TV best bets with season finales of ‘Mr. Robot,’ ‘Scream,’ ‘Rookie Blue,’ ‘The Last Ship’

Melissa Rivers (right) is taking over for her late mom as chief host of “Fashion Police” on E!

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Sunday, August 30, 2015

This week is packed with summer series ending their seasons as Labor Day approaches.

Among those: “The Whispers” on ABC Monday, TNT’s “Rizzoli & Isles,” FX’s “Tyrant” and MTV’s “Scream” on Tuesday, USA’s “Mr. Robot” and ABC’s “Celebrity Wife Swap” on Wednesday, ABC’s “Rookie Blue” and “Mistresses” Thursday and TNT’s “The Last Ship.”

And what’s back? E!’s “Fashion Police” on Monday, rebooting a second time after Kathy Griffin didn’t work out. This time, Joan Rivers’ daughter Melissa takes her mom’s seat.

MONDAY

“American Ninja Warrior” 8 p.m. NBC — he finalists head to Las Vegas.

“Fashion Police” 8 p.m. E! (back from hiatus) — Melissa Rivers takes over for her mom.

“Eight-Limbed Baby” 8 p.m. TLC — Keeping it classy as always, TLC.

“Bachelor in Paradise” 8 p.m. ABC — Chelsie asks Nick out and they enjoy an ocean cruise on a luxurious yacht and go snorkeling.

“So You Think You Can Dance” 8 p.m. Fox — The top 6 perform.

“The Boy With Giant Hands” 9 p.m. TLC — See 8 p.m. description.

“Awkward” 9 p.m. MTV  (fifth season debut) — Senior pranks cause chaos.

“Faking It” 9:30 p.m. MTV (second season summer debut) — Shane leads a revolt after a new principal cracks down on Hester.

“Running Wild With Bear Grylls” 10:01 p.m. NBC — Michael B. Jordan joins Bear in Wales.

“The Whispers” 10:01 p.m. ABC (first season finale) — Drill revs up the end game.

TUESDAY

“America’s Got Talent” 8 p.m. NBC — The Craig Lewis Band from Atlanta is among the 11 performing in the semifinals.

“Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” 8 p.m. Fox — A paleontologist and a real-estate agent answer elementary school questions for the chance to win $1 million.

“Rizzoli & Isles” 9 p.m. TNT (sixth season summer finale) — An old watch is discovered inside a balloon of cocaine in a dead woman’s stomach.

“Zoo” 9 p.m. CBS — The team are on the run as fugitives when they fly to Zambia to gather leopard DNA in order to manufacture a cure for the abnormal behavior that’s affecting animals worldwide.

“Playing House” 10 p.m. USA — An unexpected visitor interrupts Maggie and Emma’s weekend at Lake Kimmewah.

“Real Husbands of Hollywood” 10 p.m. BET — Kevin accidentally ingests drug-laced candy while in the company of an annoying rapper.

“Public Morals” 10 p.m. TNT — Muldoon investigates his uncle’s murder.

“Scream” 10 p.m. MTV (first season finale) — Emma tries to save a loved one and also learns the identity of the killer.

“Tyrant” 10 p.m. FX (second season finale) — Jamal’s fate is uncertain as Abbudin prepares to enter a new phase.

“Hollywood Game Night” 10:01 p.m. NBC — The party-game stars are Joe Jonas, Jeff Dye, Cheryl Burke, Jenna Elfman, Seth Green and Michelle Trachtenberg.

“Drunk History” 10:30 p.m. Comedy (third season debut) — Rival paleontologists Edward Cope and Othniel Marsh clash over fossil discoveries.

WEDNESDAY

“America’s Got Talent” 8 p.m. NBC — The first finalists are named.

“Masterchef” 8 p.m. Fox — The Top 5 cooks compete in a mystery-box challenge that includes pear, tomato, portobello mushroom and chocolate.

