What to watch this weekend August 9, 2024: TV awards contenders

It seems like just yesterday the 2024 Paris Olympics were getting underway in the City of Light, but it’s been two weeks since France reminded the world its greatest exports have always been art and chaos. The avant-garde opening ceremony on the River Seine featured everything from “Les Misérables” and a metal band jamming with headless Marie Antoinettes, to a fashion show and 14-time French Open winner Rafael Nadal carrying the Olympic torch.

Since then we’ve seen world records fall and impressive feats of athleticism never before done. We’ve cheered comebacks and cried over shattered dreams. But as the end of the Summer Games approaches, we turn our sights to Sunday’s closing ceremony (airing live at 3 p.m. on NBC and Peacock, replaying at 7/6c). Stade de France, which has been home to the track and field events this week, will be at the center of the spectacle, which organizers say includes more than a “hundred performers, acrobats, dancers and circus artists.” And if rumors are to be believed, also Tom Cruise, as France will officially pass the Olympic flag to the organizers of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. After all, nothing says America like the star of “Top Gun: Maverick,” which is why the Olympics are once again the awards contender to watch this weekend.

SEE Experts slugfest: Analyzing 2024 Emmy episode submissions

However, if you’d rather focus your energy elsewhere, other contenders include:

• “The Umbrella Academy”: Spend your weekend with the fourth and final season of Netflix’s popular comic book series, which picks up several years after the Hargreeves reset the timeline at the end of Season 3. In this new normal, they find themselves powerless, and while it’s what many of them wanted, it unfortunately doesn’t last, as strange new enemies force the siblings to come back together for one last very personal apocalypse. All six episodes are now streaming on Netflix.
• “Industry”: HBO’s best-kept secret returns after two years off the air. The corporate drama set in the pressure cooker of London’s investment banking scene is back, adding Emmy-nominated “Barry” star Sarah Goldberg and “Game of Thrones’” Kit Harington to the mix. So-called ethical investing is at the forefront of the story this time around, as a sustainable energy startup led by Harington’s newcomer is on the eve of an IPO as the third season gets underway. The premiere airs Sunday at 9/8c on HBO and Max.
• “Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears”: If you enjoyed spending the offseason with the New York Giants, you will likely enjoy spending training camp with the Chicago Bears, who are feeling pretty hopeful after using their first overall pick this spring to draft USC quarterback and 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams in the wake of trading one-time Ohio State standout Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The first of five episodes is now streaming on Max.

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