The Glow is going dark for a few days as I head for a mini vacation in the mountains of Oregon. Here are the highlights for the next few days:
Sunday
I’m not a big golf fan, but the beautiful setting (Pebble Beach) and the frenzy of interest surrounding a certain contender (Tiger Woods) should make today’s final round of the U.S. Open worth watching. Coverage starts at noon on NBC.
ABC is rolling out two new show: “Scoundrels” (9 p.m., imagine a white-trash “Sopranos”) and “The Gates” (10 p.m., “True Blood” plus “Desperate Housewives” minus any originality). They both look terrible.
“Leverage” (9 p.m., TNT) is back for its third season, and Nate’s in prison. Not for long, I’ll bet.
Over on HBO, “True Blood” (9 p.m.) continues (No spoilers, I’m still churning through Season 2) and “Treme” (10 p.m.) ends its first season with a 90-minute finale. It’s already been renewed for a second season. Maybe Season 2 can deal with the aftermath of the oil spill.
Meanwhile, over on Showtime, “The Tudors” (9 p.m.) has its series finale. The big question: Will Henry VIII finally get fat? Following that is the series premiere of “The Real L Word” (10 p.m.), a reality show about six naked lesbians. At least that’s what the advertising suggests.
Monday
“The Bachelorette” (8 p.m., ABC). Ali and the guys head to Iceland, where two unfortunate bachelors will be sacrificed to the Norse volcano god Surtr. Spoiler alert: Surtr will find the rejected bachelors pathetic, and he’ll spew their ashy remains into the sky toward Europe, snarling international air travel for weeks.
“Gasland” (9 p.m., HBO). This expose about how the natural gas industry rapes the land won honors at the Sundance Film Festival. Just a guess: It’ll be depressing. Eye-opening and important, but depressing.
“Unforgettable: The Korean War” (11 p.m., PBS). As the conflict’s 60th anniversary looms, this documentary looks back at the war America forgot about. I just finished David Halberstam’s excellent book, “The Coldest Winter,” and wow, this is a chapter of American history that deserves to be remembered.
Tuesday
“30 for 30” (6 p.m., ESPN). “The Two Escobars,” a two-hour documentary chronicling the links between the 1994 Colombian World Cup soccer team — player Andres Escobar was murdered after scoring an own-goal in a loss to the U.S. — and drug lord Pablo Escobar. The film was screened at Cannes and earned raves, and it may be the best episode yet in this excellent documentary series.
It’s stupid game-show night on ABC, with “Wipeout” (8 p.m.) and “Downfall” (9 p.m.). Of the two, go with “Wipeout” — people going splat is funnier than people falling off a ledge.
This is it on “Deadliest Catch” (9 p.m., Discovery), the episode where Captain Phil Harris suffers a stroke that he would later die from. The network has worked with his family to show his final days tastefully, so expect something dramatic and poignant.
TNT debuts a new series, “Memphis Beat” (10 p.m.) starring Jason Lee (“My Name Is Earl”) as a quirky, blues-loving cop who plays by his own rules. I like Lee, but the show looks pretty ordinary.
Wednesday
“Top Chef” (9 p.m., Bravo). The cheftestants get with Michelle Obama’s program and try to make healthy lunches for school kids. And Angelo boasts to a fourth-grader that he’s cooked in Monte Carlo, so nyah nyah.
Thursday
ABC trots out another episode of “Wipeout” (8 p.m.) and debuts a new series, “Rookie Blue” (9 p.m.) about five rookie cops. It looks like an hourlong cliche.
“Burn Notice” (9 p.m., USA) offers its typical breezy humor and explosions as Michael and Sam get caught in a hostage situation at a bank. Wait, didn’t they use that plot last season? Oh, no, they’re the hostage-takers this time.
Fox canceled it years ago, but Comedy Central has resurrected “Futurama” (10 and 10:30 p.m.). Catch a full hour tonight as a season of all-new episodes debuts. The irony? It’ll be better than any of Fox’s current animated sitcoms.
“Boston Med” (10 p.m., ABC) sounds a lot like the fantastic “Hopkins 24/7” from a few years ago. The eight-part documentary chronicles the life and death struggles at three Boston hospitals. One thing’s for sure: It’ll be a heckuva lot more dramatic and touching than “Hawthorne.”