“The Carmichael Show” 9 p.m. NBC  — Jerrod encourages his parents to lead healthier lifestyles, but his efforts backfire and cause a family debate about health, aging and death.

“Extant” 9 p.m. CBS — Molly tracks down John’s former colleague with JD and Ethan in hopes of stopping the Humanich threat.

“Home Free” 9:01 p.m. Fox —The competition continues as the couples put their all into the renovation.

“The Jim Gaffigan Show” 10 p.m. TV Land —Jim is featured on a magazine cover, but Jeannie becomes upset when the accompanying article doesn’t mention her.

“Last Comic Standing” 10 p.m. NBC — The Top 10 comics compete in head-to-head showdowns, and five winners advance to the finale.

“Mr. Robot” 10 p.m. USA (first season finale) — This was supposed to air last week but the Roanoke shootings hewed too closely with what happens tonight.

“Celebrity Wife Swap” 10 p.m. ABC (fourth season finale)  — The ladies with Robert Carradine and Terrell Owens swap places.

THURSDAY

“Beyond Scared Straight” 9 p.m. A&E (series finale) — The series finale features highlights from all nine seasons.

“Big Brother” 9 p.m. CBS — Will Johnny Mac go home – again?

“Mistresses” 9 p.m. ABC (third season finale) — Joss is granted her freedom

“Project Runway” 9 p.m. Lifetime — The designers battle for their fabric via a paintball competition, then they try to create a six-piece collection.

“Documentary Now” 10 p.m. IFC — A satire of groundbreaking documentaries done by Vice.

“Rookie Blue” 10 p.m. ABC (sixth season finale) — Not everything goes perfectly on Andy’s wedding day.

“Graceland” 10 p.m. USA — Johnny goes undercover to stop a gang war.

“Under the Dome” 10 p.m. CBS — The Dome’s calcification accelerates, leaving 24 hours before everyone suffocates from the barrier’s breakdown.

FRIDAY

“Hand of God” 12:01 a.m. Amazon (new series, episodes 2 to 10) — Ron Perlman plays justice Pernell Harris, a hard-living, law-bending married man with a high-end call girl on the side.

“Jimi Hendrix: Electric Church” 9 p.m. Showtime — A chronicle of Jimi Hendrix’s largest U.S. performance at the massive Atlanta Pop Music Festival in July 1970.

“Kendra on Top” 9 p.m. WE — Kendra returns home from her solo trip to the U.K.

“Cold Justice: Sex Crimes” 9 p.m. TNT— Casey and Alicia build a case against an uncooperative suspect.

“Atlanta Plastic” 10 p.m. Lifetime — Dr. Jones meets with a Michael Jackson impersonator who just can’t get beyond the man in the mirror.

WEEKEND

“Cedar Cove” 8 p.m. Saturday Hallmark — Will overstays his welcome at Olivia’s home.

“Blunt Talk” 9 p.m. Saturday Starz — The court orders Walter to attend AA meetings while his staff entertain themselves in peculiar ways during the weekend.

“Survivor’s Remorse” 9:30 p.m. Saturday Starz — Cassie gets a little action, much to her son’s chagrin.

“Ray Donovan” 9 p.m. Sunday Showtime — An attempt to draw Mickey out of hiding jeopardizes Bunchy’s wedding.

“The Last Ship” 9 p.m. Sunday TNT (second season finale) — The crew sends out a call to civilians to receive the cure at pre-selected ports.

“Masters of Sex” 10 p.m. Sunday Showtime — Masters continues his surrogacy program, which is now under Johnson’s critical eye.

“The Strain” 10 p.m. Sunday FX — Justine goes to extremes to thwart a surprise invasion.

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TV best bets with returns of ‘True Detective,’ ‘Rizzoli & Isles,’ ‘The Last Ship’

Key actors in “True Detective” season 2 on HBO debuting Sunday, June 21. CREDIT: HBO

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Sunday, June 14, 2015

HBO found a way to bring A list film actors onto TV by committing them to just one season at a time. This season of “True Detective” Sunday features Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn and Rachel McAdams. (Reviews? Mixed, after kudos for season one)

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson follows with his own TV series “Ballers.” (Now there’s a man who keeps a busy schedule!)

