For those who still enjoy a cable subscription, here is a selection of cable and network TV shows, movies and specials that broadcast this week, June 24-30. Details and times are subject to change.
Monday
BEAT BOBBY FLAY starting at 9 p.m. on Food. There is truly every type of cooking show you could imagine on television these days. But in rarely any of them does a world famous chef flex his cooking muscle alongside contestants. That is exactly what Bobby Flay does here. Each episode features two chefs going head-to-head cooking something of Flay’s choosing. Whichever chef wins that round then gets to compete against Flay himself, this time with the competitor’s signature dish.
Tuesday
CMA FEST 8 p.m. on ABC. This year’s country music extravaganza took place in early June, and now it is coming to the small screen. Jelly Roll and Ashley McBryde are set to host the special, showcasing performances from Kelsea Ballerini, Big & Rich, Clint Black, Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Post Malone and others.
ONE SOUTH: PORTRAIT OF PSYCH UNIT 9 p.m. on HBO. The 2020 Netflix documentary series “Lenox Hill” brought viewers into the neurosurgery unit of that hospital. This HBO series might be even more intimate, this time bringing viewers into a hospital where college students are receiving treatment for serious mental health issues. This series spotlights the experience, from intake to discharge, in one of these hospitals and frustrating limitations of the U.S. health care system.
Wednesday
REAL CSI: MIAMI 10 p.m. on CBS. If you ever dreamed that any of the “CSI” franchise shows were more realistic, you’re in luck. This new series is a reality show, inspired by the Crime Scene Investigation unit featured on countless dramas. The cameras follow investigators at true crime scenes and then outline the forensic process of finding suspects.
Thursday
NHL AWARDS 7 p.m. on ESPN. The hockey season is over, and now it is time for players to get their flowers. Taking place at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas, and being broadcast live, players will accept awards for most valuable player, outstanding goaltender, outstanding defenseman, outstanding rookie and more. Time to crack open a cold brewski and celly!
PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE 9 p.m. on various channels. Campaign season is underway with this first presidential debate broadcast. Jake Tapper and Dana Bash from CNN will moderate, and there will be no live studio audience. Decided by a coin toss: President Biden is set to appear at the podium on the right side of the stage and former President Donald J. Trump will get the last word of the debate. Also, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. failed to qualify for the debate, so it will just be Trump and Biden on the stage.
Friday
HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS (2003) on Bravo. “All the other girls dreamed they’d be Ben’s partner, they’d be Ben’s partner, ooooohhh.” Anytime I watch this 2000s rom-com, this personalized rendition of Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” gets stuck in my head. It’s annoying, but that’s kind of the point. Andi (Kate Hudson) has a magazine assignment to make a guy dump her in 10 days. Ben (Matthew McConaughey) makes a bet with his colleagues that he can make any woman fall in love with him in 10 days. After lots of cringe-y and highly awkward moments, the film, of course, ends in romance.
Saturday
SOUL (2020) 8:10 p.m. on Freeform. If you had a good cry while seeing “Inside Out 2,” and need another one, check out this Pixar movie about Joe, a middle school jazz teacher who ends up in a different realm and explores his passions. “In about 100 jaunty, poignant minutes,” A.O. Scott wrote in his review for The New York Times, the film “tackles some of the questions that many of us have been losing sleep over since childhood. Why do I exist? What’s the point of being alive? What comes after?”
Sunday
THE BET AWARDS 8 p.m. on BET. This is the year of a Usher resurgence (though he never really went away): He performed the Super Bowl Halftime Show, has a residency in Las Vegas and now is being honored with BET’s Lifetime Achievement award. Ice Spice, Lauryn Hill, Tyla and Shaboozey are set to perform at the award show, with Taraji P. Henson returning as host.
WATCH WHAT HAPPENS LIVE 15TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL 9 p.m. on Bravo. It’s hard to believe that what started as a web show has become a tent pole for Bravo programming, with the host Andy Cohen leading guests through games like “Plead the Fifth” and “Shag, Marry, Kill.” The show is celebrating 15 years with lots of familiar faces and trips down memory lane.
