Bring the Funny is a Surprise Summer Hit for NBC

Amid all of the talk about disappointing ratings for CBS's much-hyped reality competition Love Island is another, more upbeat story: NBC has found a surprise hit in its own new reality competition, Bring the Funny. Helped in no small part by its powerhouse lead-in, America's Got Talent, Bring the Funny is the summer's only new show to crack the top ten in the weekly broadcast ratings, a feat made more impressive since it airs at 10PM, when there are fewer TV viewers overall.

The show itself is nothing if not upbeat, from its host, comedian Amanda Seales, to celebrity judges Kenan Thompson, Jeff Foxworthy, and Chrissy Tiegen, to the many sketch, variety, and stand-up comedy acts from around the world, each giving it their very all. 

NEW EPISODE: The "Open Mic" round continues on tonight's third episode of Bring the Funny. Those who impress the judges will advance to the next round, with the ultimate victor taking home the $250,000 grand prize. 10:00 PM ET on NBC

NEW EPISODE: This week's round of jugglers, kid singers, and people who do weird stuff with their bodies on America's Got Talent will begin to cut the field of talented Americans, and who better to kill the dreams of American talent than Jay Leno? Maybe he can give them a classic car as a consolation prize. 8:00 PM ET on NBC

SPECIAL PRESENTATION: HBO's two-part true-crime documentary Who KIlled Garrett Phillips? is an eye-opening look at the criminal justice system's attempt to railroad a black man for the murder of his girlfriend's son. Director Liz Garbus (Academy Award winner for The Farm: Angola, USA) delves into the blinkered police investigation and prosecution of this man, including leads that weren't followed up on and evidence that was ignored. 8:00 PM ET on HBO

NEW EPISODE: While last week's dance-heavy episode of Pose was ironically light on Billy Porter's Pray Tell (ironic because it aired the same day that Porter got his much-deserved Emmy nomination), this week promises to put Pray front and center. Unfortunately, that also means that his health is in crisis. The episode preview offers much in the way of Angels in America imagery and is sure to be a powerful brush with the realities of living with HIV in New York City in 1990. 10:00 PM ET on FX

ALSO TONIGHT

• The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills moves on to part two of its reunion episode, and while this appears to be the "pile on Camille" episode, the true suspense is seeing if Bravo will continue to try to fake us out into thinking Lisa Vanderpump could show up at any minute. 9:00 PM ET on Bravo
• The Shocking Truth tells the amazing true story behind the 1979 war film Apocalypse Now, a legendary runaway film production that touched on drugs, illness, madness, and the last gasp of the '70s new Hollywood. 10:00 PM ET on Reelz
• Animal Kingdom continues to barrel forward to what we all expect will be a deadly end to the season. Smurf has left home without telling anyone, seeking out someone from her past. 9:00 PM ET on TNT

Joe Reid is the senior writer at Primetimer and co-host of the This Had Oscar Buzz podcast. His work has appeared in Decider, NPR, HuffPost, The Atlantic, Slate, Polygon, Vanity Fair, Vulture, The A.V. Club and more.