Smashing Glass on CMT, Watery ‘Spy’ Finale, Daniel Radcliffe’s Tribute, ‘Quantum’ vs. Nazis

CMT salutes Patti LaBelle, Tanya Tucker and more groundbreaking women in music in the channel’s first Smashing Glass special. Nature’s robotic fish are in “Deep Trouble” in the finale of Spy in the Ocean. Daniel Radcliffe is executive producer of a documentary that honors David Holmes, his Harry Potter stunt double who was paralyzed after an accident on set. Quantum Leap races 1950s-era Nazis to find an important scientific formula.

Tanya Tucker, Patti LaBelle, and Billie Jean King performing during 'CMT Smashing Glass' 2023
CMT

CMT Smashing Glass

Special

The country-music channel launches a new franchise with an inaugural special saluting trailblazing women in music, starting with Patti LaBelle and Tanya Tucker. The honorees sit with Sheryl Crow for a roundtable discussion before taking the stage to perform, with the roster of performers and presenters including Billie Jean King, Clint Black, Chris Janson, Ledisi, Fancy Hagood and The War And Treaty. The special also features “Moments of Respect” tributes to artists who’ve passed, with Amber Riley, Lucie Silvas and Mickey Guyton performing medleys honoring Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin and Sinéad O’Connor.

A whale calf rides its mother's back in PBS's 'Spy in the Ocean'
PBS

Spy in the Ocean: A Nature Miniseries

Season Finale

Nature concludes its fascinating miniseries, a watery offshoot of its Spy in the Wild series, in which robot spy cameras disguised as underwater creatures are embedded with multiple species. The finale, titled “Deep Trouble,” focuses on the challenges and perils of marine life, including a spy marine iguana enduring a storm with actual reptiles, a baby whale facing danger and a mantis shrimp punching out a spy crab.

Daniel Radcliffe and David Holmes in 'David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived'
HBO

David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived

Documentary Premiere

Daniel Radcliffe executive produces a very personal and inspirational documentary honoring David Holmes, a gifted gymnast who landed “the best job in the world” when he became Radcliffe’s lead stunt double in the Harry Potter film franchise. “He had no concept of fear,” says David’s dad, recalling the 10 years of their close collaboration, which ended when Holmes was seriously injured in an accident on set that left him paralyzed with a spinal injury. The Boy Who Lived reveals Holmes’ resilience in the aftermath of tragedy and how he continues to uplift all who know him, finding “light in the darkest of places.”

Nanrisa Lee as Jenn, Raymond Lee as Dr. Ben Song in 'Quantum Leap' - Season 2, Episode 6
NBC

Quantum Leap

Ben (Raymond Lee) channels his inner Indiana Jones when he leaps onto the Princeton University campus in 1955, where he’s in a race against Nazis to find a formula hidden by Albert Einstein that’s instrumental to the development of nuclear energy. While on the hunt, he’s surprised to encounter a familiar face. Followed by a new episode of Magnum P.I. (9/8c), with Magnum (Jay Hernandez) and Higgins (Perdita Weeks) helping an Amish teenager who’s come to the islands to find his runaway sister. Elsewhere, Rick (Zachary Knighton) plays matchmaker, looking to find TC (Stephen Hill) a date for the Marine Corps Ball.

INSIDE WEDNESDAY TV:

  • The Challenge (8/7c, MTV): Contenders are rocked when they learn they’ll be facing Challenge Champions in the arena.
  • Survivor (8/7c, CBS): The auction is back, and you know some of the castaways will give it all away to get some fuel in their system. Followed by The Amazing Race (9:30/8:30c), which finds new ground to cover when traveling to Slovenia for the first time.
  • Expedition Unknown (9/8c, Discovery): Josh Gates opens a new season by heading to Micronesia in search of clues about Operation Hailstone, America’s response to Pearl Harbor that destroyed a Japanese base in the South Pacific. He works with Project Recover to look for 40 downed planes and the remains of 200 American heroes.
  • Nova (9/8c, PBS): “The Battle to Beat Malaria” follows the progress of researchers and scientists around the world in developing and creating a low-cost vaccine for the deadly disease, then gaining World Health Organization approval in October.
  • Cribs (9:30/8:30c, MTV): See how the other half lives when the series returns with back-to-back episodes, touring the homes of Taye Diggs, Martha Hunt, Nikki Garcia, Vinny Guadagnino, Kaila Novac and Nick Viall.
  • Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch (10/9c, Discovery): Season 3 brings Duane and Chad Ollinger back to the Northern Utah ranch where they’ve spent years trying to find a rumored $3 billion in Aztec gold in underground caverns. Naturally, they’re not thrilled to find claim jumpers digging on the property.

ON THE STREAM: