What's On Tonight (Friday): World Cups Don't Just Manage Themselves

           

Twenty Twenty Six

I'm not a big soccer guy outside of the year when my younger son played goalie for his middle school team.  So I'm as surprised as anyone to give today's Top Pick to the British mockumentary series Twenty Twenty Six.  It's The Office but about a fictional organization that is in charge of managing the 2026 World Cup.  It stars Hugh Bonneville, which is a big reason it got Top Pick.  Another reason would be the premiere slate today is a little weak.

Runner-up is the Netflix animated film, Swapped.  The trailer for this one didn't do much for me, but Netflix does have a good track record with animated films.  The most notable element for most will be this is the first film starring Michael B Jordan, who voices one of the leads, since his Oscar win. The most notable element for me, however, is the creature designs make it look like this could be a sequel to the great sci-fi film, Annihilation.  

Oh yeah, and the latest Wuthering Heights adaptation gets it's streaming premiere today.  The ads claim this is the greatest love story of all time.  The ads lie.

⭐⚽ Twenty Twenty Six (Britbox / Tubi, 3:01 AM) SERIES PREMIERE. 'Hugh Bonneville-led sequel to the BBC's soccer tournament satire "Twenty Twelve." After leading London 2012 and serving as BBC Head of Values, Ian Fletcher  (Bonneville) joins the 2026 World Cup team as Director of Integrity, facing challenges in the largest tournament ever across North America.'

Elsewhere...

 PREMIERES

Swapped

🔔 Vitrerie Joyal (Amazon, 3:01 AM) SERIES PREMIERE. 'Follows the journey of André Joyal, a first-generation Quebec entrepreneur who started from nothing to build a prosperous business. Through André's story an entire era unfolds, revealing the ambition, hope, and disillusionment that defined Quebec in the '90s.'

🎥 Heresy (AMC+ / Shudder, 3:01 AM) 'A folk horror set in a medieval Dutch village that follows a young woman caught between her faith, the townsfolk’s fanaticism, and the dark forces lurking in the woods.'

🎵 Travis Japan Summer Vacation!! In the USA (Disney+, 3:01 AM) SERIES PREMIERE. 'Follows the seven members of Travis Japan as they travel from Arches National Park to Durango, Monument Valley, Sedona and more.'

🎥 Wuthering Heights (HBO Max, 3:01 AM) STREAMING PREMIERE. 'Tragedy strikes when Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) falls in love with Catherine Earnshaw (Margot Robbie), a woman from a wealthy family in 18th-century England.'

🔔 Glory (Netflix, 3:01 AM) SEASON ONE. 'Family ties and the dream of Olympic glory intersect with the adrenaline-fueled world of competitive boxing in this gritty action-thriller.'

🎥 My Dearest Señorita (Netflix, 3:01 AM) 'A young woman from a traditional family learns she's intersex, sparking a journey of self-discovery, gender identity and love found in unexpected places.'

🎥 Son-in-Law (Netflix, 3:01 AM) 'José Sánchez becomes a feared political operator after a rough patch, but this time neither his memorable mustache nor his sharp tongue will be enough.'

🎥 Swapped (Netflix, 3:01 AM) 'A small woodland creature and a majestic bird, two natural sworn enemies of the Valley, magically trade places and set off on an adventure of a lifetime.'

🎥 Doin' It (Paramount, 3:01 AM) STREAMING PREMIERE. 'Maya, a 30-year-old software engineer from a conservative Indian family, plans to launch an app for teens and works as a high school substitute teacher as a day job. Since she is a virgin, she is put in an uncomfortable situation when a principal assigns her to teach sex education.'

RETURNING SHOWS

🔔 Sapne vs. Everyone (Amazon, 3:01 AM) SEASON TWO PREMIERE.

🔔 El Ecargado (Disney+, 3:01 AM) SEASON FOUR PREMIERE.

🔔 Impuros (Disney+, 3:01 AM) SEASON SIX.

🏠 Zillow Gone Wild (HGTV, 9:30 PM) SEASON THREE PREMIERE.

Heresy

STREAMING

🚀 For All Mankind (Apple, 12:01 AM) "No Sudden Moves"

👹 Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (Apple, 12:01 AM) "Where We Belong" SEASON FINALE. 

