It’s a busy week for TNT, which is retiring “The Closer” and immediately starting off its spinoff (minus Kyra Sedgwick) called “Major Crimes” on Monday.

“Rizzoli & Isles” and ‘Franklin & Bash” finish their summer runs on Tuesday. Then on Sunday, August 19, “Falling Skies” ends its second season (and is already guaranteed a third,).

Gordon Ramsay returns with seemingly his 87th show dubbed “Hotel Hell” Monday night on Fox, which basically sounds like “Hotel Impossible” on the Travel Channel. NBC the same night is trying out a military-themed celebrity show called “Stars Earn Stripes.” Syfy takes a variant of the “Hoarders” theme with “Collection Intervention” Wednesday.

On pay cable, Cinemax brings back” Strike Back” and Starz returns with “Boss” on Friday night.

MONDAY
“Love & Hip Hop Atlanta” 8 p.m. VH1 — Stevie J still thinks he can have his Joseline and Mimi, too.

“Hotel Hell” 8 p.m. Fox (new series) — Gordon Ramsay is now fixing hotels.

“Stars Earn Stripes” 8 p.m. NBC (new series)— Atlanta’s Dolvett Quince is among the celebrities who learn to be soldiers.

“The Closer” 9 p.m. TNT (series finale) — Brenda’s obsession with Philip Stroh puts her life and career in jeopardy.

“Sharkzilla” 9 p.m. Discovery — The “Mythbusters” team builds a mechanical shark.

“Gallery Girls” 10 p.m. Bravo (new series) — Former Georgian Chantal Chadwick is part of a crew of young ladies in the art world in New York City.

“Grimm” 10 p.m. NBC (second season debut) — Nick’s mom returns.

“Teen Wolf” 10 p.m. MTV (second season finale) — Shot in metro Atlanta its first two seasons, this show is moving to Los Angeles next year.

“Major Crimes” 10:06 p.m. TNT (new series) — Capt. Sharon Raydor takes over the L.A.P.D.’s Major Crimes division.

TUESDAY
“America’s Got Talent” 8 p.m. NBC — Olympics are over so Howard Stern & Co. are back.

“Destination Truth ” 9 p.m. Syfy (fifth season finale) — Probes in the Philippines and Kazakhstan unfold.

“Rizzoli & Isles” 9 p.m. TNT (third season summer finale) — Jane and Maura investigate when a dead woman is found inside a broken statue.

“Top Gear” 9 p.m. History (third season debut) — The hosts compare police-car models with a series of driving challenges.

“White Collar” 9 p.m. USA — Neal strikes a deal with an art thief.

“Collection Intervention” 10 p.m. Syfy (new series) — Hoarders of collectibles receive counseling.

“Franklin & Bash” 10 p.m. TNT (second season finale) — Jared’s father attempts to buy the firm.

“The Glee Project” 10 p.m. Oxygen (second season finale) — Chris Colfer guests.

“Covert Affairs” 10:01 p.m. USA — Annie and Eyal look for the source of a leak in Israel.

WEDNESDAY
“Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich in America” 9 p.m. Travel (first season finale) — The host pits 10 regional winners plus two surprise wild cards against each other.

“Not My Mama’s Meals” 9 p.m. Cooking (second season debut) — A healthy take on beer-battered fish.

“Royal Pains” 9 p.m. USA — Hank tends to an undercover DEA agent.

“American Hoggers” 10 p.m. A&E (second season debut) — Jerry upsets Krystal when he puts Robert in charge of the family business.

“Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” 10 p.m. TLC — This scary Georgia family drew 2.2 million last week.

“The Soul Man” 10 p.m. TV Land — Barton changes his mind about Stamps’ girlfriend when she cooks a great meal.

“Toy Hunter” 10 p.m. Travel (new series) — Jordan hunts for vintage toys in New Jursey.

“Necessary Roughness” 10:01 p.m. USA — Dani works with a professional video game.

THURSDAY
“Time Machine Chefs” 9 p.m. ABC — Three chefs compete using basic kitchen equipment and historical settings.

“Braxton Family Values” 9 p.m. WE (second season summer debut) — Tamar weighs her fertility options.

“Burn Notice” 9 p.m. USA — Sam and Jesse track a skilled sniper.

“The Next” 9 p.m. the CW (new series) — Music stars help aspiring musicians. The first day, Gloria Estefan and Nelly show up.

“Project Runway” 9 p.m. Lifetime — Two people quit last week, which is unprecedented, including the delightful Kooan.

“Anger Management” 9:30 p.m. FX — Charlie receives a surprise visit from his dad, played by Martin Sheen.

“Rookie Blue” 10 p.m. ABC — Officers must recover a stolen laptop with key information.

“Suits” 10:01 p.m. USA — Harvey tries to sway an important figure whose vote will determine the firm’s future.

“Louie” 10:30 p.m. FX — Louie deals with a rash.

FRIDAY
“Teachers Rock” 8 p.m. CBS —A tribute to educators featuring Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, fun., and Josh Grobin.

“Boss” 8 p.m. Starz (second season debut) — Mayor Kane’s political future looks bright but his health remains a problem.

“Say Yes to the Dress” 9:30 p.m. TLC (eighth season finale) — A bride brings her blended family to help her choose a gown.

“3 Days To Open With Bobby Flay” 9 p.m. Food (first season finale) — Two women put their life savings on the line to open a rock-and-roll-theme cupcake shop in Ashbury Park, N.J.

“Strike Back” 10 p.m. Cinemax (second season debut) — Scott heads to Kenya to facilitate the transfer of a Libyan seeking asylum.

“Lost Girl” 10 p.m. Syfy — Trick and Kenzi try to save Bo from the fallout of a steamy night gone wrong.

Weekend (August 18-19)
“Smart Cookies” 9 p.m. Saturday Hallmark — A real-estate agent becomes the reluctant leader of a Girl Scout troop.

“Leverage” 8 p.m. Sunday TNT — The crew tries to squash a competitive cheerleading company.

“Drop Dead Diva” 9 p.m. Sunday Lifetime — Grayson and Kim take a case involving a gay sperm donor.

“Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition” 9 p.m. Sunday ABC (second season finale) — A 548 pound man tries to lose half his weight.

“Falling Skies” 9 p.m. Sunday TNT (second season finale) — Skitters draw nearer to the newly consolidated resistance force.

“Hell on Wheels” 9 p.m. Sunday AMC — Duran confronts a formidable threat to the rolling city.

“True Blood” 9 p.m. Sunday HBO — Sookie probes an ancient family secret.

“Army Wives” 10 p.m. Sunday Lifetime — Kevin is forced to return home.

“Breaking Bad” 10 p.m. Sunday AMC — Occupational hazards affect Jesse as he, Walt and Mike deal with business problems.

“The Great Food Truck Race” 10 p.m. Sunday Food (third season debut) — A trio of locals dubbed the Coast of Atlanta are competing.

“Married to Jonas” 10 p.m. Sunday E! (new series) — Reality series follows Kevin and Danielle Jonas.

“The Newsroom” 10 p.m. Sunday HBO — A power outage energizes Mac’s thought process.

“Political Animals” 10 p.m. Sunday USA (first season finale) — Elaine’s resignation letter is leaked to the press. (This show was set up for a six-episode test run for a possible series but disappointing ratings likely points to no regular series.)
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By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk