2019 U.S. Open Tennis Championships
Late August means tennis in Queens, where this
year two very different storylines should play out.
On the men’s side, any route to a New York final
that doesn’t include two of the Big Three—Novak
Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer—will
rate as a surprise. In the women’s draw, every day
bears watching, because defending champ Naomi
Osaka has been an uncertain No. 1, and she’ll
have to outlast Ashleigh Barty, Petra Kvitova,
and Serena Williams, the 37-year-old legend who
melted down in the 2018 title match. Coverage
begins Monday, Aug. 26, at noon, ESPN
2019 MTV Video Music Awards
Taylor Swift, Lil Nas X, Lizzo, Rosalia, Camila
Cabello, Shawn Mendes, and career honoree
Missy Elliott will all perform live on the night
when MTV will be handing out its annual awards
for the 36th time. Coming in, Swift and Ariana
Grande lead the field with 10 nominations each.
Monday, Aug. 26, at 8 p.m., MTV
Magical Land of Oz
When you think Australia, kangaroos and koalas
spring to mind. But that’s just a start. This sweep-
ing documentary combs the country’s varied land-
scape to spotlight amazing creatures that exist
nowhere else, including the endangered numbat,
a cousin of the platypus known as an echidna,
and such superintelligent birds as the palm cocka-
too and the black kite. Wednesday, Aug. 28, at
10 p.m., PBS; check local listings
Big Family: The Story of Bluegrass Music
Bluegrass has come a long way since Bill Monroe
first picked up a mandolin. This celebration of the
genre recounts how the Kentucky-born Monroe
took the mountain fiddle music he’d learned as a
boy and, along with banjo pioneer Earl Scruggs,
pushed its pace and precision until it acquired a
singular energy. For roughly eight decades, the
music has honored that template while absorbing
new generations of devotees. Del McCoury, Bela
Fleck, and other stars supply commentary. Friday,
Aug. 30, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings
Carnival Row
In a fictional Victorian-era city, a detective, played26 ARTS Television
The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching
Jan Thijs, Kevin BakerMonday, Aug. 26
The Aviator
A grand performance by
Leonardo DiCaprio carries
Martin Scorsese’s epic por-
trait of eccentric film and
aviation magnate Howard
Hughes. (2004) 8 p.m., the
Movie Channel
Tue sday, Aug. 27
Dick
Michelle Williams and
Kirsten Dunst co-star in an
offbeat comedy that hands
a central role in Richard
Nixon’s Watergate scandal
to two daft 15-year-olds.
(1999) 6:25 p.m., Showtime
Wednesday, Aug. 28
The Lincoln Lawyer
Matthew McCon aughey’s
charm elevates this thriller
about an L.A. defense attor-
ney who operates out of
the back of a chauffeured
Lincoln Town Car. From a
novel by Michael Connelly.
(2011) 8 p.m., Epix
Thursday, Aug. 29
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
Jason Scott Lee plays his
namesake in a light, ser-
viceable biopic of the more
celebrated martial-arts
screen star. (1993) 9:30 p.m.,
Movieplex
Friday, Aug. 30
House of Strangers
The adult sons of a crooked
banker plot against one
another after their father
lands in prison. With
Edward G. Robinson and
Susan Hayward. (1949)
10:15 p.m., TCM
Saturday, Aug. 31
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Melissa McCarthy garnered
an Oscar nomination play-
ing a failing New York
writer who turns to forgery.
(2018) 8 p.m., HBO
Sunday, Sept. 1
The Adjustment Bureau
Matt Damon plays a Senate
candidate who learns that a
secret intelligence network
is guiding his fate, in a
drama based on a Philip K.
Dick short story. Emily Blunt
co-stars as the new crush
he’s told he must split with.
(2011) 6:10 p.m., CinemaxMovies on TV
Muppets fans didn’t know quite what to make
of Jim Henson’s turn to dark fantasy when The
Dark Crystal hit theaters in late 1982. But some
viewers were enchanted, and the film has grown
in stature and come to be regarded as a bench-
mark for puppetry. This 10-part prequel series,
produced by Henson’s oldest daughter, returns
to the planet Thra to follow three elfish Gelfling
who inspire a rebellion against the villainous,
vulture-like Skeksis. As the puppetry reaches
new heights, Taron Egerton, Nathalie Emman-
uel, and Mark Hamill lend their voices. Available
for streaming Friday, Aug. 30, on NetflixShow of the week
Emmanuel’s Deet, a Gelfling on a missionThe Dark Crystal: Age of Resistanceby Orlando Bloom, ventures into a poor immi-
grant district to investigate a series of murders.
But this is fantasy noir, and the immigrants are
winged fairies and other magical human-like
creatures driven out of their distant lands by
industrial colonizers. Cara Delevingne co-stars
as a fairy who rekindles an affair that she and
Bloom once shared under different circumstances.
The elaborate steampunk sets are reason enough
to see if the story will pull you in. Available for
streaming Friday, Aug. 30, Amazon Prime
Other highlights
Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready
Tiffany Haddish is paying it forward. The actress
and comedian, who had her breakout moment
two summers ago in Girls Trip, has created a
series to showcase her favorite veteran standup
performers who’ve yet to break big themselves.
The first six each perform a half-hour set.
Five are women; the sixth is drag queen Flame
Monroe. Available for streaming on Netflix
Trolls: The Beat Goes On!
Those wild-haired dolls of the ’60s have inspired
one of TV’s funniest kids’ shows, now entering
its seventh season. Tuesday, Aug. 27, Netflix
Maigret
British actor Rowan Atkinson (aka Mr. Bean)
stars as detective Jules Maigret in a new series
based on the novels by Georges Simenon.
Saturday, Aug. 31, at 7 p.m., Ovation- All listings are Eastern Time.
Bloom as a war-veteran detective on Carnival Row.