What's On Tonight (Friday): Batman Returns (No, Not That One)

     

Batman: Caped Crusader

Today's Top Pick is the second season premiere of Batman: Caped Crusader.  This series is similar to the 90s Batman: The Animated Series, which figures since Crusader was also developed by Bruce Timm, who also serves as show runner.  Unlike the 90's series, Crusader is a period piece set some time during the 1940s, though WW2 is never mentioned.  The first season was well reviewed but took me some time to get into.  I doubt I'll have that issue this time.

Runner up goes to the streaming premiere of The Drama.  Despite being the subject of some controversy even before it came out due to a leaked plot point (controversy that I found weird), The Drama was a solid hit and is bound to make many critic best of the year lists.  This would normally be a slam dunk for Top Pick, but my rule of thumb generally is to go with whatever I am more likely to watch. 

There's also the premiere of Over Your Dead Body on Apple.  The film stars Jason Segal and Samara Weaving as a VERY unhappy married couple who both secretly decide to murder the other during a trip to a remote cabin.  At some point Timothy Olyphant and Juliette Lewis show up.  Murderous hijinks ensue.  Reviews are decent.

⭐🦇 Batman: Caped Crusader (Amazon, 3:01 AM) SEASON TWO. 'A hard-boiled animated series that follows the fearsome vigilante in his early years.'

Elsewhere...

 PREMIERES

Snoopy Presents: There's No Place Like Home, Snoopy

🎥 Over Your Dead Body (AMC+ / SUNDANCE NOW, 3:01 AM) 'When miserable couple Dan and Lisa retreat to a remote cabin for a romantic reset, each arrives with a secret plan to kill the other. However, their carefully plotted traps and counterplots quickly unravel when strangers crash the weekend with plans of their own.'

🎥 The Drama (HBO Max, 3:01 AM) STREAMING PREMIERE. 'A happily engaged couple is put to the test when an unexpected turn sends their wedding week off the rails.'

🦈 Secrets of the Great White Kill (Discovery Channel, 8:00 PM) SPECIAL PRESENTATION. 'Dr. Riley Elliott and Kori Burkhardt cross technical frontiers and push the boundaries of personal safety to record never-before-seen predations of great white sharks on their three most formidable prey.'

🎥 The Twin Who Lived (LMN, 8:00 PM) 'After learning she had a twin who died, Claire starts receiving strange gifts signed with her sister's name. What seems like a prank soon escalates into disturbing signs that someone is breaking into her home and trying to take control of her life.'

🦈 Sharkzilla Takes New York (Discovery Channel, 9:00 PM) SPECIAL PRESENTATION. 'After a slew of mauled marine life washes ashore in NY, Dr. Craig O'Connell starts a search to find the culprit; when it leads him to an old nuclear dumping ground ringed with great whites and makos, he theorizes that the predator may be radioactive.'

🎥 Time and Water (NGC, 9:00 PM) 'A writer says goodbye to Iceland's glaciers and his beloved grandparents.'

💍 Put A Ring On It: Cheathab (OWN, 9:00 PM) 'Follows long-term couples whose relationships have been rocked by infidelity as they move into the Miami-based "Cheathab House" to confront the trust issues, jealousy, and unresolved wounds threatening their futures.'

🥊 Fightland (Starz, 9:00 PM) SERIES PREMIERE. 'Follows a disgraced, formerly incarcerated boxing champion who returns to London to seek vengeance against the crime syndicate he thinks betrayed him.'

🦈 My Strange Shark Addiction (Discovery Channel, 10:00 PM) SPECIAL PRESENTATION. 'Four shark obsessives share their jaw-dropping stories; Ashley's husband meets her shark boyfriend for the first time, Casey tries to overcome his sharkphobia, Mike adds to his growing collection, and Emily attempts the record for shark tattoos.'

RETURNING SHOWS

🔔 Snoopy Presents: There's No Place Like Home, Snoopy (Apple, 12:01 AM) SPECIAL PRESENTATION.

Over Your Dead Body

STREAMING

🔔 Cape Fear (Apple, 12:01 AM) "The Executioners" SEASON FINALE. 

🔔 Silo (Apple, 12:01 AM) "Memory"

🔔 Sugar (Apple, 12:01 AM) "What Else Can You Do?"

🔔 Alliance (Amazon, 2:31 AM) 

📦 Sex Box (All Reality, 3:01 AM)

🔔 Escape to the Country (Britbox, 3:01 AM) 'Cornwall / Powys / Dorset / Gloucestershire and  Herefordshire' 

🎵 Lollapalooza Livestream Day 2 (Disney+ / Hulu, 5:00 PM) 

🔔 Deep Revenge (HBO Max, 3:01 AM) 

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

💖 Love Island (UK) (Hulu, 3:01 AM) 

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

🐻 Breaking Bear (Tubi, 3:01 AM)

👮🏻 Cops (Fox Nation, 6:00 PM) 

LIVE SPORTSBALL TODAY/TONIGHT

🏌🏻 2026 AIG Women's Open (USA, 8:00 AM)

⚽ Scottish Premiership Soccer: Rangers at Dundee United (CBSST, 3:00 PM)

🏌🏻 PGA Tour Golf: 2026 Rocket Classic - Round 2 (Golf, 3:00 PM)

🏌🏻 Korn Ferry Tour Golf: 2026 Utah Championship - Round 2 (Golf, 6:00 PM)

🏈 CFL Football: Montreal Alouettes at Ottawa Redblacks (CBSSPT, 7:30 PM)

🥊 Professional Fighters League (ESPN, 7:00 PM)

🏀 WNBA Basketball: Washington Mystics at Dallas Wings (Ion, 7:30 PM)

⚾ MLB Baseball: Texas Rangers at Houston Astros (Apple, 8:00 PM)

⚽ NWSL Soccer: NC Courage vs Orlando Pride (Amazon, 8:00 PM)

🥊 Legacy Fighting Alliance (Vice, 8:00 PM)

🌽 American Cornhole League: ACL World Championships 2026 - Pro Teams Championship (ESPNU, 8:30 PM)

⚾ MLB Baseball: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres (Apple, 9:30 PM)

🏀 WNBA Basketball: Indiana Fever at Portland Fire (Ion, 10:00 PM)

The Drama

🕖EARLY PRIMETIME🕖

🧽 SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon, 5:00 PM) 'SpongeBob goes on a desperate search after his favorite pair of underwear go missing; Baby Prunes shares the story of her days as a child star to explain why she dispises chocolate.'

🪨📃✂️ Rock Paper Scissors (Nickelodeon, 5:30 PM) 'The roommates jump at the chance to hang out with celebrity guest star Henry Winkler, only to discover the beloved actor is secretly a criminal mastermind.'

⭐ The Patrick Star Show (Nickelodeon, 6:00 PM) 'In Hamdonia, Prince Shmeat and Tofu Todd embark on a quest to defeat the Maw.'

🐢 Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Nickelodeon, 6:30 PM) 'A mysterious new threat turns the Mutanimals against the Turtles, leading the boys to discover the source of this terrifying mutant in Staten Island, N.Y.'

🕖8:00 EASTERN / 🕖 7:00 CENTRAL

🔔 Powerbook III: Raising Kanan (Starz, 8:05 PM) 'Facing pressure from all sides, Raq struggles to maintain control as alliances crumble, and Kanan's growing ruthlessness threatens his relationships.'

🦈 Secrets of the Great White Kill (Discovery Channel, 8:00 PM) 
🎥 The Twin Who Lived (LMN, 8:00 PM) 
🔔 Belle Collective (OWN, 8:00 PM) 

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

🤼‍♂️ WWE's Friday Night Smackdown (USA, 8:00 PM) 
💖 Love After Lockup (WE, 8:00 PM) SEASON FINALE. 

🕗 9:00 EASTERN / 🕖 8:00 CENTRAL

👽 The Unexplained (History, 9:00 PM) 'Throughout history, people have feared that ancient curses can bring misfortune, madness and even death to those who defy them. Are these deadly warnings powered by supernatural forces — or by the terrifying ability of belief itself to shape reality?'

🥊 Fightland (Starz, 9:00 PM) 'After eight years in a Nevada prison, former heavyweight boxing champion Duke Kilroy returns home to London, intent on avenging his brother's death.'

🔔 20/20 (ABC, 9:00 PM) 
🐶 Totally Funny Animals (CW, 9:00 PM) 
🦈 Sharkzilla Takes New York (Discovery Channel, 9:00 PM) 
🔔 Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness (HBO, 9:00 PM) 
🏠 My Lottery Dream Home (HGTV, 9:00 PM) SEASON FINALE. 
🎥 Time and Water (NGC, 9:00 PM) 
💍 Put A Ring On It: Cheathab (OWN, 9:00 PM) 
👮 On Patrol: Live (Reelz, 9:00 PM) 
🏠 Zillow Gone Wild (HGTV, 9:30 PM) 

Fightland

🕗 10:00 EASTERN / 🕖 9:00 CENTRAL

🔥 Roast My Rental (HGTV, 10:00 PM) 'Leslie calls on Jasmine to save a dream house rental that's full of nightmares in Long Beach, California. To keep this money pit from going under, Jasmine must deal with broken furniture and a decor that screams tacky.'

🍽️ Everything on the Menu with Braun Strowman (USA, 10:00 PM) 'Braun hits the music city for a dinner with rockstars and Nashville chicken with AJ Wilkerson. / At Bristol Motor Speedway, Braun is setting the pace with Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr.' SEASON FINALE. 

👽 Mysteries from Above (History, 10:03 PM) 'The view from above reveals baffling behavior from one of the ocean's fastest fish; whales with a strange, aquatic accessorizing habit; a confounding congregation of sharks down under; a perplexing collection of circles decorating the seabed.'

💀 Dateline NBC (NBC, 10:00 PM) 
🦈 My Strange Shark Addiction (Discovery Channel, 10:00 PM) 
🔔 Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO, 10:00 PM) 

LATE NIGHT

🔔 Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC, 11:35 PM) 'Guest host Tiffany Haddish; comic Lil Rel Howery; actor Shameik Moore.'

🔔 Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC, 12:37 PM) 'Actor Matt Damon; television presenter Rebecca Lowe.'

🔔 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC, 11:34 PM) 
😂 Comics Unleashed (CBS, 11:35 PM) 
🔔 Nightline (ABC, 12:37 AM)
😂 Funny You Should Ask (CBS, 12:37 PM)

📺Broadcast/Cable/Satellite - RETRO BINGE📺

South Park (Comedy Central, 5:00 AM -2:00 PM); Law & Order (Pop, 6:00 AM - 8:00 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 (11:00 AM - 4:00 PM); Seinfeld (Comedy Central, 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM); The Big Bang Theory (TBS, 4:00 PM - 8:00 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 AM - 3:00 AM); The King of Queens (TVLand, 11:00 PM - 2:00 AM); Wings (Antenna, 1:00 AM - 2:00 AM)

📺 Johnny Carson (Antenna, 11:00 PM) 'Comedian Flip Wilson; singer Pat Boone; comedian Tom Dreesen; Dr. Lenson Smith.' *Originally Aired July 23, 1976*

Time and Water

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

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