Star Trek: Lower Decks | Photo Credits: Best Possible Screen Grab

Sports are mostly back, which means there are even more things to watch than ever since the world shut down in March. But by the time you finish this sentence, there’s a good chance there will be another coronavirus outbreak on your favorite team, canceling another game, and portending a total shutdown of the league because we all know this was a bad idea to begin with. Plus, the fake fan noise and Zoom call video projections of fans are totally corny and not making the experience any better. But hey, regular TV will always be there for you! 

This week we have a wide variety of picks on a wide variety of networks and streaming services. You want something live? Tune in Sunday afternoon for history being made. You want some politics? A Netflix docuseries and an HBO film will remind you that we have a long, long way to go before our forefathers nod in approval. You want a movie about a guy who survived for 100 years in pickle brine? Then you are obviously Seth Rogen. 

Peacock: Everything We Know About NBCUniversal’s Streaming Service

If this isn’t enough and you’re looking for even more hand-picked recommendations, sign up for our free, daily, spam-free Watch This Now newsletter that delivers the best TV show picks straight to your inbox, or check out the best shows and movies this month on http://www.tvguide.com/news/the-best-movies-and-tv-shows-to-watch-on-netflix-in-august-2020/?ftag=, http://www.tvguide.com/news/the-best-tv-shows-and-movies-to-stream-on-hulu-in-august-2020/?ftag=, and http://www.tvguide.com/news/the-best-movies-and-tv-shows-to-watch-on-amazon-prime-in-august-2020/?ftag=.


Space Launch Live: Splashdown

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Sunday at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT on Discovery
Remember how we all made jokes about how jealous we were of those astronauts who got launched into space in late May just as America was tearing at the seams? Well, the astronauts return home this weekend after more than two months on the International Space Station, and boy do we have a surprise for them: America hasn’t fixed a damned thing! SpaceX’s first manned delivery to the ISS was riveting television, and the return should be equally mesmerizing as Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley splash down somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean in Sunday’s live broadcast. They’ll beg to go right back up. Side note: This type of news always makes me want to rewatch one of my favorite movies, The Right Stuff, which is streaming on HBO Max and will become a television show soon. 


Immigration Nation

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Monday on Netflix
This important docuseries that’s three years in the making gives an intimate look at Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and the immigrants they arrest. Both sides provide their version of the story without the camera judging them, which allows the ICE agents to hang themselves with their own words. They’re just doing their jobs, but their jobs are inhumane. They’re not necessarily bad apples, but the whole system is rotten. The filmmakers were given shockingly expansive access, and they captured some deeply disturbing footage of ICE at work. The footage is so incriminating, in fact, that the federal government fought to keep the documentary from being released until after the election. The sheer amount of news that happens every day can make the Trump administration’s policy of separating children from their parents feel like it happened a long time ago, but this docuseries’ first episode will take you right back to the summer of 2018. -Liam Mathews


The Swamp

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