1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. After a three-week break, “SNL” is back with a string of three new episodes. Tonight, Finn Wolfhard (shown here) becomes the fourth “Stranger Things” star to hosts; the music guest is A$AP Rocky. Coming up as hosts are Teyana Taylor and Alexander Skarsgard. Read more…
1) “Stumble,” 8:30 p.m., NBC. This cheer-team comedy has been inconsistent, but with some big-laugh moments. Now its best episode involves a mandatory sex-relations lecture (shown here), complete with role-play, an ancient VCR machine and a semi-ancient lecturer. The result is hilarious. Read more…
1) “Animal Control,” 9 p.m., Fox. Ever since their “Community” years, Joel McHale has had fun ribbing Ken Jeong. Now that they’re Fox stars, Jeong (shown here with a date and McHale) sometimes plays his nemesis on this show. In a funny episode here, they spend the day together. That’s followed by the so-so season-opener of “Going Dutch”; Quinn (Denis Leary) plots to win the war game. Read more…
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…
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…
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…
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. 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…
1) U.S. Figure Skating Championships, 8-11 p.m., NBC. Four weeks before the Winter Olympics begin, the U.S. picks its stars. Tonight has women (led by Amber Glenn, shown here) and pairs, Saturday has men and free-dance. At 2 p.m. ET Sunday, the Olympic figure-skating team will be announced.
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1) Football. The college season has reached its semi-finals. Today, Miami (shown here) — ranked No. 10, before beating two higher-rated opponents — faces Mississippi (No. 6) in the Fiesta Bowl. On Friday, top-ranked Indiana faces Oregon (No. 5) in the Peach Bowl. The winners collide Jan. 19. Read more…
