What to Watch on Friday: Olympic Games Opening Ceremony and a new Lifetime movie
Tokyo Olympic Games - The 2020 (2021) Olympic Games begin with the Opening Ceremony and competitions today and continue through August 8. (Opening Ceremony viewing options at 7 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.) Check out our guide that explains the different TV/cable channels, websites, apps and streaming services that offer Olympic Games coverage — plus schedule highlights.
Dead in the Water (8 p.m., Lifetime) - In this new Lifetime movie, an aspiring photography vlogger Tara gets dumped by her long term boyfriend, so her best friend, Amy, takes her on a weekend getaway to her family’s vacation lake house, where a mysterious and effortlessly attractive man crosses their path.
Woodstock 99: Peace, Love and Rage (9 p.m., HBO) - This documentary tells the story of Woodstock 99, a three-day music festival promoted to echo unity and counterculture idealism of the original 1969 concert but instead devolved into riots, looting and sexual assaults. The grim outcome earned the event the infamous distinction of “the day the nineties died.” The film focuses a spotlight on American youth at the end of the millennium, in the shadow of Columbine and the looming hysteria of Y2K, pinpointing a moment in time when the angst of a generation galvanized into a seismic, cultural shift.
Playing with Sharks (Disney+) - This new documentary, presented as part of National Geographic’s SharkFest 2021, tells the story of Valerie Taylor, a pioneer in underwater filmmaking and shark research. Taylor’s life’s work has become the basis for much of what we know about sharks today. The documentary uses remarkable underwater archival footage, along with interviews with Valerie herself, to show the daring ocean explorer’s trajectory from champion spearfisher to passionate shark protector.
Some programming descriptions are provided by networks.
