Day: February 20, 2026

News and Quick Comments

Alysa Liu: joy on ice

As the team portion of Olympic figure skating peaked, NBC’s Terry Gannon had a question.
“Is Alys Liu ever NOT smiling?” he asked.
Apparently not. Liu (shown here) had finished her part, the short program, and now was sitting with her teammates, mostly beaming. A week later, she had something more to smile about: She became the first U.S. woman to win figure-skating gold in 24 years.
Viewers can get a sampling Saturday, when NBC has the Olympics skating gala in two bursts, at 2:55 p.m. and 3:50 p.m. ET. There will be no rules, no judges, just the medalists skating for fun. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 20, 2026
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Feb. 21: serious hockey, fun skating

(These are slightly out of order; the Feb. 22 one appears below this)

1) Winter Olympics. It’s the last full day, with a flurry of medal finals. The USA Network is mostly live from 4 a.m. ET to the hockey bronze-medal game, at 2:40 p.m. NBC is mostly live from 10 to 6, then repackages the day from 8-11 p.m. And CNBC has curling, from 1-7 p.m.

2) Skating gala, 2:55 to 3:15 p.m. ET and 3:50 to 4:30. Amid all of that competition, here’s the opposite. It’s a figure-skating exhibition, with no rules, no judges and lots of dazzle. The medalists — including the U.S.’ Chock-and-Bates dance duo (shown here) and solo sensation Alysa Liu — can simply have fun. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 20, 2026
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Feb. 22: Dramas soar as Olympics end

1) “Dark Winds,” 9 p.m., AMC, rerunning at 10:03. First is a fresh angle on the shoot-out in last week’s opener. Then things get deeper for Joe (shown her), who’s haunted by his wife’s departure, and his deputies — Bernadette (secretly promised his job when he retires) and Chee (her boyfriend). In a potent hour, they (and a killer) search for a teen runaway and her cousin. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 20, 2026