through August 15. As radio star Fred Allen acidly observed, “Imitation is the sincerest form of television.”
— Speaking of television and imitation, there’s nothing more durable than the odd-couple buddy-cop drama. Look for Eve Myles (“Broadchurch,” “Keeping Faith”) in the new six-episode U.K. import “We Hunt Together” (10 p.m. Sunday, Showtime, TV-MA). She’s hard-boiled detective Lola Franks, reluctantly partnered with the professorial Jackson Reid (Babou Ceesay).
Like all TV cops, she resents him because he’s her boss and he’s from the U.K. equivalent of internal affairs. She sees him as a cop who busts cops. But she really resents him because he’s so even-keeled and philosophical about matters. Not to give too much away, but both are hiding personal baggage.
The title refers to both the detectives and their prey, Freddy Lane (Hermione Corfield), a phone sex femme fatale, and troubled refugee Baba Lengo (Dipo Ola), a gentle man with a short fuse with very good reasons to avoid arrest and deportation.
A stylish series set in the sex-and-drugs underworld of London’s club scene, “Together” is anchored by the amusing and believable tension between Reid and Franks.
In other procedural news, “Endeavour on Masterpiece” (9 p.m. Sunday, PBS, PG-14, check local listings) enters its seventh season. Set in Oxford, where the murders never cease.
Now in its second week, “Britannia” (9 p.m. Sunday, Epix, TV-MA) is set in the first century A.D., when Roman invaders collided with the old ways of Druid Britain. Fans of “Vikings” and Netflix’s Arthurian fantasy “Cursed” might enjoy this well-produced series.
SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— The 2020 PGA Championship (4 p.m., CBS) continues into prime time.
— NHL Hockey (8 p.m., NBC).
— Boxing (8 p.m., Fox).
— “Earthflight” (8 p.m., BBC America) follows migratory birds over Africa.
— After a domestic terror attack, a man emerges as a hero, only to become a suspect in the 2019 true-life drama “Richard Jewell” (8 p.m., HBO), directed by Clint Eastwood.
— NBA Basketball (8:30 p.m., ESPN).
— An interior decorator falls for a rugged pilot with a weakness for rescue dogs in the 2020 romance “Love on Harbor Island” (9 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
— Surgeons treat a young man who lost both arms in an accident on “The Good Doctor” (10 p.m., ABC, r, TV-14).
— “Jodi Arias: Cellmate Secrets” (10 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14) offers new insights into a well-covered homicide case.
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— The 2020 PGA Championship (3 p.m., CBS) continues well into prime time.
— Women recall their brush with a sex trafficker in the new series “Surviving Jeffrey Epstein” (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).
— Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (9 p.m., CBS): a #MeToo “Jane Doe” comes forward; saving the giant panda from the brink of extinction.
— On two helpings of “The Alienist: Angel of Darkness” (TNT, TV-MA): Brooklyn holds secrets (9 p.m.), a city-wide manhunt (10 p.m.). The second episode is the season finale.
— Beth and Willa tangle on “Yellowstone” (9 p.m., Paramount, TV-MA).
— Della goads Perry into a new strategy on the season finale of “Perry Mason” (9 p.m., HBO, TV-MA). Spoiler alert: This series will return for a second season.
— Kiesha can’t escape her personal demons on “The Chi” (9 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).
— Julie Chen Moonves hosts “Big Brother” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
— Vic and Chris take a shortcut on “NOS4A2” (10 p.m., AMC, BBC America, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
File this under the subject “time flies.” We are further removed from the 1997 debut of the ensemble drama “Boogie Nights” (9:35 p.m. Sunday, TMC) than it was from the 1970-’80s adult film industry scene it depicted.
SATURDAY SERIES
“America’s Funniest Home Videos” (8 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG) … “Shark Tank” (9 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG) … “48 Hours” (10 p.m., CBS).
SUNDAY SERIES
The cool new preacher irks Lovejoy on “The Simpsons” (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-PG) … “Celebrity Family Feud” (8 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG) … The big chill on “Fridge Wars” (8 p.m., CW, TV-PG) … Ghostly frights on “Bless the Harts” (8:30 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14).
A glance back over 15 seasons of “America’s Got Talent” (9 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … Hits and myths on “Bob’s Burgers” (9 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) … “Press Your Luck” (9 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG) … Beatbox confusion on “Taskmaster” (9 p.m., CW, TV-14) … Stewie resents an empty gesture on “Family Guy” (9:30 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) … “Match Game” (10 p.m., ABC, r, TV-14).
