Daily Best Bets

1) “Animal Control,” 9 p.m., Fox. This is a solid formulas for big laughs – frisky ostriches, a nasty weasel and Joel McHale. An ex-cop working animal-control, McHale’s character is a darkly acerbic soul, partnered with a cheerful ex-snowboarder. (They’re shown here.) His workplace includes a sexy single, a reluctant homebody (Ravi Patel), a charmingly clumsy clerk (Vella Lovell of “Mr. Mayor”) and more. The result is a fun blend of sharp dialog and big sight gags. Read more…

1) “The Masked Singer” opener, 8 p.m., Fox. In its first eight seasons, this show has unmasked some terrific talents – Jewel, Jennifer Holliday, Wayne Brady, Chris Daughtry, etc. — and some others, from Rudy Giuliani to Dog the Bounty Hunter and Larry the Cable Guy. Now the opener (shown heree), Fox says, will introduce three more; two will be unmasked and one will be nudged ahead.
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1) “Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World,” 9 p.m., PBS. After a strong start Jan. 31, this three-parter skipped a week because of the State of the Union address. Now the mid-section starts in 1980s New York, with cocaine and AIDS, but also a strong rap scene — peaking in 1990 with Spike Lee’s epic video (shown here) of Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power.” Then the film leaps to Los Angeles, where fierce police action spurred the “gangsta rap” era. Read more…

1) “The Bachelor,” 8-10 p.m. , ABC. On the eve of Valentine’s Day, this is the logical place to see romance. Zach Shallcross (shown here) is on the Bahama beaches with 14 women (out of the original 30), including four nurses, a therapist, a medical sales rep and a rodeo racer, They try all-terrain vehicles, deep-sea diving and other things we rarely get to do with our Valentine. Read more…

1) Super Bowl, 6:30 p.m. ET, Fox. At first, the Kansas City Chiefs seemed like Super Bowl regulars. They were in the first one (in 1967) and lost, then in the fourth and won. And then came a half-century drought. The Chiefs finally returned in 2019, winning behind 24-year-old quarterback Patrick Mahomes. They lost with him in 2021 and now return — facing the Philadelphia Eagles, who have a 24-year-old quarterback (Jalen Hurts, shown here) of their own. Read more…

1) “The Perfect 10,” 8-9:30 p.m., Fox. On Super Bowl eve, this documentary (narrated by Andre Braugher) profiles the 10 players who won the top awards for college (Heisman Trophy) and pros (Hall of Fame). There are six running backs (including O.J. Simpson), a quarterback (Roger Staubach) and Paul Hornung, who was both; plus receiver Tim Brown (shown here) and defensive back Charles Woodson. That’s followed at 9:30 by a transplanted “First Things First.” Read more…

1) “Lopez vs. Lopez,” 8 p.m., NBC. This gets a much-needed boost from Neil Flynn (shown here) and Eden Sher, as the new neighbors. They play father and daughter – just as they did in “The Middle,” a much better comedy; as it happens, he’s George’s old friend-turned-foe. Flynn and Sher have a solid approach – as does Mayan Lopez, who is George’s daughter, on the show and in real life. They’re a welcome relief from the other characters, all overwrought. Read more…

1) “Hell’s Kitchen” finale, 8-10 p.m., Fox. This season, Gordon Ramsay (shown here) has pitted “20-somethings” against “40-somethings,” with the young folks dominating. They had six of the final eight and four of the final five (including two who are only 24 and 21). Now the final three includes Dafne Meja, 29, and Alejandro Najar, 28, plus Alex Belew, 40. In the first hour, they create menus and dinners, with one ousted. Then eliminated contestants will return to help the final two. Read more…

1) “Not Dead Yet” debut, 8:30 and 9:30 p.m., ABC. Gina Rodriguez (“Jane the Virgin”) adds another distinctive comedy/drama. She plays a former star reporter, now confined to writing obituaries … and seeing the ghosts of her subjects. The opener (shown here), with Martin Mull as guest ghost, is excellent; the second episode spends too much of its time on so-so workplace scenes. Read more…

1) State of the Union address and Republican response, 9-11 p.m. ET (6-8 p.m. PT), ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS and news channels. The union is in a great state or a terrible one, we’ll learn. Things are fine — new jobs added at a near-record pace, unemployment the lowest in decades, a pandemic crash that vanished. Or they’re awful – inflation, gas prices, shortages. We’ll hear both versions. And yes, there are plenty of alternatives (including the movie gem “Licorice Pizza,” shown here) that we’ll mention here. Read more…