1) “Fire Country,” 9 p.m., CBS. After its big showcase (Sunday, following pro-football’s conference championship game), “Fire Country” is back to its regular slot, with another new episode. Firefighters (including Manny, shown here, played by Kevin Alejandro) battle a dangerous forest fire and try to save environmentalists protesting a housing development. Read more…
1) “Schoolhouse Rock! 50th Anniversary Singalong,” 8 p.m., ABC. It’s the fifth round of “Singalong,” which became a pandemic hit. This time, clever songs about grammar, government, math and more are sung by stars. Derek Hough does “Figure 8”; his sister Julianne does “Interplanet Janet.” Others include Black-Eyed Peas, Ne-Yo, Muppets (shown here), Broadway stars and even Shaquille O’Neal, backed by the Boys and Girls Club for “Conjunction Junction.” Read more…
1) “Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World” opener, 9-10 p.m., PBS. On Aug. 11, 1973, a Jamaican-born teen, dubbed DJ Kool Herc (shown here, later), used turntables and mega-speakers to make his sister’s party festive; hip hop was born. It would be six more years before rap records took off; by then, other hip hop facets – break-dancing, graffiti and DJ’s — had soared. This opener of a four-part film follows the early years of a genre that’s now in its 50th year. Read more…
1) “The Watchful Eye” debut, 9 and 10 p.m., Freeform. A young nanny (shown here) starts work, surrounded by secrets, suspicions and despair. She was hired by a guy whose wealthy wife killed herself; the wife’s mother and sister view him warily. But this is a story in which no one can be trusted – including the nanny and her boyfriend. Acted with subtle skill, it adds hints of the supernatural; consider it a gothic flip on “Only Murders in the Building.” Read more…
1) Football. So far, the pro play-offs have been short of surprises. Now the two conference leaders – each with a 15-3 record – host championship games, with the winners going to the Super Bowl two weeks later. At 3 p.m. ET on Fox, the Philadelphia Eagles host the San Francisco 49ers (15-4); at 6:30 on CBS, the Kansas City Chiefs host the Cincinnati Bengals (shown here, 14-4).
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1) “Planet Earth: Frozen Planet II” (shown here), 8 p.m., BBC America. A third of our planet remains mostly frozen, David Attenborough tells us here. Parts of the Arctic are fierce – 200-mile-an-hour winds whipping temperatures of 94-below-zero Fahrenheit. But moving south a tad, there’s spectacular footage of frozen forests, cascading waterfalls, wolves and bison colliding. This is great filmmaking, in a day filled with reruns of other BBC nature gems, Read more…
1) Figure skating, 8-10 p.m., NBC. As always, the female skaters (shown here) dominate TV’s attention. They had their short programs Thursday on the USA Network and now move to NBC for the finals. Meanwhile, the men have their short programs from 5-7 p.m. today on USA, with the finals from 3-6 p.m. Sunday on NBC. Other finals are Saturday — free dance, 2-4:30 p.m., NBC; pairs, 8-10 p.m., USA. Read more…
1) “Poker Face” debut, Peacock. Rian Johnson, writer-director of the “Knives Out” gems, links with Natasha Lyonne for a superb series. She’s terrific as Charlie, with an innate sense of when people are lying. In the opener (shown here), she’s living in a Las Vegas trailer, when casino boss (Adrien Brody) tries to harness that skill; she’s soon on the run, solving self-contained mysteries slong the way. Except for one flaw – scenes that flash back a few days, without telling viewers – this is a fresh and entertaining show. Read more…
1) “Nature,” 8 p.m., PBS. Underwater life is filled with communal efforts; now we see some examples, beautifully filmed. A carrier crab (show here while carrying) gives rides to a fire urchin – which provides protection with its venom … Shrimps keep eels tidy; surgeonfish remove algae fron turtles … Golden jacks hang around dugongs, grabbing any shrimps they stir up … Some creatures even go in the mouths of others, for clean-up work. It’s a fascinating world. Read more…
1) “American Auto” season-opener, 8:30 p.m., NBC. Once again, there’s a defect in one of the Payne cars; this one has disastrous consequences – including a forest fire. Katherine (Ana Gasteyer, shown here in a previous episode), the boss, worries about her job … Wesley, the heir, worries about having to sell his boat … and Sadie flubs a press conference. It’s a funny episode, with a surprising conclusion. Read more…
