TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
3:30 PM _ NASCAR Cup Series
After skipping 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., for the WISE Power 400. Alex Bowman won this race in dominating fashion when it was last run on the two-mile D-oval in 2020, winning the first stage and holding off Stage 2 winner Ryan Blaney for his first victory of the season. He’ll return to defend his title from a field including Blaney, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch. 8PM * American Idol Ryan Seacrest, who has been with “American Idol” since its 2002 premiere on Fox, returns as host as this Emmy-winning music competition series opens its historic 20th season, which is expected to include guest appearances by former contestants as it unfolds. Also back are judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, who have been with “Idol” since it moved to ABC in 2018. Production details are still in discussion, but the show is expected to continue the format it has used since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
8PM (FOOD) Tournament of
Champions A powerhouse hit in previous seasons, host Guy Fieri’s culinary competition really steps things up for Season
3, with a bracket-style competition that includes twice as many chefs, double the battles and episodes that run two hours. The skills and creativity of 32 exceptional chefs from the East and West Coasts are tested as never before. 8PM (TBS) (TNT) 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
Helen Mirren will receive the SAG Life Achievement Award during this year’s ceremonies, simulcast on both TBS and TNT live from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. The award, presented annually to an actor who fosters “the finest ideals of the acting profession,” is only the latest accolade for Mirren, whose many previous honors include an Oscar, three Emmys and a Tony Award, among several others.
8PM (BBCA) Killing Eve Eve, Villanelle and Carolyn (Sandra Oh, Jodie Comer, Fiona Shaw) each finds herself in an unfamiliar emotional place as this multiaward-winning thriller returns for its fourth and final season, which comprises eight episodes. After their meaningful exchange on the bridge at the climax of Season 3, Eve (Oh) embarks on a revenge mission, while Villanelle has found a new community as she struggles to prove she’s not a monster. Elsewhere, Carolyn continues pursuing The Twelve and the person who ordered the hit on Kenny.