🔔 Your Friends & Neighbors (Apple, 12:01 AM) "Halfway to Invisible"

❄️ Snowball Earth (Hulu, 12:01 AM) 

💖 Absolute Value of Romance (Amazon, 3:01 AM)

💪🏻 American Gladiators (Amazon, 3:01 AM) SEASON FINALE. 

 👊🏻 Fist of the North Star: Hokuto No Ken (Amazon, 3:01 AM) 

⚖️ Tribunal Justice (Amazon, 3:01 AM) "It's a Bin-Zebo" 

🧑‍🌾 This Farming Life (Britbox, 3:01 AM) "By Royal Appointment" 

🎬 Dream Stage (HBO Max, 3:01 AM) 

🔔 Mira: Life After Divorce (HBO Max, 3:01 AM) SEASON FINALE. 

🔔 Privileges (HBO Max, 3:01 AM) SEASON FINALE. 

🧼 Days of Our Lives (Peacock, 3:01 AM) 

👑 Perfect Crown (Disney+ / Hulu, 10:21 AM) 

👮🏻 Cops (Fox Nation, 6:00 PM) 

LIVE SPORTSBALL TODAY/TONIGHT

🏐 NCAA Women's Beach Volleyball Championship ( ESPN2, 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM)

🏌🏻 2026 Regions Tradition - Round 2 (Golf, 12:00 PM)

🏌🏻 PGA Tour Golf: 2026 Cadillac Championship Round 2 (Golf, 3:00 PM)

⚽ English Premier League Soccer: Burnley at Leeds United (USA, 3:00 PM)

🥍 College Lacrosse: Patriot League Semifinal: Team TBD at Army West Point Black Knights (CBSSPT, 4:00 PM)

🥍 College Lacrosse: Ivy League Men's Lacrosse Championship: Harvard Crimson vs Cornell Big Red (ESPNU, 4:00 PM)

🥍 College Lacrosse: Ivy League Men's Lacrosse Championship: Yale Bulldogs vs Princeton Tigers (ESPNU, 6:30 PM)

⚾ MLB Baseball: Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburgh Pirates (Apple, 6:45 PM)

🏒 NHL Hockey: Stanley Cup Playoffs: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montréal Canadiens (ESPN2, 7:00 PM)

⚾ MLB Baseball: Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees (ESPN App, 7:05 PM)

🥍 College Lacrosse: Patriot League Semifinal: Team TBD vs Loyola Greyhounds (CBSSPT, 7:30 PM)

🏒 NHL Hockey: Stanley Cup Playoffs: Buffalo Sabres vs. Boston Bruins (ESPN, 7:30 PM)

🏈 UFL Football: Houston Gamblers at Columbus Aviators (Fox, 8:00 PM)

🐴 Horse Racing: Kentucky Derby Oaks (NBC, 8:00 PM)

🥍 NLL Lacrosse: Teams TBA (ESPNU, 9:00 PM)

⚾ MLB Baseball: Kansas City Royals at Seattle Mariners (Apple, 9:45 PM)

🏒 NHL Hockey: Stanley Cup Playoffs: Vegas Golden Knights at Utah Mammoth (ESPN, 10:00 PM)

Doin' It

EARLY PRIMETIME

🔊 Loud House (Nickelodeon, 5:30 PM) 'After Clyde can't get a hold of his therapist, Dr. Lopez, he spirals and struggles to make even the smallest decisions; Lola and her nemesis, Lindsey Sweetwater, join forces to uncover a mystery while competing at a pageant.'

🕖8:00 EASTERN / 🕖 7:00 CENTRAL

👮🏻‍♀️ Sherriff County (CBS, 8:00 PM) 'Sheriff Mickey Fox investigates a fatal shooting that appears to be a tragic accident during a lavish Fraley family boar hunt, setting off a chain of events with far-reaching consequences for Edgewater.'

💲 Celebrity Jeopardy (ABC, 8:00 PM) 
💰 Gold Rush (Discovery, 8:00 PM) SEASON FINALE. 

