What's On Tonight (Friday): Obi and Eleven - GIVE YOUR BALLS A TUG!

 

Some weeks the struggle to select a Top Pick is real.  Those are the weeks you end up bestowing the honor upon shows like Bridgerton or The Sound of Magic or the Olympics.  Then there are weeks when the heavens open up and pour down Top Picks aplenty.  My friends, this is one of those weeks.  

Not only do we have the premiere of Obi-Wan Kenobi, we also have the premiere of season 4 of Stranger Things.  But even those two heavyweights of entertainment (YMMV) must bow before the mighty 800-lb hockey-playing-gorilla-Letterkenny-spin-off, Shoresy.  

I only started watching Letterkenny several months ago and I have been making my way through it gradually ever since.  It's not only hilarious but is also one of the most unique comedies I've ever seen.  I'd say 90% of most episodes are devoted to puns.  It is simultaneously wholesome and completely juvenile.  And now one of it's biggest breakout characters, the never-completely-seen-trash-talking hockey player Shoresy, is getting his own show.  

Normally I would be concerned about giving a seemingly one-note character his own show, but if anyone can pull it off it's Jared Keeso (creator, writer and star of both Letterkenny and Shoresy).  Therefore I award Shoresy the newly created title of "TOP TOP PICK" as it is the only one of the three guaranteed to be hella entertaining (but I'll be checking out the others as well - it is a 3-day weekend after all).

TOP TOP PICK

⭐🏒Shoresy (Hulu, 12:01 AM) SEASON ONE. 'The foul-mouthed, chirp-serving, mother-loving, fan-favorite Letterkenny character, Shoresy, join a senior AAA hockey team in Sudbury on a quest to never lose again.'

SECONDARY TOP PICK(s)

⭐ 🚀 Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+, 3:01 AM) SERIES PREMIERE. 'Begins 10 years after the dramatic events of "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith," where Obi-Wan Kenobi faced his greatest defeat - the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.'

⭐💀 Stranger Things (Netflix, 3:01 AM) SEASON 4a. 'It’s been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time — and navigating the complexities of high school hasn’t made things any easier.'

via Tacoma World

PREMIERES

🔔 Kick Like Tayla (Amazon Prime, 12:01 AM) SPECIAL PRESENTATION. 'Chronicles the public and personal challenges Tayla Harris has faced in her sporting career to date. Both Tayla and her inner circle provide insights into how she has chosen to use her platform as a power for good.'

🎥 Emergency (Amazon Prime, 12:01 AM) 'Ready for a night of legendary partying, three college students must weigh the pros and cons of calling the police when faced with an unexpected situation.'

😂 Iain Stirling: Falling Upwards (Amazon Prime, 12:01 AM) SPECIAL PRESENTATION. 'Explores topics including Iain's inability to function in the most basic of public settings, the pressures of being in the public eye and that one time a man stole his shoes.'

🎥 A Banquet (AMC+, 3:01 AM) 'Widowed mother Holly is radically tested when her teenage daughter Betsey experiences a profound enlightenment and insists that her body is no longer her own, but in service to a higher power.'

🔔 Rooms We Love (Discovery+, 3:01 AM) 'Interior designers across the country showing off the inspiration behind their favorite rooms.'

🔔 We Feed People (Disney+, 3:01 AM) SPECIAL PRESENTATION. 'Spotlights chef José Andrés and his nonprofit World Central Kitchen’s incredible mission and evolution over 12 years, from being a scrappy group of grassroots volunteers to becoming one of the most highly regarded humanitarian aid organizations in the disaster relief sector.'

🔔 Blippi Special (HBO Max, 3:01 AM) SPECIAL PRESENTATION.

🔔 Blippi Visits (HBO Max, 3:01 AM) SEASON ONE. 'How does a recycling truck work? What happens on a farm? Blippi Visits is a live-action series that takes young viewers on field trips to exciting places such as museums, play spaces, nature parks, and zoos, making new friends along the way!'

🔔 Learn with Blippi (HBO Max, 3:01 AM) SPECIAL PRESENTATION.

🔔 Together as One: Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage -- A Soul of a Nation Special (ABC, 8:00 PM) 'A unique window into authentic realities of Black life and dive deeper into this critical moment of racial reckoning.'

🎥 Mom Made Me Do It (LMN, 8:00 PM) 'When Jade discovers her mother's secret financial problems, she joins her bad-boy crush Rick in a series of high-profile burglaries that net enough cash to pay off Frida's debts.'

