‘Lord of the Rings,’ ‘Terminator Zero’ and ‘KAOS’ on Netflix, Remembering Gary Coleman, Paralympics Action

Season Premiere

It seems like an entire age has passed since The Rings of Power first aired in 2022, and while you may need to consult your favorite Tolkien glossary to refresh your memory on who’s who and which realm you’re in, this lavishly produced epic fantasy has a scale and grandeur — and dare I say, wit — sorely lacking in House of the Dragon’s claustrophobic, largely inert second season earlier this summer. With the Dark Lord Sauron (Charlie Vickers) now revealed — though not yet to all, including (fatefully) the elven-smith Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards), maker of those powerful rings — the momentum builds as we revisit the worlds of elves, dwarves, harfoots and monstrous orcs and trolls. Launching with three episodes, the remainder weekly.

Series Premiere

The long-running sci-fi action franchise takes on a new look in an anime twist on the Terminator story from Japanese animation studio Production IG. Justified’s Timothy Olyphant gives voice to the latest iteration of the title assassin from an apocalyptic future, sent back in time to target the scientist (André Holland) — and his family — whose AI invention (Rosario Dawson) could be humanity’s last hope from the ravages of Skynet.

Series Premiere

Ye Gods! An irreverent eight-part contemporary fantasy skewering Greek mythology imagines Jeff Goldblum as a paranoid Zeus (in leisurewear) and Ozark’s Janet McTeer as his queen, Hera, ruling over a dysfunctional family including rebellious son Dionysus (Nabhaan Rizwan). When Zeus becomes convinced that the days of their reign are numbered, all Hades (not to be confused with the God played by David Thewlis) breaks loose, and his nemesis Prometheus (Stephen Dillane) engineers a plan that uses humans to take the king down.

Documentary Premiere

Few child stars had as rapid a rise to fame and as precipitous a fall as Diff’rent Strokes star Gary Coleman, the subject of a 90-minute documentary describing his life as a “cautionary tale.” Coleman suffered through his brief life with a kidney disease that stunted his growth and gave him a childlike appearance even into adulthood, when he went to court against his adoptive parents and business adviser over misappropriating $770,000 of his earnings. The special features interviews with his co-star Todd Bridges, his estranged parents and his ex-wife, promising new details about his health issues and his death in 2010 at 42 after a fall.

Coverage of the first day of competition in Paris starts early (5 am/ET) on USA Network, with all events streaming live and available for replay on Peacock. Highlights include Team USA vs. Canada in wheelchair rugby at 7:30 am/ET and Team USA vs. Spain in men’s wheelchair basketball at 10 am/ET, with swimming finals at 11:45 am/ET. A best-of-Day 1 recap airs at 4:15 pm/ET on USA. For those who want to keep up on the action, Peacock launches its popular Gold Zone feature, hosted by Carolyn Manno, streaming live from 11 am/ET to 4 pm/ET each day, taking viewers to highlights as they happen.

INSIDE THURSDAY TV:

• College Football: The season kicks off, quite literally, with games including Colorado vs. North Dakota State on ESPN (8 pm/ET), Minnesota vs. North Carolina on Fox (8 pm/ET) and San Jose State vs. Sacramento State on TruTV (10 pm/ET). For a full rundown, go to collegefootballnetwork.com.
• COBRA: Rebellion (9/8c, PBS): In the British political thriller’s Season 3 finale, Sutherland (Robert Carlyle) is challenged to resign as Prime Minister.
• Masters of Illusion (9/8c, The CW): The showcase for magicians reaches its Season 10 finale.

 ON THE STREAM:

• Here Come The Irish (streaming on Peacock): A sports docuseries immerses viewers in the world of the University of Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish football team, on and off the field. Launching with two episodes, with more installments scheduled for December and January.
• Reasonable Doubt (streaming on Hulu): Not the best look for a murder suspect to go off the grid, so Jax (Emayatzy Corinealdi) and Corey (Morris Chestnut) search for her MIA friend and client Shanelle (Shannon Kane) before the situation gets even more dicey.
• The Engagement Plan (streaming on Great American Pure Flix): Jack Schumacher stars in a romcom as Wade, whose meticulous plan for a fancy wedding proposal to Kayla (Mia Pollini) at the Waldorf goes awry when she insists that he head instead to her family farm. Judd Nelson, Eva LaRue, Ted McGinley and Faith Ford costar as their respective parents and future in-laws. The movie will air on Great American Family on Sept. 7.
• IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack (streaming on Netflix): A six-part docudrama from India depicts the seven-day ordeal when hijackers take control of Indian Airlines flight IC 814 on Christmas Eve 1999, taking the aircraft and its passengers from its original route (Kathmandu to New Delhi) to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
• Who’s Cheating Who (streaming on BET+): Wendy Raquel Robinson (The Game) makes her directorial debut with a steamy drama that spins a tangled web between two couples who are secretly sleeping with each other’s spouses — and one of them is a couples’ therapist!