don’t miss

“MIAMI INK”-Tattoos, it seems, are all the rage these days, and this new reality series attempts to tap into the phenomenon. The show revolves around four friends who open and run a custom tattoo parlor in Miami’s trendy South Beach. Sure, they can do the cute flowers and all the frilly stuff for their less adventurous customers, but these guys regard themselves as genuine artists who specialize in coating the flesh with amazingly intricate and stylized masterworks. In addition to spotlighting the artists at work, each tattoo in “Miami Ink” has a story to tell, a reason for being and a special relationship to its owner. In the opener, for example, viewers see a tattoo done in the memory of a deceased brother, a tattoo portraying the alter ego of a drag queen and one dedicated to a notable surfer’s homeland. The clients who to turn their skin into ink-stained palettes range from nervous young newcomers and suburban housewives to famous actors and buttoned-up professionals. 10 p.m. Tuesday, TLC.

other bets:

SUNDAY: The annual summer programming event known as “Shark Week” kicks off with a special “MythBusters” episode that focuses on “Jaws.” Apparently, our intrepid team of researchers want to put the bite on a few of the falsehoods Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film has generated about these toothy creatures of the deep. 9 p.m., Discovery.

TUESDAY: If you’re on the verge of telling your boss to “take this job and shove it,” you might want to check out “Dirty Jobs.” It’s a new series, hosted by Mike Rowe, that profiles people who might have it even tougher on the occupational front – like the biologist in the opener who collects bat droppings, or the guy who cleans septic tanks. Hey, someone has to do it. 8 p.m., Discovery.

WEDNESDAY: In “Venus & Serena: For Real,” the tennis-playing Williams sisters join the reality TV craze. It’s a six-episode series that promises to introduce viewers to the famous siblings’ off-court lives – their family, friends and the glamour of big-time tennis. The sisters have a dozen major singles titles between them, and Venus recently prevailed at Wimbledon. 10 p.m., ABC Family.

SATURDAY: If you missed it the first time around – and apparently a lot of you did – here’s another chance to catch “Revelations.” The six-part miniseries is being aired in its entirety. Bill Pullman plays a pragmatic scientist who is reluctantly drawn into the unfamiliar world of faith. Natascha McElhone is the nun who serves as his guide. Along the way, they uncover evidence that the biblical “End of Days” is near. 10 p.m., NBC.

– Chuck Barney, KRT