TNT brings back its most ambitious show “The Last Ship” for a second season Sunday against “True Detective.” And it brings back its most popular show “Rizzoli & Isles” Wednesday followed by a new series starring two 80s icons in Jennifer Beals and Matthew Modine about life and death.

And we can’t got a week without something out of Atlanta. This time, it’s USA’s “Complications” starring Jason O’Mara as an ER doctor who gets caught up in some crazy Atlanta gang warfare. Check that out Thursday.

This covers Monday, June 15 through Sunday, June 21, 2015.

MONDAY

“American Ninja Warrior” 8 p.m. NBC — A qualifying round in Orlando features such obstacles as the Paddle Boards and Tire Swing.

“The Bachelorette” 8 p.m. ABC — Producers bring back last year’s villain Nick Viall to torture Kaitlyn.

“So You Think You Can Dance” 8 p.m. Fox — The third round of auditions features dancers in Los Angeles.

“Devious Maids” 9 p.m. Lifetime — Zoila and Javier prepare to get married.

“Major Crimes” 9 p.m. TNT — A dead body pops out of a trunk at the end of a car chase.

“Texas Rising” 9 p.m. History (miniseries finale) — The Texas Rangers revel in victory.

“Unreal” 10 p.m. Lifetime — Rachel is forced to ask her mother for financial support.

“Murder in the First” 10 p.m. TNT — A manhunt for a missing shooter proves to be more difficult than anticipated.

“Odd Mom Out” 10 p.m. Bravo  — Stress increases for Jill over interviews with kindergartens for her twins.

“Making the Mob” 10 p.m. AMC (new series) — Charles “Lucky” Luciano arrives in New York City, teaming with Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel, in the opener of this docudrama chronicling the roots of organized crime in America.

TUESDAY

“America’s Got Talent” 8 p.m. ABC — Focus on extreme acts.

“Deadliest Catch” 9 p.m. Discovery — Johnathan Hillstrand deals with a troublesome deckhand aboard the Time Bandit.

“Chrisley Knows Best” 9 p.m. USA — Todd puts Savannah on a budget to help her prepare for the real world.

“Rizzoli & Isles” 9 p.m. TNT (sixth season debut) — An unarmed man is shot on a Boston subway platform.

“The Real Houseswives of New York” 9 p.m. Bravo —Bethenny invites the women to decorate cupcakes.

“Clipped” 10 p.m. TBS (new series) — A workplace comedy centered on workers at a Massachusetts barbershop.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klT51hr0A_Q&w=560&h=315]

“Royal Pains” 10 p.m. USA — An actor wants to shadow Hank in order to prepare for a role.

“Proof” 10 p.m. TNT (new series) — A terminally ill billionaire (Matthew Modine) hires Dr. Carolyn Tyler (Jennifer Beals) to investigate cases of life after death.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3NQuS7n-6A&w=560&h=315]

WEDNESDAY

“Masterchef” 8 p.m. Fox —The cooks go to Las Vegas, where they split into two groups and take over a nightclub to prepare a meal for 101 performers.

“Duck Dynasty” 9 p.m. A&E — The Robertsons of the reality series “Duck Dynasty” prepare to tell their family’s rags-to-riches tale in the Broadway-style production “Duck Commander: The Musical.”

“Celebrity Wife Swap” 10 p.m. ABC — “Love Boat” alums Charo and Jill Whelan swap places.

“Deutschland 83” 11 p.m. Sundance (new series) — Spy drama set in the 1980s begins with a 24-year-old East German native going undercover in West Germany, where he enlists in their army to glean secrets concerning NATO military strategy.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ok68OYIzCs&w=560&h=315]

THURSDAY

“The Astronaut Wive’s Club” 8 p.m. ABC (new series) — This adaptation of Lily Koppel’s novel tells the story of seven women whom, in the opener, are transformed and forever bonded when their husbands are chosen to be the first Americans in space.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKMDli5b3W8&w=560&h=315]

“Inside the Actor’s Studio” 8 p.m. Bravo — Jim Parsons of “The Big Bang Theory” gets the love.

