Best-bets for Dec. 29: Some flirty, daring debuts

1) “Flirty Dancing” debut, 8 p.m., Fox. The holiday season hasn’t finished yet, but tonight TV has two new series – one silly and one not. Here’s the silly one (shown here), based on a British series: Two singles learn their halves of a dance; then they’re brought together to perform it without talking. Romance may or may not ensue. Jenna Dewan, the dancer-actress who hosted “World of Dance,” hosts. After this debut, “Flirty” will borrow a Wednesday slot until “The Masked Singer” returns in February. Read more…

1) “Flirty Dancing” debut, 8 p.m., Fox. The holiday season hasn’t finished yet, but tonight TV has two new series – one silly and one not. Here’s the silly one (shown here), based on a British series: Two singles learn their halves of a dance; then they’re brought together to perform it without talking. Romance may or may not ensue. Jenna Dewan, the dancer-actress who hosted “World of Dance,” hosts. After this debut, “Flirty” will borrow a Wednesday slot until “The Masked Singer” returns in February.

2) “Dare Me” debut, 10 p.m. USA. And here’s the serious one, based on an intense Megan Abbot novel. Addy and Beth have been friends forever, but both are also cheerleaders, determined to dominate. Their new coach (Willa Fitzgerald, from the “Scream” series and “Little Women” mini-series) is sleek and demanding. We soon have envy, teen love and a murder mystery, in the small-town Midwest.

3) “The Unicorn,” 8:30 and 9 p.m., and more, CBS. For good or bad, here’s a sampling of two comedies CBS debuted this fall. “Unicorn” is an oft-clever look at a widower stepping hesitantly into a new life. In tonight’s first episode, he joins a widows’ group; in the second, he doesn’t know how to reject a second date. That’s followed at 9:30 and 10 p.m. by “Carol’s Second Act,” a disappointment. Patricia Heaton is always likable, but her supporting characters are badly written and played.

4) “Work in Progress,” 11 p.m., Showtime. Barely fictionalizing her real life, Abby McEnany skillfully blends pain and humor. In this excellent episode, the fictional Abby (who’s a lot like the real one) finds that with her gender-neutral look, she gets scowls in public restrooms.

5) Batman tales. At 6 p.m., TBS has “Batman Forever” (1995). He may be forever, but he keeps changing; he’s played by Val Kilmer in that movie and George Clooney in “Batman & Robin” (1997) at 8:30. And on TV’ “Gotham” series, he vanished; that’s where the well-crafted “Batwoman” (8 p.m., CW) takes over. Tonight’s rerun begins after Kate showed the desperate people what they thought was Batman. Meanwhile, her old friend has achieved his lifelong goal – being richer than Bruce Wayne.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *