‘America’s Got Talent,’ Tim Robinson’s Cringe Comedy, Lidia Celebrates Immigrant Flavors, Remembering ‘American Gladiators’

Season Premiere

8/7c

Who’ll make it past the judges’ buzzers, and will anyone get a coveted “Golden Buzzer” on the opening night of the talent competition’s 18th season? Simon Cowell returns with Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara to judge the acts, which include a techie magician, a man showcasing shadow art and a South African choir inspired by Season 16 favorite Nightbirde.

Season Premiere

Leave? On the contrary, fans of Tim Robinson’s outrageous brand of extreme sketch comedy wish he’d never go away. Winner of a 2022 Emmy and two WGA Awards, Robinson is back for a third six-episode season of bizarre antics, attracting celebrity guests including Jason Schwartzman, Saturday Night Live veterans Fred Armisen, Tim Meadows, Will Forte and Beck Bennett and Robinson’s former Detroiters partner in tomfoolery Sam Richardson.

Special

9/8c

Reflecting on her own immigration history, chef/author and restaurateur Lidia Bastianich understands the importance of reflecting one’s cultural past in their cuisine. With that in mind, she travels the country in a savory new special, meeting first, second and third-generation Americans who have found a new home while keeping their culinary traditions alive. Stops include Hartsville, S.C., where she encounters Ukrainian refugees from the war; the melting pot of Washington, D.C., and Louisville, with the nation’s second-largest population of Cuban immigrants per capita. In Reynoldsburg, Ohio, she visits a Nepali-Bhutanese city councilman. The American dream has rarely tasted so good.

Special

8/7c

A two-part 30 for 30 special (concluding Wednesday at 9/8c) examines the turbulent history of the syndicated hit American Gladiators, a sensation from the late 1980s to the mid-’90s, pitting contestants against so-called “professional” gladiators in physical battles. The documentary features members of the cast and crew, and most especially the show’s colorful creator Johnny Ferraro, a former Elvis impersonator.

INSIDE TUESDAY TV:

• Superman & Lois (8/7c, The CW): One of the last remaining remnants of the network’s superhero fixation is paired with Gotham Knights (9/8c) for one of the week’s few options for original scripted broadcast content.
• Real Murders of Orange County (9/8c, Oxygen): A third season of sun-dappled true-crime stories opens with the murder of a Laguna Beach party planner.
• Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge (10/9c, NBC): The summer game-show craze revs up with this competition, hosted by auto racing analyst Rutledge Wood, in which Hot Wheels superfans create eye-popping modified vehicles with the help of mechanical wizards in “The Car Pool.” America’s Got Talent’s Terry Crews is guest judge for the opener, with the winner getting $25,000. (The ultimate winner takes home another $50,000—and the honor of having an official Hot Wheels car die-cast to their design.)
• After Uvalde: Guns, Grief & Texas Politics (10/9c, PBS): Pulitzer-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa collaborates with The Texas Tribune and Futuro Investigates for a sobering Frontline report on the grief-stricken Texas town a year after the school massacre, where the debate over gun control and access to assault weapons continues.
• The Ultimate Fighter (10/9c, ESPN): The 31^st season features contenders in the bantamweight and lightweight divisions of the UFC coached by Conor McGregor, former UFC champ in those divisions, and Michael Chandler, No. 5 ranked lightweight.
• The Ride (streaming on Prime Video): Saddle up for an eight-part docuseries that goes inside the world of PBR (professional bull riding) through the inaugural 2022 season of the PBR Team Series.