Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Sunday, July 9. All times are Eastern.
Top picks
The Defiant Ones (HBO, 9 p.m.): HBO kicks off four consecutive nights of this prestige documentary series tonight, which explores “the unlikely but ultimately unbreakable bond of trust and friendship between Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, two street-smart men from different worlds who have shaped many of the most exciting and extreme moments in recent pop culture.” Directed by Allen Hughes, the doc offers an interesting look into not only the recording industry—with interviews with stars like Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Bono, Gwen Stefani, and Bruce Springsteen—but mogul life overall. Legend has it that Iovine told Dre, “speakers not sneakers,” and a mega-industry was born, ultimately resulting in the sale of Beats Electronics to Apple for $3 billion. (Don’t worry, that HBO show you’re all jonesing for returns next week with its own empires.)
Regular coverage
Twin Peaks (Showtime, 9 p.m.)
Fear The Walking Dead (AMC, 9 p.m.)
Wild card
Little Witch Academia (Netflix): This Japanese series seems like a female-focused Harry Potter on the surface, but the animation enables it to delve into wholly surreal territory. Our Harry stand-in is Akko, who’s finally enrolled at Luna Nova Witchcraft Academy, where she discovers all sorts of magical friends and foes as she learns how to be a real witch. So far for our money the weirdest episode is number eight, “Akko’s Adventures In Sucyland,” where Akko’s friend Lotte sends her into Sucy’s mushroom-filled dream, which resembles the absolutely trippiness of actual dreamscapes. But we still have five episodes to go.