Diana documentary offers ‘intimate’ glance
If you must choose one commemorative special among many, “Diana — Her Story” (8 p.m., PBS, TV-PG) is probably worth watching. It comes closest to a scintilla of “scandal” and reflects one of the most over-documented figures of the late 20th century at her least rehearsed.
“Story” includes videos shot by her mentor and speech coach, Peter Settelen, in 1992. More than a decade removed from her “fairy tale” wedding of 1981, Diana felt the need to reinvent herself and come to grips with a royal persona of wife and dutiful mother that had become a trap.
In the videos, she describes what it was like to be a teenager plucked from obscurity by an older man who happened to be the Prince of Wales. Scenes of Diana sitting casually in a chair and spilling intimate details about the man she dated only 13 times before marriage are combined with news footage and location shots of the royals’ many castles.
While this may appeal to Diana completists, there’s nothing entirely new here. And what exactly is the point of revisiting the “victimhood” and reinvention of a very privileged woman dead these 20 years?
One gets the sense that viewers have seen everything they possibly can about the “People’s Princess” and that there isn’t anything deep to reveal because, tragedy aside, Diana wasn’t all that profound in the first place.
I think viewers will be more interested in the return of Netflix’s “The Crown” in December, a three-dimensional portrait of Diana’s mother-in-law, a woman demonized in the aftermath of Diana’s death in 1997.
ON THE GRIDIRON
› Tensions rise as 90 players vie for 53 roster spots on “Hard Knocks: Training Camp With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers” (10 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
› In other football news, “Frontline” (10 p.m., PBS) repeats the documentary “League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis.” If anything, concern about this subject has only grown since “League” first aired in 2013, as research on deceased players shows a staggering rate of brain injury among former professional football players.
› Other off-field woes for the NFL emerge on “Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel” (11 p.m., HBO, TV-PG) in a look at the NFL Players Association and its leader, DeMaurice Smith, as a pivotal election approaches. Another segment explores the explosion in sports-related travel as parents follow their kids in ever more competitive youth sports.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
› Little League World Series (7:30 p.m., ESPN) action.
› A dozen acts perform live on “America’s Got Talent” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
› Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes star in the 2010 epic “Clash of the Titans” (8 p.m., AMC). Worthington also stars in “Manhunt: Unabomber” (10 p.m., Discovery, TV-14).
› A minor adjustment on “Bull” (9 p.m., CBS, repeat, TV-14).
› Laura and Nico are assaulted on “Somewhere Between” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
› Betting on terror on “NCIS” (8 p.m., CBS, repeat, TV-14).
› A disco hits the mute button on “Lethal Weapon” (8 p.m., Fox, repeat, TV-14).
› “Bachelor in Paradise” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
› “Supergirl” and “The Flash” (8 p.m., CW, repeat, TV-PG) enjoy a musical crossover.
› Discipline on “The Mick” (9 p.m., Fox, repeat, TV-14).
› ‘Round about the Round Table on “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” (9 p.m., CW, repeat, TV-14).
› Pimento and Rosa tie the knot on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (9:30 p.m., Fox, repeat, TV-14).
› A sniper targets crowds on “NCIS: New Orleans” (10 p.m., CBS, repeat, TV-14).
› Jane Lynch hosts “Hollywood Game Night” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).