1) “Nature,” 8 p.m., PBS. All of Kenya, we’re told, has fewer than 30 “super-tusker” elephants — giants (shown heree) with 10-foot tusks. This film follows the post-drought lives of three. It’s slow, but has big moments of lust, rage and parenting. It’s followed by reruns — a terrific “Nova” on UFO’s and the first half of a “Secrets of the Dead” involving Nazis’ stolen art. Read more…
We expect a lot from our robots, holograms and AI entities.
We want them to drive our cars, edit our prose, mow our lawns. And one (albeit a fictional one) sings opera.
That’s happened in the “Star Trek” shows — first in “Voyager” and now in “Starfleet Academy,” which starts Thursday (Jan. 15) on Paramount+.
“The notion that an artificial intelligence has hobbies is idiotic to begin with,” Robert Picardo granted in a Television Critics Association session. “The notion that he loves opera is really taking … it out there.”
But his character (simply called The Doctor) sang in “Voyager” (shown here); 30 years later, he’s doing it again, in the second episode (also Jan. 15) of “Starfleet.” Read more…
1) “Best Medicine,” 8 p.m., Fox. In the opener, villagers met Dr. Martin Best. They promptly dubbed him “Doc Martin” … and promptly decided they don’t like him. As a diligent doctor (shown here) with no people skills, he’s hard to like … especially tonight, when he cancel the monthly black-bean supper. Like the opener, this deftly mixes comedy, drama and small-town charm. Read more…
Fantasy fans seem to love schools that are stuffed with weird teachers and weirdly gifted students.
There’s “Harry Potter” and “X-Men” and “The Magicians” and more. Now “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy”(shown here) debuts Thursday (Jan. 15) on Paramount+.
This isn’t a copycat, producer Noga Landau insists. “Starfleet Academy existed before all of them,” she said. “It’s 60 years old …. It was always something that was discussed.”
In the original, 1966 “Star Trek,” Kirk and Spock were Academy grads. Seven years ago, when Alex Kurtzman was put in charge of the “Trek” universe, there was talk of a series centering on academy cadets. Read more…
1) Football, 8:15 p.m. ET, ABC and ESPN. The first round of the pro playoffs concludes with the Texans facing Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers (shown here). The Texans were 12-5 in the regular season; the Steelers were 10-7, but get home field because they won their division. Tonight’s winner joins seven others — five from this past weekend, plus the Broncos and Seahawks — Saturday and Sunday. Read more…
Let’s say you feel there just aren’t enough ways to see the Kardashians.
Now you can quit worrying. Starting Feb. 17, all of the shows — that’s a lot — will be on Hulu and Disney+.
That’s the result of a deal that includes streaming rights to all 20 seasons of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” (shown here with Khloe, Kendall and Kylie), plus its spin-offs and specials. Read more…
1) “All Creatures Great and Small” season-opener, 9 p.m., PBS. The sixth season starts with what may be the show’s best hour yet. As James and Helen (shown here) build their life, the hour juggles three deeply moving stories: Since Mrs. Hall’s departure, Siegfried’s home and life are a shambles … a sheepdog’s ailment endangers the flock … and World War II is in its sixth year. The final minutes here are superb. Read more…
1) Football. The first round of the pro playoffs concludes with the Texans and Steelers, at 8:15 p.m. ET today on ABC and ESPN. The winner joins seven others — five winners this past weekend, plus the Broncos (shown here) and Seahawks. Details are pending, but there will be two games Saturday and two Sunday; winners collide Jan. 25, for spots in the Super Bowl.
Read more…
1) Football. Now the pros take over. College football had its semi-finals Thursday and Friday; the NFL starts its playoffs today. At 4:30 p.m. ET on Fox, the Panthers — the only playoff team with a losing record — face the Rams (shown here). At 8, Amazon Prime has the Packers and Bears. There are three more games Sunday and one Monday. Read more…
This weekend has added a triple burst of real-life murder and contrived horror. Newly added to the schedule are:
— Friday (Jan. 9): A TMZ special (8 p.m., Fox) about the death of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele. The tabloid-style show claims it has new information that will complicate prosecutors’ attempt to convict their son Nick.
— Saturday: A rerun (8 p.m., CBS) of the opener of “Harlan Coben’s Final Twist.” This looks at the small-town Tennessee murders of a husband and wife, both named Billy. It includes sudden surprises, involving some incredibly gullible people.
— Sunday: An advance premiere of Fox’s “Fear Factor: House of Fear” (shown here). That will be at about 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT), after the pro-football playoff game between the 49ers and Eagles. Read more…
