Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Sunday, July 16. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Game Of Thrones (HBO, 9 p.m.): The day George R.R. Martin fans have been waiting for has finally arrived: the kickoff of Thrones’ seven-episode seventh outing. Here’s HBO’s summary:
Daenerys Targaryen has finally set sail for Westeros with her armies, dragons and new Hand of the Queen, Tyrion Lannister. Jon Snow has been named King in the North after defeating Ramsay Bolton in the Battle of the Bastards and returning Winterfell to House Stark. In King’s Landing, Cersei Lannister has seized the Iron Throne by incinerating the High Sparrow, his followers and her rivals in the Sept of Baelor. But as old alliances fracture and new ones emerge, an army of dead men marches on the Wall, threatening to end the game of thrones forever.
If you’re looking for GOT coverage, you’ve come to the right place. In addition to our two episodic reviews (one, by Myles McNutt, for people who’ve read the books and one for people who haven’t by Brandon Nowalk), we have Mailbag Of Thrones, in which we answer questions you may have about the series, as well as You Win Or You Die, our popular betting pool on who will survive each episode. And if you want more of a refresher on last season, check out our extensive summary. Since there’s only a handful of episodes left (with a reported six episodes for the final eighth season), let’s enjoy all this clan-warfare goodness while we can!
Regular coverage
Twin Peaks (Showtime, 9 p.m.): Likewise, follow along with all things Twin Peaks with Emily L. Stephen’s spectacular reviews and our staff roundtables the day after the show airs.
Wild card
Home For Christmas Day (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, 9 p.m.): In an inspired twist of counter-programming, the Hallmark channels are offering their own version of winter in the summertime with a Christmas In July series. First Hallmark Channel ran The Christmas Cure, starring Brooke Nevin and Patrick Duffy, with the familiar Hallmark tale of a doctor returning to her hometown to take care of her ailing father, where she runs into her high school sweetheart and guess what happens. Tonight’s Home For Christmas Day on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries stars Hallmark regular Catherine Bell as a military widow who frets when her daughter falls in love with a soldier who’s about to be deployed. We’re guessing that everything ends up happily; you certainly can’t have those same expectations about the Lannisters.