What to Watch Tuesday, September 1: The Varnell Hill Show, America’s Got Talent & Jeopardy! Masters

September starts with a genuinely fun streaming premiere and a surprisingly busy Tuesday night. The Varnell Hill Show finally arrives on Paramount+ nearly 30 years after Tommy Davidson first played the character on Martin, while America’s Got Talent enters its third week of live quarterfinals and Jeopardy! Masters resumes after taking the holiday weekend off.

There are also several finales tucked into tonight’s cable schedule, a major ABC special looking back at the cultural aftermath of September 11 ahead of its 25th anniversary, two new Netflix originals and a four-part Hulu true-crime docuseries. So no, September is not politely easing us into fall television. It showed up with a list.

TV Cave Top Pick: The Varnell Hill Show

Varnell Hill finally gets his own show today, and considering how long this one has been coming, we're giving him the top spot.

Paramount+ premieres The Varnell Hill Show with two episodes today, followed by one new episode every Tuesday through October 13. Davidson reprises the outrageous talk-show host he originally played on Martin, with Martin Lawrence and Bentley Kyle Evans executive producing.

The eight-episode workplace comedy takes viewers behind the scenes of Varnell's long-running late-night talk show, with Kym Whitley, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Nick Cafero, Emmanuel Hudson and Chris Williams joining Davidson in the regular cast. Lawrence is also among the show's special guest stars.

And really, this is exactly the kind of premiere that deserves a little attention. Varnell appeared in Martin for one memorable episode in 1996, and somehow that was enough for the character to remain part of the show's legacy for three decades. Sir got one episode and turned it into a spinoff 30 years later. Respect the hustle.

Tuesday, September 1 TV Schedule

Time (ET)	Show	Network/Streaming	Tonight
Streaming	The Varnell Hill Show	Paramount+	Two-episode series premiere
Streaming	Welcome to the Family: The Murder of Dan Markel	Hulu	Four-episode docuseries premiere
Streaming	Untold: Raygun — Breaking Badly	Netflix	Documentary premiere
Streaming	Jared Freid: The Family Plan	Netflix	Stand-up comedy special
Streaming	Days of Our Lives	Peacock	New episode
6:40 PM	Mets at Rays	SNY / Rays.TV / MLB.TV	MLB Tuesday matchup
7:00 PM	Dana White’s Contender Series	Paramount+	Live MMA
7:40 PM	Brewers at Cubs	TBS	National MLB game
8:00 PM	America’s Got Talent	NBC	Quarterfinals 3; Kenan Thompson guest judges
8:00 PM	Jeopardy! Masters	ABC	Quarterfinal Games 9 & 10
8:00 PM	The Real Housewives of London	Bravo	Reunion special
9:00 PM	9/11: United We Stand — 25 Years Later	ABC	Two-hour anniversary special
9:00 PM	Hard Knocks: Training Camp With the Seattle Seahawks	HBO / HBO Max	Training camp finale
9:00 PM	Kitchen Undercover	Food Network	Season 1 finale
9:00 PM	Ms. Pat Settles It	BET	Season 3 finale
9:30 PM	ComicView	BET	Season 1 finale
10:00 PM	Password	NBC	Two new episodes
10:00 PM	Comedian CP: Sunday After Six	BET	Comedy special

America’s Got Talent Brings in Kenan Thompson

America’s Got Talent continues its live shows tonight at 8 PM ET on NBC, with 11 more acts competing in Quarterfinals 3. One act can skip the nervous waiting entirely thanks to the Live Show Golden Buzzer, while viewers vote to determine three additional acts that will advance.

There is also a temporary change at the judges' table. Kenan Thompson steps in for Simon Cowell tonight while Cowell recovers from a non-emergency back procedure. Thompson joins Howie Mandel, Sofía Vergara and Mel B for the live broadcast.

Kenan judging AGT actually sounds like a pretty good time. After spending decades watching increasingly ridiculous things happen on Saturday Night Live, there may not be much an AGT contestant can do that will truly shock this man.

Jeopardy! Masters Is Back

After four straight nights of competition last week, Jeopardy! Masters took a few days off before returning tonight at 8 PM ET on ABC for Quarterfinal Games 9 and 10.

Ken Jennings continues overseeing the tournament as Victoria Groce, Andrew He, Long Nguyen, Paolo Pasco, Yogesh Raut and Juveria Zaheer compete for position and the $500,000 grand prize. Games 11 and 12 follow Wednesday, with the semifinals beginning Thursday and the finals scheduled for September 8.

ABC's condensed schedule still feels a little wild, but it does keep the tournament moving. If you've been following the standings, this is also the point where every game starts carrying considerably more weight.

ABC Looks Back at September 11, 25 Years Later

Following Jeopardy! Masters, ABC changes tone at 9 PM ET with 9/11: United We Stand — 25 Years Later, a two-hour special hosted and produced by Michael Strahan.

Rather than attempting another straightforward chronology of the attacks, the special examines how sports, music, Broadway, comedy and other parts of American culture became gathering points in the weeks and months afterward. Participants include Derek Jeter, Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Crystal, Pete Davidson, Jimmy Fallon and Jon Stewart.

With the 25th anniversary arriving September 11, this is the beginning of what will understandably be a significant stretch of commemorative programming across the networks.

Tuesday Has Quite a Few Finales Hiding at 9 PM

HBO wraps its latest training-camp edition of Hard Knocks at 9 PM, concluding its behind-the-scenes run with the Seattle Seahawks just as attention shifts toward the regular season. Food Network's Kitchen Undercover also reaches its Season 1 finale at 9, while BET closes out Season 3 of Ms. Pat Settles It before the first season of ComicView ends at 9:30.

NBC keeps going after its two-hour AGT block with two new episodes of Password beginning at 10 PM. So if you're sticking with traditional broadcast television tonight, ABC and NBC have essentially claimed the entire evening.

Streaming is where today's biggest new arrival lives, though, and we're sticking with Varnell. Thirty years after popping up on Martin, the man finally has his own show.

Varnell Hill, your time has come.