🔔 Belle Collective: Birmingham (OWN, 8:00 PM) 

👮 On Patrol: First Shift (Reelz, 8:00 PM) 

🤼‍♂️ WWE's Friday Night Smackdown (USA, 8:00 PM) 

🕗 9:00 EASTERN / 🕖 8:00 CENTRAL

👨🏻‍🚒 Fire Country (CBS, 9:00 PM) 'When a powerful storm sends a massive telephone pole crashing through a family home and traps a woman inside, station 42 races against time to try and pull off a dangerous rescue.'

🎭 Great Performances (PBS, 9:00 PM) 'Uncovering how volcanoes and tight-knit communities inspire its artists.'

👽 Unbelievable with Dan Aykroyd (History, 9:00 PM) 'Some of Earth's most remarkable creatures push the limits of belief.'

🔔 Hidden Beneath the Cities (National Geographic, 9:00 PM) 'Archaeologists find a tomb, a haunting cave, and a sophisticated labyrinth.'

👓 20/20 (ABC, 9:00 PM) 
💀 Dateline NBC (NBC, 9:00 PM) 
🍽️ Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives (Food, 9:00 PM) 
🏠 My Lottery Dream Home (HGTV, 9:00 PM) 
👮 On Patrol: Live (Reelz, 9:00 PM) 
🤮 Mama June: From Not to Hot (WE, 9:00 PM) SEASON FINALE. 
🏠 Zillow Gone Wild (HGTV, 9:30 PM) 

Wuthering Heights

🕗 10:00 EASTERN / 🕖 9:00 CENTRAL

👮🏻 Boston Blue (CBS, 10:00 PM) 'When a captured serial killer hints at the whereabouts of a missing child, Danny teams up with a familiar ally in a tense race against time; health scares and long-kept family secrets surface, forcing members of the team to confront personal truths.'

🔔 Hidden Beneath the Cities (National Geographic, 10:00 PM) 'Explorers discover tunnel systems, a sprawling city, and military barracks.'

👽 The Proof is Out There (History, 10:03 PM) 'Did two warehouse employees discover a mystery monster in Mexico?'

💰 Gold Rush: Mine Rescue with Freddy & Juan (Discovery Channel, 10:00 PM) SEASON FINALE. 
🔔 Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO, 10:00 PM) 

LATE NIGHT

🔔 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS, 11:35 PM) 'Politician Pete Buttigieg; actor Andy Serkis; Late Show Home Shopping with Jon Stewart.'

🔔 Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC, 12:37 PM) 'Actor Henry Winkler; actors Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit and Nicholas Christopher.'

🔔 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC, 11:34 PM) 
🔔 Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC, 11:35 PM) 
🔔 Nightline (ABC, 12:37 AM)

📺Broadcast/Cable/Satellite - RETRO BINGE📺

The Andy Griffiths Show (Sundance, 5:00 AM - 1:00 PM); Law & Order (Pop, 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM); South Park (Comedy Central, 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM); Living Single (TV One, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM); M*A*S*H* (TVLand, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM); Friends (TBS, 10:00 AM - 4:00  PM); Gunsmoke (TVLand, 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM); Seinfeld (Comedy Central, 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM); The Big Bang Theory (TBS, 4:00 PM - 10:30 PM); The Andy Griffiths Show (TVLand, 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM); Family Ties (Antenna, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM); The Office (Comedy Central, 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM); Three's Company (Antenna, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM); Barney Miller (Antenna, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM);  Everybody Loves Raymond (TVLand, 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM); One Day at a Time (Antennae, 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM); The Jeffersons (Antenna, 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM); Sanford & Son (Antenna, 10:00 PM - 11:00 PM); The Golden Girls (Hallmark, 10:00 PM - 2:00 AM); The King of Queens (TVLand, 11:00 PM - 2:00 AM); Becker (Antenna, 12:00 - 1:00 AM); Wings (Antenna, 1:00 AM - 2:00 AM)

📺 Johnny Carson (Antenna, 11:00 PM) 'Actor Michael Keaton; actor Martin Short; actress Teri Garr.'

Travis Japan Summer Vacation!! In the USA

Key Sources: The Futon Critic; Rotten Tomatoes; YouTube; TV Guide; TV Passport

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