You can’t say COVID hasn’t scrambled things for TV programmers. We’re now seeing obscure imports that we’d never see on network television under “normal” circumstances.
Best known as an outlet for comic book adaptations like “Riverdale,” the CW offers a chance to sample “Dead Pixels” (8 p.m., TV-14) from the U.K. The 2019 comedy follows a group of young people whose relationship to the real world has taken a backseat to their devotion to a fictional game called “Kingdom Scrolls.”
In some ways, “Pixels” offers a fan’s eye view of the world explored in the Apple TV+ series “Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet.”
Set among the corporate executives, coders, writers and promoters of a video game, “Mythic” stars Rob McElhenney (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”). Given how much gaming has eaten into the audience (or eyeballs) that used to consume television, you’d think there might be more scripted fare set either in a game or in the gamer demimonde.
This is not the first time that a dominant medium has ignored or denigrated an upstart rival. Throughout the 1950s, the first decade of TV competition, Hollywood movie studios dismissed the “boob tube” as a passing fancy. Some 60 years later, the small screen has become the dominant partner in that equation. But video games have long made as much money as both TV and movies, and dominate the popular imagination in ways that are most probably underexplored.
“Dead Pixels” is produced by the team behind the U.K. cult series “Peep Show.” Even if you’ve never seen it, you’ve probably heard of Olivia Colman, who graduated from goofy appearances on that series to starring roles in “Broadchurch” and “The Crown” and an Oscar-winning performance in “The Favourite.”
— Speaking of imports, Sundance Now begins streaming “The Suspect,” a hit for Canada’s CBC. In the tradition of “The Staircase,” it follows the investigation of a brutal crime involving one of Canada’s wealthiest families that involved police misconduct, prosecution in the media and the unraveling of the case against the one and only “logical” suspect. Sundance Now is AMC’s premium streaming service, home to the addictive series “A Discovery of Witches.”
— Timing is everything. I have a good feeling that the producers of the new series “I Quit” (10 p.m., Discovery) didn’t plan on launching their new series in the teeth of a pandemic-related recession. As unemployment rolls soar and evictions loom, “I Quit” will follow would-be entrepreneurs who finally gather the courage to quit their steady job and follow their startup dreams.
— “Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel” (11 p.m., HBO, TV-MA) profiles former Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles star Nnamdi Asomugha as he embarks on a career as an actor and film and theatrical producer. Also profiled is Eddy Alvarez, a silver medalist speed skater at the 2014 Winter Games now pursuing his baseball dream, as well as Bruce Maxwell, a catcher for the Oakland Athletics, who received death threats after kneeling during the National Anthem.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— Live performances from 11 contestants on “America’s Got Talent” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
— In the realm of the senses on “Hell’s Kitchen” (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14).
— “Pavarotti” (8 p.m., TMC) documents the life and impact on the popular tenor who helped create a new generation of opera lovers.
— “Undercover Billionaire” (9 p.m., Discovery, TV-PG) returns to Erie, Pennsylvania.
— Coverage of the Democratic National Convention (8 p.m., PBS, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC; 10 p.m., CBS, NBC, ABC).
— A weapons heist on “FBI” (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).
— Mayim Bialik hosts “Celebrity Show-off” (10 p.m., TBS).
CULT CHOICE
— Nothing nailed down the lid in the coffin of the Hollywood Code era like the 1967 gangster epic “Bonnie & Clyde” (6 p.m., TCM, TV-14), starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. The entire history of the movie business can be divided into eras before and after this masterpiece.
SERIES NOTES
An officer’s murder seems morbidly similar to his parents’ slaying on “NCIS” (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) … On two helpings of “Modern Family” (ABC, TV-PG): Gloria’s secret ceremony (8 p.m.); Dylan’s funky mom raises eyebrows (8:30 p.m.).
A motorcycle robbery results in homicide on “Prodigal Son” (9 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) … John Quinones hosts “What Would You Do?” (9 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG) … Wee, wee, wee all the way home on “Tell Me A Story” (9 p.m., CW, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
“The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” (11 p.m., Comedy Central) practices social distancing … John Lithgow appears on “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS, r) … Russell Crowe, Patton Oswalt, the Lemon Twigs and Thomas Land visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC).
