Month: January 2020

1) “Station 19” season opener, 8 p.m., ABC. The season starts big, with a car crashing into a bar. Trapped inside are Ben Gordon (the doctor-turned-firefighter/EMT) and Pruitt Herrera, the former firehouse chief; outside, Pruitt’s daughter Andy links with Robert Sullivan to try to get them out. That crosses over into “Grey’s Anatomy” … and Ben’s wife, Dr. Bailey (shown here), is soon on the scene. It’s a sharp, emotional hour … a promising start to a year that’s planning to continue blending the two shows. Read more…

1) “Awkwafina is Nora from Queens” debut, 10:30 p.m., Comedy Central. Nora Lum grew up in Queens, with a Chinese father and grandmother; she was 4 when her mother, who was Korean, died. She was an ambitious kid who studied classical music in high school and journalism in college, then became an outspoken rapper/actress named Awkwafina (shown here), now with an Oscar nomination for “The Farewell.” Here, she borrows only the funny parts of her life, for a loosely amusing series about a 30-year-old who is jobless and clueless and still living at home. Read more…

1) “Schitt’s Creek” (shown here), 9 p.m., Pop (rerunning at 12:30 a.m., after last week’s episode at midnight). In the final season, dreams extend beyond this tiny town. Johnny wants to buy a second motel; his son David wants to be a flight-attendant … a dream he stole from Stevie. It’s a funny episode that starts with a reminder: It’s difficult to have video-sex when a sharing a motel room with your brother and parents. Read more…

1) “9-1-1: Lone Star,” 8 p.m., Fox. After getting a big-platform start Sunday (after a football title game), this slides into its regular slot. In the opener, Owen (Rob Lowe, shown here) was asked to do in Austin, Texas, what he’d done in Manhattan – rebuild an entire firehouse staff after a tragedy. He hired his son and a collection of lone-wolf types; he also learned to co-exist with the EMT’s, led by Michelle (Liv Tyler). Tonight has a wave-pool tragedy, plus mercury poisoning that leaves zombie-like victims. Read more…

1) “Avenue 5” (10 p.m., HBO) and “Miracle Workers: Dark Ages” (10:15 p.m. ET, TBS and TNT) debuts. For fans of droll, dark comedy, it’s a great night. In a new show from the “Veep” creator, HBO has Hugh Laurie as captain of a tourist space ship … or as someone posing as captain of a ship which is now wandering off-course. And TBS has an almost-new comedy (shown here): The stars (Daniel Radcliffe, Steve Buscemi, etc.) and creator of “Miracle Workers” go to Medieval times, with hilarious results. Read more…