The Rings of Power Ushers in a New Era for Lord of the Rings and Prime Video

Let the battle of the fantasy epics begin. Less than two weeks after HBO bowed its Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, Amazon Prime Video debuts its long-awaited Lord of the Rings series, The Rings of Power. The Second Age-set series was first announced five years ago as part of $250 million deal, and with a five-season commitment and a total budget of over $1 billion, it ranks as the most expensive TV series ever made.

In the mood for lighter fare? Today also brings Netflix rom-com Love in the Villa, the Season 4 finale of Selena + Chef, NASCAR Cup docuseries Race For the Championship, and more. Here’s what’s new and noteworthy on TV this Thursday:

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Series premiere. Thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Middle-earth is experiencing a time of relative piece, but the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the forging of the Rings of Power, and the last alliance between Elves and Men threaten that stability. The expansive series is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s history of Middle-Earth during the Second Age. Two episodes drop tonight. Read our review. 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT on Prime Video

Love in the Villa: Original film. A young woman (Kat Graham) takes a trip to romantic Italy after a break up, only to find that the villa she reserved is double-booked with a cynical and very good-looking British man (Tom Hopper). Watch trailer. Streaming on Netflix

Selena + Chef: Season 4 finale. Selena Gomez and Gordon Ramsay, Matty Matheson, Paola Velez, and Priya Krishna pal around in the kitchen in the final four episodes of the season. Streaming on HBO Max

Race For the Championship: Series premiere. USA Network offers a behind-the-scenes look at the elite drivers and teams competing in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series in this Formula 1: Drive to Survive-esque docuseries. The series will feature current drivers as well as past champions including Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, and Joey Logano. Watch trailer. 10:00 PM ET on USA Network and Bravo

The Resort: Season 1 finale. Noah (William Jackson Harper) and Emma (Cristin Milioti) finally learn what really happened 15 years ago in the final episode of the mystery comedy. Streaming on Peacock

She-Hulk: New episode. Tatiana Maslany’s journey as the mean, green, legal machine continues — but be sure to stick around for a post-credits scene featuring someone Maslany describes as “the most beautiful cool person on the planet.” Streaming on Disney+

Mike: New episode. Mike (Trevante Rhodes) falls hard for Robin Givens (Laura Harrier), prompting him to ask big questions about his confidence and abilities. Streaming on Hulu

Rap Sh!t: Season 1 finale. 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT on HBO Max

Good Trouble: Season 4 finale. Now that Isabella (Priscilla Quintana) wants to put the baby up for adoption, Gael (Tommy Martinez) decides what role he wants to play in his child’s life. Meanwhile, Malika (Zuri Adele) finds herself caught between her career and her beliefs. Watch preview. 10:00 PM ET on Freeform

Little Demon: New episode. As Satan (Danny DeVito) and Chrissy (Lucy DeVito) enter an otherworldly game show, Laura (Aubrey Plaza) and Darlene’s (Lennon Parham) girls’ night gets crazy. 10:00 PM ET on FXX

College Football: Week 1 of the 2022 season gets underway with two primetime matchups:

• West Virginia at Pittsburgh 7:00 PM ET/4:00 PM PT on ESPN
• Penn State at Purdue 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT on FOX

Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.