World Cup Begins, Cheering on ‘Wrexham,’ ‘Surviving Earth,’ Connor Storrie on ‘Criminal Minds’

World Cup

North America provides the global stage for the long-awaited World Cup tournament, hosting the series for the first time since 1994, with the U.S., Canada, and Mexico providing the venues for championship play. The first round begins with 48 teams divided into 12 groups of four, battling for position to proceed in the Knockout Round of 32 that begins June 28. Competition opens in Mexico with two Group A games, featuring Mexico vs. South Africa at Mexico City Stadium. A second game (10 pm/ET, FS1) pits South Korea vs. Czechia at Zapopan’s Guadalajara Stadium. The first U.S. Men’s National Team game airs Friday on Fox (9/8c), taking on Paraguay at Inglewood’s Los Angeles Stadium. Let the games begin!

Welcome to Wrexham

If you needed a reminder as to why so many become so attached to the game of soccer and its local teams, this endearing docuseries is a weekly testament to the connection between fans and players. The latest episode explores the emotional upheaval during a soon-to-close transfer window as the resurgent Wrexham Red Dragons club recruits new talent for the second half of a tough season while saying goodbye to longtime members. As co-owner Rob Mac notes, “Once you are Wrexham, you are always Wrexham.” Still seen as underdogs as they fight to stay in playoff contention, the team embarks on a grueling schedule of three matches in a week, including a bout against the fearsome Chelsea club. For a pivotal game against Hull City, Rob and Ryan Reynolds agree to act as commentators for a live broadcast. Which explains the “Don’t Say F**k” signs in the stadium.

Surviving Earth

Dazzling CGI animation brings prehistoric Earth back to life in a natural history series that recreates cataclysmic extinction events that shaped the planet’s evolution. The opener reaches back 252 million years ago, to when the massive supercontinent known as Pangea was broken apart by rifts of volcanic eruptions spewing deadly gases and unendurable heat into the atmosphere. The narrative focuses on a family of sabretooth gorgon predators seeking higher and cooler ground, setting the stage for the age of reptiles some 10 million years later.

Criminal Minds: Evolution

Heated Rivalry breakout star Connor Storrie guests on the graphic crime drama as a narcissistic suspect who gets caught up in the BAU’s investigation into a mysterious superfan sending serial killer Elias Voit (Zach Gilford) disturbing missives through the mail. Storrie’s role as Lance Kingston was only meant to be a one-shot, but producers were impressed enough (filmed long before his Rivalry notoriety) to expand his presence through four episodes. The case of the week features Ray Donovan alum Dash Mihok as a deranged zealot preaching “heresy” as he attacks married couples, leaving one terrified survivor alive each time.

Sweet Magnolias

The Southern-fried soap takes on a Sex and the City vibe in Season 5 when Maddie (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) leaves Serenity behind to take a marketing job in New York City. (The Sopranos alum Jamie-Lynn Sigler guest-stars as a writer who befriends the South Carolina transplant.) Still, family and her Magnolias friend group of Dana Sue (Brooke Elliott) and Helen (Heather Headley) are never far away, and with Helen’s wedding looming and Dana Sue fretting about the state of her marriage, there’s plenty to keep everyone occupied.

INSIDE THURSDAY TV:

• Stanley Cup Final (8 pm/ET, ABC): With the series tied 2-2, the Vegas Golden Knights return to Raleigh for Game 5 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
• Marvel’s Iron Man and His Awesome Friends (7 am/6c, Disney Junior): Succession‘s Alan Ruck joins the voice cast as Asgard overlord Odin in a new season of the animated series, which will be available for streaming on Disney+ with 11 episodes on Friday.
• Sugarcreek Amish Mysteries (9/8c, UPtv): In the Season 1 finale, a missing deed and local corruption threaten Levi’s (Kevin Joy) hold on his land.

ON THE STREAM:

• Doctor Who (streaming on AMC+): The first 13 seasons (2005-22) of the regenerated sci-fi classic, featuring Doctors played by Christopher Eccleston through Jodie Whittaker, have a new exclusive streaming home.
• The Terror: Devil in Silver (streaming on AMC+): A raging storm knocks out power in the finale of the horror series set in a mental institution, where inmate Pepper (Dan Stevens) rallies to face the evil forces behind the silver door.
• Hudson & Rex (streaming on UP Faith & Family): Season 8 of the Canadian crime drama pairs Rex, the K9 German Shepherd, with a new partner, Detective Mark Hudson (Luke Roberts). In their first case together, Rex bonds with a young boy who’s the only witness to a lawyer’s kidnapping.
• Mark vs. the Mountain (streaming on Great American Pure Flix): A reality series features meteorologist Mark Ronchetti, his interior designer wife, Krysty, and their family as they design and build homes amid the natural splendor of New Mexico. The first project: a house in high altitude atop a mountain at 10,000 feet.
• Funny Thing About Love (streaming on ALLBLK): Years after their messy breakup, a revealing memoir forces Alice (Kourtney George) and author Miles (Courtney Burrell) to reexamine their relationship in a heated romantic drama.