What to Watch This Week: June 23 to 28

From household hijinks to reality reboots, we round up the top 10 shows to watch this week

From household hijinks to reality reboots, we round up the top 10 shows to watch this week

1. 2019 BET Awards — Sunday, June 23, 5 p.m., BET

Regina Hall (Girls Trip) hosts the 19th annual BET Awards, broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Among the performers scheduled to take to the stage are DJ Khaled, Cardi B, Migos, H.E.R. and Lizzo, along with Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus performing their crossover mega-hit “Old Town Road.” On hand to present awards will be Taraji P. Henson (Empire), Lena Waithe (The Chi), Morris Chestnut (The Enemy Within), Yara Shahidi (grown-ish) and more. When it comes to nominations, Cardi B leads the pack with seven, followed by Drake with five, while Beyoncé, Travis Scott and J. Cole are tied with four apiece.

2. Big Little Lies — Sunday, June 23, 8 p.m. & 10:35 p.m., HBO Canada

Still sniffing for clue’s into her son’s death, Mary Louise tries to get closer to another of his victims: Jane. Meanwhile, Renata goes all… well, Renata… on Principal Nippal rather than face up to the situation at home with her troubled husband.

3. The Hills: New Beginnings — Monday, June 24, 7 p.m. & 8 p.m. (repeating at Midnight and 1 a.m.), MTV Canada I Series Premiere

For many viewers, The Hills was one of the series that made “appointment television” a thing. In the days before shows became available virtually any time a viewer wanted via apps, streaming sites and On Demand, fans made sure they were in front of their sets for the premiere of each episode of the MTV reality series spawned by Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. It’s a new TV environment but the same faces—with some of their spouses also present—as many of the principals reunite in The Hills: New Beginnings.

While Lauren Conrad, Kristin Cavallari and Lo Bosworth are absent, there are some additions to the cast… a particularly notable one being actress Mischa Barton. Also newly on hand are several wives of Hills stars: Frankie Delgado’s mate Jennifer; Jason Wahler’s mate Ashley; and Kaitlynn Carter, but without her husband Brody Jenner, who reportedly was fired from the series after being a no-show. Indeed, there’s been Hills-style drama even before the show hits the air.

4. Years and Years — Monday, June 24, 8 p.m., HBO Canada I Series Premiere

Screenwriter Russell T. Davies has earned a reputation as one of the most provocative voices in U.K. television, responsible for such series as Queer As Folk, the revival of iconic sci-fi series Doctor Who and the historical miniseries Casanova. For his latest, Davies looks to Europe’s increasing embrace of far-right nationalism to paint a terrifying vision of Britain in the near future under the leadership of a controversial populist politician who moves the nation in an unforeseen direction.

Davies’ six-episode miniseries Years and Years begins one night in 2019 with a TV appearance by fledgling politician Vivienne Rook (Emma Thompson), a familiar face to Britons as a media figure and entrepreneur who is adored by some for her unvarnished opinions and gift for pithy TV soundbites.

5. Tiananmen: The People Versus the Party — Tuesday, June 25, 6 p.m. & Midnight, WTVS; 9 p.m., KCTS

Probably the most enduring image of the 1989 Tiananmen Square uprising is of a single young man standing defiantly in front of a tank brought in to crush student protests.

But to the people of Beijing and all over China who are old enough to remember, the massacre of hundreds if not thousands of students and other ordinary citizens demonstrating for democracy and a voice in their government is the singlemost defining event of their lives, a trauma that lives with them to this day. Their 9/11.

The story of those seven weeks that culminated with the bloody June 3rd and 4th crackdown by Chinese troops is told in Tiananmen: The People Versus the Party, premiering Tuesday on PBS. Using archival Chinese TV footage, interviews with insiders and key figures, and eyewitness accounts, the two-hour documentary lays out in detail how a series of peaceful demonstrations could slowly escalate into epic bloodshed that scarred a generation.

6. Big Brother — Tuesday, June 25 & Wednesday, June 26, 8 p.m., Global & CBS I Season Premiere

It’s officially summer as of this week and we ask you: what show better embodies the true spirit of Summer TV than this hot ‘n’ trashy reality battle? BB is back with a two-night event to introduce us to all the new (and maybe returning) houseguests and their back-stabby strategies for taking home that $500,000 prize.

7. The Amazing Race — Wednesday, June 26, 9 p.m., CTV & CBS I Season Finale

We have mixed feelings when reality shows recruit former contestants for comeback appearances. On one hand, it’s nice to see new personalities figure out their place in the game and establish their own fan bases. On the other, it’s usually only the contestants who evoked strong viewer reactions in the first place that are asked back, which means we’re emotionally invested with these people from the get-go. For the most part, the latter sentiment has won out on this current season of the worldwide race, as former contestants from Amazing Race, Big Brother and Survivor have teamed up to compete for that million bucks.

Now, it all comes down to this week’s nail-biting finale, in which one team will be crowned the all-star champs, while the others are left with oh-so-many unforgettable experiences as consolation.

8. Siren — Thursday, June 27, 5 p.m. & 8 p.m., ABC Spark

The folks in Bristol Cove face some soul-twisting moral and ethical conundrums on this week’s episode of the exquisitely dark, absolutely bonkers mermaid thriller.

Maddie and Ben decide enough is enough and work together to devise a plan that will help their aquatic pal Ryn escape from captivity. But when they realize that in order for Elaine to recover from her stupor they’ll need to continue the procedures they’ve set out to rescue Ryn from, it forces the pair to reconsider their priorities.

Complicating matters even further: someone else in the group gets “sirened” by the mysterious song, prompting increased interest from the military. In short order, the need to get to the bottom of this otherworldly malady becomes more crucial than ever, and having a conscience may no longer be an option.

9. Lip Sync Battle — Thursday, June 27, 7 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., Paramount I Season Finale

The season’s final two episodes feature four professional singers setting aside their God-given vocal skillz and putting pure swagger to the test. First, Prince Royce syncs off against Internet star Lele Pons, before Empire‘s Serayah McNeill does battle with Power star Rotimi (a.k.a. that guy who beefed with 50 Cent).

10. Dope — Friday, June 28, Netflix I Season Premiere

This gritty reality series returns with a third season, chronicling the ongoing war on drugs from the perspectives of the dealers who sell them, the people who take them and the law enforcement officials tasked with fighting an unwinnable battle against increasingly powerful cartels.