MONDAY’S BEST PICKS
12 PM ( ESPN) 2020 U.S. Open Tennis
In the age of the pandemic, a lot will be missing from this year’s U.S. Open, among them fans and many top players, as the Queens, N.Y.-based Grand Slam tournament opens two weeks of tennis action today. Among the missing are two of the “Big Three” on the men’s side as defending champ Rafael Nadal has withdrawn due to COVID concerns and five-time winner Roger Federer is sidelined by injury. Less certain is the status of three-time champion Novak Djokovic, who was on the fence about his status as of mid-August. On the women’s side, six-time women’s champ Serena Williams was a “go.”
6:30 PM ( TNT) NBA Basketball The 16 teams that started with the Conference Quarterfinals have been whittled down to eight as they begin play today in the Conference Semifinals. The winners of these four best-of-seven series advance to the Conference Finals in two weeks, with the victors advancing to the NBA Finals at the end of the month. 8PM_ MOVIE Love the Coopers Sam and Charlotte Cooper (John Goodman, Diane Keaton) are preparing to end their marriage of 40 years, but first she wants to have a final “perfect Christmas” celebration with their extended family before making their announcement in this 2015 holiday comedy. Comic complications ensue, alternated with sentimental scenes. The cast also includes Alan Arkin, Ed Helms, Anthony Mackie, June Squibb, Amanda Seyfried and Marisa Tomei, with Steve Martin as narrator.
8 PM * The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever! The new episode “Nick Viall” revisits the romantic saga of one of the most memorable male participants in the entire “The Bachelor” franchise. Nick Viall was one of the final two men on both Andi Dorfman and Kaitlyn Bristowe’s seasons of “The Bachelorette” and also pursued Jen Saviano in “Bachelor in Paradise” before becoming “The Bachelor” himself.
8 PM G Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Comic Brad Sherwood makes his fourth guest appearance on this comedy series, joining regular players Ryan Stiles, Wayne Brady and Colin Mochrie as they run through a series of games and improvised sketches inspired largely by spontaneous suggestions from the studio audience. While the proceedings unfold in the spirit and style of a reality competition show, there aren’t any winners or losers, although host Aisha Tyler capriciously awards points after each round based purely on her mood at the moment.
8 PM ( AMC) (BBCA) (IFC) (SUND) Planet Earth: A Celebration Also airing simultaneously on BBC America, IFC and Sundance TV, this uplifting new special presents unforgettable moments from past episodes of the Emmy-winning “Planet Earth II” and “Blue Planet II,” featuring new musical compositions from Hans Zimmer and his associates. Sir
David Attenborough narrates the nature footage, which includes such highlights as a dance of Andean flamingos in Chile, surfing bottlenose dolphins on the East Cape of South Africa, and bird-eating fish in the Indian Ocean that launch themselves out of the water to catch sea-birds in mid-flight.
9 PM ( HGTV) Love It or List It In the new episode “1970s Drab to Fab,” hosts Hilary Farr and David Visentin meet with Michael and Becky, a couple who loved their house that came with a sizable lot when they purchased it six years ago. Unfortunately, the finishes inside the house are mostly tired artifacts of the 1970s, although their busy family life has forced any makeover plans to wait. Michael loves their large family room and bar, but Becky feels the entire floor plan is too cut off for entertaining, as well as woefully dysfunctional.
10 PM ( DSC) Bad Chad Customs With the 10th annual Rockabilly Weekend car show just around the corner, Chad has some big plans for this year’s raffle car in the new episode “Hot Rod From Heaven.” As the hours tick down, the team races to transform a rusted-out ’38 Ford into a jaw-dropping open-motor, fenderless hot rod that’s pretty much guaranteed to sell tickets. 10 PM ( TBS) American Dad Stan (voice of Seth MacFarlane) very rarely scores any points for being sensitive to his wife’s feelings, but the new episode “Dammmm, Stan!” finds him going to great lengths to find just the right couple’s activity for him and Francine (voice of Wendy Schaal). Meanwhile, Hayley and Steve (Rachael MacFarlane, Scott Grimes) look into some mysterious markings they find on the doorframe.