What's On Tonight (Monday): It ain't no fairy tale

 

Courtesy PBS

Tonight's Top Pick is the first two installments of Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland, making its American debut this week on PBS. The documentary miniseries, concluding Wednesday, chronicles The Troubles a quarter-century after their resolution.

While I light a candle for my late grandma, born Mary Aileen Tovey (and just needed a "Siobhan" or "Sinead" to reach Peak Woman with Irish Ancestry), let's see what else TV has to offer for Monday, Aug. 27. All times are EST.


STREAMING

The Conversations Project, 12:01 a.m., Hulu. Premiere. "A conversational series inspired by The Harlem Renaissance Salon: a dinner gathering of great African American philosophers, writers, musicians, singers, dancers, comedians, and actors of the period. The Conversations Project is a reimagined take on these incredible gatherings - unscripted, candid, and never dull." Six episodes available.

Futurama, 12:01 a.m., Hulu. "I Know What You Did Next Xmas." "Bender and Zoidberg travel through time to attack Robot Santa."

PRE-PRIMETIME SPORTS

2023 U.S. Open Tennis, 7 p.m., ESPN. First round, from Flushing, New York.

WNBA Basketball, 7 p.m., ESPN2. Las Vegas Aces vs. New York Liberty.

Courtesy YouTube.

PRE-PRIMETIME MOVIES

The Crying Game, 6:05 p.m., HBO2.

The Wolverine, 7:25 p.m., FXM. Encore at 10 p.m.

Baywatch, 7:30 p.m., FX.

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, 7:32 p.m., TNT.

2012, 7:45 p.m., Syfy.

8 P.M.

America in Black, BET. "March on Washington 60 Years Later." "To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the landmark March on Washington, the season finale of America in Black will culminate with a round of enriched conversations featuring thought-provokers and influential leaders who are on the front lines of democracy in the name of freedom, airing Monday, August 28."

Claim to Fame, ABC. Second season finale, 2 hours. "Disco Balls and Clue Walls" and "Needle in a Haystack." "Tensions run high. One player's long-game strategy is revealed during the first challenge. The final three get help from past contestants in their last race to uncover clues."

Stars on Mars, FOX. First season finale. "Brightest Star." "The remaining crewmates must correctly answer trivia questions from the hab manual and advance to the final challenge, where they must properly assemble a satellite tower and broadcast a personalized message to Earth."

America Ninja Warrior, NBC. 2 hours. "Las Vegas Finals 2." "The national finals continue in Las Vegas as the remaining ninjas compete in Stage 1 for their chance to win $1 million and become the next American Ninja Warrior."

Son of a Critch, The CW. "Father Critch." "Mark is considering what life would be like as a priest. As rumors of scandal amongst the clergy start to mount, Mark reassesses what his religion means to him."

Run the Burbs, 8:30 p.m., The CW. "Independence Day." "Andrew tests Leo's ability to walk to school alone. Camille takes a Khia bra shopping. Ramesh takes a stand at Bubble Bae when he learns he's not a regular customer."

Movie Night!

Die Hard, Freeform.

John Wick, AMC.

Courage Under Fire, StarzEncore.

The Client, Pop.

Enter the Warriors Gate, 8:47 p.m., HBO Family.

The inspiration for tonight's headline. Courtesy Film Art Gallery.

9 P.M.

Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland, PBS. 2 hours. Premiere. "It Wasn't Like a Movie Anymore" and "Do Paramilitaries Lie Awake at Night?" "When tensions between Protestants and Catholics explode, the British Army is deployed." Later, "In 1972, community divisions deepen and intensify. Many working-class Catholic and Protestant communities are in the grip of paramilitary organizations."

Children Ruin Everything, The CW. "Death." "Following a brush with death, James and Astrid realize they need to make a death plan, including finding legal guardians for Felix and Viv."

Bump, 9:30 p.m., The CW. "Just Kids." "While Reema, Vince and the rest of the gang enjoy a big night out, Oly and Santi are stuck at home in an unglamorous situation."

Movie Night!

Horrible Bosses 2, MoreMax.

Need for Speed, Showcase.

Deadlock, 9:05 p.m., The Movie Channel Xtreme.

Greta, 9:31 p.m., Cinemax.

The Slumber Party, 9:40 p.m., Disney.

10 P.M.

Miracle Workers, TBS. Fourth season finale. "End Times: The End." "The final battle for Boomtown." Encore at 10:30 p.m.

Breeders, FX. 33 minutes. "No Arseholes." "A chat with Darren and a chance encounter convince Ally she needs more friends, so she decides to reunite her antenatal class. Ally tells Luke and Ava this was a friendship group with no arseholes, but 17 years is a long time." Encore at 10:33 p.m.

Johnny Carson, Antenna. Neil Simon, Joe Garagiola and Bill Maher are the guests on this Aug. 31, 1982, episode.

Movie Night!

Congo, The Movie Channel.

Bruce Almighty, TruTV.

The Man Who Came to Dinner, 10:15 p.m., TCM.

Along Came a Spider, 10:40 p.m., HBO Signature.

Saw, 10:51 p.m., Starz.

Courtesy YouTube.

LATE NIGHT PICK!

Organ Trail, 11 p.m., Showtime.

Sources: Futon Critic, zap2it, Google, individual show websites.