Best-bets for Jan. 18: Scottish beauty, school comedy

1) “Nature,” 8 p.m., PBS. Here’s a fresh approach, centering on a tree that prospered for five centuries in the Scottish highland. The hour imagines the natural history around it and adds some human history – farmers, rebels, even the future Queen Mary. The notion is a stretch, but it offers gorgeous scenes (the generic Scottish scene here isn’t from the show), plus insights into evolving nature. Read more…

1) “Nature,” 8 p.m., PBS. Here’s a fresh approach, centering on a tree that prospered for five centuries in the Scottish highland. The hour imagines the natural history around it and adds some human history – farmers, rebels, even the future Queen Mary. The notion is a stretch, but it offers gorgeous scenes (the generic Scottish scene here isn’t from the show), plus insights into evolving nature.

2) “Abbot Elementary” 9 p.m., ABC. The awards pile keeps growing. Last week, “Abbott” added Golden Globes for best comedy, actress (Quinta Brunson) and supporting actor (Tyler James Williams). That joins its three Emmys (including Brunson) and an American Film Institute award as one of the 10 best shows. This episode goes to the iffy art of fundraising: Barbara’s class flubs its candy sales; then Ava offers some unconventional techniques.

3) “Home Economics” season-finale, 9:30 p.m., ABC. After a full 22 episodes last season, this was trimmed to 13 now, with no word on whether it will be renewed. At least, the season ends big: A storm traps the mismatched siblings and tbeir families in one place.

4) “Chicago P.D.,” 10 p.m., NBC. Over three episodes, Sean O’Neal has had a fierce impact. As played by Jefferson White (cowpoke Jimmy on “Yellowstone”), he’s smart, scheming and slimy. When his dad, the police chief, realized Sean was doing human trafficking, he shot him and killed himself. Voight (and, reluctantly, Hailey Upton) managed to save Sean’s life; now he phones her from prison.

5) “Amsterdam”(2022), 8 p.m., HBO. Things were slow in movie theaters last year, but Margot Robbie continued full-throttle. She starred in this film and “Babylon,” two quirky, large-cast films that had so-so reactions from critics and box office. This one, from writer-director David O. Russell, is a mystery set in the 1930s; Robbie stars with Christian Bale and John David Washington; others pop up, including Taylor Swift, Chris Rock and Robert De Niro.

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