Cleverman (Sundance, 10 p.m.) – The premiere of this six-part Australian sci-fi series follows a group of gifted beings (known as “Hairypeople” courtesy of the furry coats covering their bodies) as they struggle to survive in a world where humans hunt them. There are a lot of superhero shows out there, but this one is based in aboriginal folklore and features an indigenous actor as its lead which makes it infinitely more interesting than anything Marvel or DC have put out in years.
American Ninja Warrior (NBC, 8 p.m.) – Season eight premieres with four new obstacles, including the Floating Steps, Tic Toc, Escalator and Ring Jump and an even higher Warped Wall (sorry Kacy Catanzaro). Basically, everything is harder this year after Isaac Caldiero won last season.
Master Chef (Fox, 8 p.m.) – Season seven fires up with 40 professional chefs serving up their signature dishes to a panel of judges in the hopes of being chosen to compete for a cookbook deal and a $250,000 grand prize.
Young & Hungry (Freeform, 8 p.m.) – In the season four premiere, Elliot, Alan and Yolanda pose as a polyamorous couple while Gabi teams up with another jilted lover in Hawaii where the two post pictures of their getaway on social media in order to make their exes jealous.
iHeartRadio Summer Pool Party 2016 (CW, 8 p.m.) – Nick Jonas, Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, Kelly Clarkson and Shaggy perform at iHeartRadio’s annual summer bash.
Cutthroat Kitchen (Food, 9 p.m.) – Season 13 kicks off with challenges inspired by the ’50s. Contestants are tasked with whipping up an all-American breakfast, a TV dinner and a milkshake with a Marilyn Monroe twist.
Genius by Stephen Hawking (PBS, 9 p.m.) – Tonight we contemplate what constitutes life by exploring self-assembling machines, bacteria and a physical demonstration of evolution. Later, in the season one finale, we look at Earth’s place in the cosmos.
Roots (A&E, Lifetime, History, 9 p.m.) – Part three of this four-part series follows Chicken George growing up with dreams of buying freedom for himself and his family before his master, in order to pay a debt, sells him to another plantation.
Wayward Pines (Fox, 9 p.m.) – Theo uses his status as the only surgeon in town to find out what really happened to his wife Rebecca. Elsewhere, town historian CJ Mitchum fronts a dangerous mission outside the fence; Theresa searches for her son; and Megan Fisher takes over a research project focusing on the Abbies.
Maron (IFC, 9 p.m.) – Marc finds himself in an unusual living situation thanks to his meddling sponsor.
Royal Pains (USA, 10 p.m.) – Hank finds love while in Hong Kong while trying to protect Boris’ medical records and Paige persuades Ethan to reconsider their parenting approach.
The Americans (FX, 10 p.m.) – Oleg reaches a breaking point with Stan as an incident causes Paige to view her mother in a totally different light.
The Night Shift (NBC, 10 p.m.) – Season three’s two-part premiere begins as the overnight crew is tasked with manning a bizarre car accident rescue. Meanwhile, Drew (still in Afghanistan) partners with a colleague (Jennifer Beals) in order to treat an Afghani woman.
LATE NIGHT GUESTS
Everyone is in repeats this week. Go to bed early.