“Aquarius” 9 p.m. NBC — Hodiak’s investigation of a black woman’s murder is impeded by the Black Panthers.

“Complications” 9 p.m. USA (new series) — Disillusioned ER doctor Ellison saves the life of a young boy when he intervenes in a drive-by shooting in this Atlanta-based drama.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsJZDo8-m6g&w=560&h=315]

“The Seventies” 9 p.m. CNN  — A look at the fall of Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal.

“Mistresses”  9 p.m. ABC (third season debut)— Karen delivers some bad news to Joss.

“The Comedians” 10 p.m. FX — A sketch gets thrown out at the last minute, so the crew have to work on the Fourth of July.

“Alone” 10 p.m. History (new series) — Ten adventurers (including Alan Kay from Blairsville) attempt to survive the wilderness of Vancouver Island with whatever they’ve been able to place into a backpack.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34AvHPux4NM&w=420&h=315]

“Hannibal” 10 p.m. NBC — Will gains a potential ally in his continuing hunt for Hannibal when he makes his way to Hannibal’s childhood home in Lithuania.

FRIDAY

“Defiance” 8 p.m. Syfy  — Amanda negotiates with the Omec, a new alien race, for the future of Defiance.

“Briefcase” 8 p.m. CBS (new time slot) — Two families who have very different views and lifestyles face the decision of planning for their own future or sharing the money they have been offered.

“Killjoys” 9 p.m. Syfy (new series) — Warrants are served by a fun-loving, hard-living trio of interplanetary bounty hunters.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8rLnjMqi78&w=560&h=315]

“Dark Matter” 10 p.m. Syfy — The crew come to terms with revelations about their respective pasts.

“Preach” 10 p.m. Lifetime — Some Christians online are trying to get this show cancelled because they feel the female preachers show too much buffoonish behavior.

WEEKEND

“Cops” 8 p.m. Saturday Spike (28th season debut) — Crime never ends and neither does “Cops.”

“Power” 9 p.m. Saturday Starz — Ghost brings Angela to Miami, where they indulge in the fantasy of being a couple.

“Orphan Black” 9 p.m. Saturday BBC (third season finale) — Castor and Topside force Sarah to make uneasy alliances.

“Celebrity Family Feud” 8 p.m. ABC (new series) — Anthony Anderson vs. Toni Braxton, then Curtis Stone vs. Monica Potter.

“A.D.: The Bible Continues” 9 p.m. Sunday NBC (first season finale) — James confronts Caiaphas to win concessions for the disciples.

“Battlebots” 9 p.m. ABC (new series)— Fights between remote-controlled robots, though the new version eliminates weight classes and includes profiles of the builders.

“The Last Ship” 9 p.m. TNT (second season debut) — The fractured team joins an underground resistance.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGacZYVVBBM&w=560&h=315]

“True Detective” 9 p.m. HBO (second season debut) — The murder of a corrupt California politician with possible ties to a career criminal in a season starring Vince Vaughn and Colin Farrell.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4uxGbhO4ag&w=560&h=315]

“Food Network Star” 9 p.m. Food Network — The contestants create and photograph trendy “tiny” foods.

“Ballers” 10 p.m. Sunday HBO (new series) — This comedy-drama about the complicated lives of current and former NFL players stars The Rock.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpkxL9hb1Pw&w=560&h=315]

“Penny Dreadful” 10 p.m. Sunday Showtime— Sir Malcolm goes to confront Evelyn.

“The Brink” 10:30 p.m. Sunday HBO (new series) — A black comedy about a military coup in Pakistan.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwsEKGMzTZM&w=560&h=315]

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