I AM JFK JR.
Monday at 9 p.m., Spike
The latest installment of the network’s “I Am’’ docu-series (which has profiled titans of dude history like Bruce Lee, Steve McQueen, Evel Knievel, Dale Earnhardt, and Chris Farley) turns its attention to John F. Kennedy Jr., who would have turned 56 this year. The film pieces together a compelling portrait of “America’s Prince’’ (who for some reason I always assumed was, you know, Prince) through photos, vintage footage, and interviews with friends (Cindy Crawford, Mike Tyson, Larry Flynt), colleagues (like George magazine cohorts Gary Ginsberg and Matt Berman, and chief of staff RoseMarie Terenzio), and Kennedy experts (Christopher Andersen and Laurence Leamer). Strangely, the story of how he came this close to dating Elaine Benes is left out completely.
THE NAZI GAMES: BERLIN 1936
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE:
THE BOYS OF ’36
Tuesday at 8 and 9 p.m., PBS
If you’re looking at the forthcoming Olympics in Rio and wondering where all of this excess, disorganization, corruption, and uncertainty began, “The Nazi Games: Berlin 1936’’ doesn’t just tell the familiar stories of the most controversial Games in history, it shows how the ’36 Games shaped the Olympics as we know it 80 years later — even if that shape is a mess. The second part of this warmup to Rio is an “American Experience’’ offering inspired by Daniel James Brown’s best-selling book, “The Boys in the Boat,’’ and tells the story of nine University of Washington rowers and their unlikely path to gold through interviews with author Brown, historians, and family members.
CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL: COUNTRY’S NIGHT TO ROCK
Wednesday at 8 p.m., ABC
I hope those jeans are comfortable. This three-hour hootenanny, hosted by Brett Eldredge and Thomas Rhett, was filmed in June at the annual four-day country music throwdown — and edited down from that festival’s 11 stages and over 500 performers. Tonight’s cut catches performances from a sky full of big and rising stars of the (increasingly poppy) genre, including Carrie Underwood (pictured), Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Chris Stapleton, and Cassadee Pope.
2016 RIO OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY
Friday at 7:30 p.m., NBC
If you’re planning to watch the opening ceremony to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio (or if you’ll be one of the millions who will unwittingly get sucked into watching it), don’t pull an NBC and forget: The official language is Portuguese, so (despite the network’s whiniest lobbying) the USA will be tucked in nice and early with the E’s (i.e. Estados Unidos). This year’s ceremony — helmed by filmmakers Fernando Meirelles (“City of God,’’ “The Constant Gardener’’), Daniela Thomas, and Andrucha Waddington — will star legendary Brazilian musicians Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil along with 5,500 others (including Gisele, who is rumored to be a favorite to light the Olympic pyre).
MICHAEL ANDOR BRODEUR