👑 Elizabeth: A Portrait in Parts (Showtime, 9:00 PM) 'The life of Queen Elizabeth II, longest reigning English monarch and the longest reigning female head of state in history.'

via Gyfcat

🎥RETURNING SHOWS

🎵 Carpool Karaoke: The Series (Apple TV, 12:01 AM) SEASON 5.

🔔 Helpsters (Apple TV, 12:01 AM) SEASON 3.

STREAMING

😂 LOL: Last One Laughing Spain (Amazon Prime, 12:01 AM) 

🐍 A Sex Serpent The Essex Serpent (Apple TV+, 12:01 AM) "Everything is Blue"

🔔 Now and Then (Apple TV+, 12:01 AM) "Crossing the Line"

🦖 Prehistoric Planet (Apple TV+, 12:01 AM) SEASON FINALE. "Forests"

🔔 Shining Girls (Apple TV+, 12:01 AM) "Offset"

🔔 Tehran (Apple TV+. 12:01 AM) "Double Fault"

🔨 Mind for Design (Discovery+, 3:01 AM)

🔨 Restoration Road with Clint Harp (Discovery+, 3:01 AM)

🍰 Zoe Bakes (Discovery+, 3:01 AM)

🔔 Bosch: Legacy (Freevee, 12:01 AM) SEASON FINALE.  "Cat Got a Name? / Always/All Ways"

🎵 One True Singer (HBO Max, 3:01 AM)

🔔 iCarly (Paramount+, 3:01 AM) 

🔔 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (Paramount+, 3:01 AM)

🔔 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked (Paramount+, 3:01 AM)

🔔 Ten Percent (Sundance Now, 3:01 AM) "Episode 6"

👮‍♂️ Cops (Fox Nation, 6:00 PM) 

via Giphy

SPORTS TONIGHT TODAY

🥎 College Softball: NCAA Tournament: Arkansas vs. Texas (ESPN, 4:00 PM)

🏌️‍♂️ PGA Tour Golf: Charles Schwab Challenge, Second Round (Golf, 4:00 PM)

🥎 College Softball: NCAA Tournament: UCF at Oklahoma (ESPN2, 4:30 PM)

🥍 Women's College Lacrosse: NCAA Tournament: Semifinals (ESPNU, 5:30 PM)

🥎 College Softball: NCAA Tournament: Oklahoma State vs. Clemson (ESPN2, 6:00 PM)

⚾ Friday Night Baseball: Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox (Apple TV+. 7:00 PM)

⚽ NWSL Soccer: Washington Spirit at Orlando Pride (CBSSN, 7:00 PM)

🏌️‍♂️ LPGA Tour Golf: Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play, Day 3 (Golf, 7:00 PM)

🏒 NHL Hockey: Second Round: Teams TBA (TNT, 7:00 PM)

🥎 College Softball: NCAA Tournament: Northwestern at Arizona State (ESPNU, 8:00 PM)

🏀 NBA Basketball: Miami Heat at Boston Celtics (ESPN, 8:30 PM)

⚾ Friday Night Baseball: Toronto Blue Jays at Los Angeles Angels (Apple TV+. 9:30 PM)

🥎 College Softball: NCAA Tournament: Oregon State at Stanford (ESPNU, 10:30 PM)

🥎 College Softball: NCAA Tournament: Duke at UCLA (ESPN2, 11:00 PM)

via Tumgir

EARLY PRIMETIME

🔔 Teen Titans Go! (Cartoon Network, 6:00 PM) 'Having watched everything on TV, the Titans decide to make their own show.'

💲 Chain Reaction (GSN, 5:00 PM) 
🤼‍♂️ All Elite Wrestling: Rampage (TNT, 5:30 PM)
💲 America Says (GSN, 7:30 PM)

🕗 8:00 EASTERN / 🕖 7:00 CENTRAL

🧙‍♀️ Charmed (CW, 8:00 PM) 'While the Charmed Ones reel from a shocking turn of events, The Unseen infiltrate every corner of the magical realm and get closer to destroying the Power of Three forever.'

🔔 The Blacklist (NBC, 8:00 PM) SEASON FINALE. 'Red and Cooper square off with conflicting endgames for their mutual traitor; a major secret about the task force falls into the wrong hands.'

🎥 The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay (Disney, 8:00 PM) 'A group of friends are spending the summer working as interns at a research center, which is researching unnatural changes in the local reef. After strange events begin to occur, the friends suspect a local legend may be tied to the reef's problems.'

🔔 Together as One: Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage -- A Soul of a Nation Special (ABC, 8:00 PM)
💃 Come Dance with Me (CBS, 8:00 PM) 
🤼‍♂️ WWE Friday Night SmackDown (Fox, 8:00 PM) 
🔔 Treehouse Masters: Branched Out (Animal Planet, 8:00 PM) 
💰 Hoffman Family Gold (Discovery, 8:00 PM)
🎥 Mom Made Me Do It (LMN, 8:00 PM)
💖 Couples Therapy (Showtime, 8:00 PM)

via Tenor

🕗 9:00 EASTERN / 🕖 8:00 CENTRAL

🎭 Great Performances (PBS, 9:00 PM) 'An inside look at the reimagined production of "Company" as it returns to Broadway during the COVID-19 pandemic.'

🔔 Dynasty (CW, 9:00 PM) 'Not all goes as planned when Blake and Cristal work on the opening of PPA; Fallon takes extreme measures to further her company; Adam needs Liam's help for his next business venture.'

🍴 Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network, 9:00 PM) 'Starting in Caguas, Puerto Rico, with churrasco steak, risotto and ropa vieja dumplings; grabbing tandoori chicken and samosas in Middleton, N.J., and next-level Filipino dishes in Cleveland.'

💀 Dateline NBC (NBC, 9:00 PM)
💰 Gold Rush: Dave Turin's Lost Mine (Discovery, 9:00 PM)
🏠 Vacation House Rules (HGTV, 9:00 PM)
👽 The Unexplained (History, 9:00 PM) 
💖 Put a Ring on It (OWN, 9:00 PM)
🎥 The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs (Shudder, 9:00 PM)
👻 Ghost Adventures (Travel, 9:00 PM)
🤮 Mama June: From Not to Hot (WE, 9:00 PM)
🔔 20/20 (ABC, 9:01 PM) 

🕗 10:00 EASTERN / 🕖 9:00 CENTRAL

🏠 Vacation House Rules (HGTV, 10:00 PM)
🍴 The Great Soul Food Cook-Off (OWN, 10:00 PM)
🤼‍♂️ All Elite Wrestling: Rampage (TNT, 10:30 PM)

via Yahoo

LATE NIGHT

🔔 Pause with Sam Jay (HBO, 11:00 PM) 

🔔 The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (NBC, 11:34 PM) 'Actress Rachel Dratch; actor Bashir Salahuddin; OneRepublic performs.'

🔔 Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC, 11:35 PM) 

🔔 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS, 11:35 PM) 

🔔 Nightline (ABC, 1:07 AM) 

🔔 Late Night with Seth Myers (NBC, 12:37 PM) 'Singer Miley Cyrus; actors Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey.'

🔔 The Late Late Show with James Corden (CBS, 12:37 AM) 'Actor David Arquette; actor Nick Thune; comic Jackie Kashian.'

📺Broadcast/Cable/Satellite - RETRO Binge📺

📺 The Andy Griffith Show (Sundance, 6:00 AM - 1:00 PM); Quantum Leap (6:00 AM - 6:00 AM); The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (VH1, 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM); Roseanne (CMT, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM); The Golden Girls (Hallmark, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM); ER (Pop, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM); Living Single (TVOne, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM); M*A*S*H* (TVLand, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM); Hawaii Five-0 (Ion, 10:00 AM - 3:00 AM); Gunsmoke (TVLand, 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM); Law & Order (Sundance, 1:00 PM - 1:00 AM)); House (Pop, 3:00 PM - 8:00 PM); The Jeffersons (Antenna, 8:00 PM -10:00 PM); Everybody Loves Raymond (TV Land, 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM); Good Times (TVOne, 8:00 PM - 3:00 AM);  King of Queens (TV Land, 11:00 AM - 2:00 AM); Barney Miller (Antenna, 11:30 PM); Maude (Antenna, 12:00 AM - 1:00 AM); Alice (Antenna, 1:00 AM - 2:00 AM) 

📺 Johnny Carson (Antenna, 10:00 PM) 'Actor Charlton Heston; author Norman Mailer; comic David Brenner.'

via Tumgir

More TV Listings: 

Key Sources: The Futon Critic; Zap2it; Netflix; Wikipedia; Horrornews.net; Sysfy.com; hollywoodreporter.com

⭐: Top Pick
💲: Game show
🎥: Movie
📺: Throwback
✔️: Video/gif/photo included