1) “Nature,” 8 p.m., PBS. Each year, billions of sardines (shown here) make a massive South African run, for … well, no reason that researchers can discern. Along the way, they attract way too many predators; birds, sharks, whales and dolphins sometimes work together for a massive round-up and feast. The result creates visuals that are both gorgeous and bizarre. Read more…
1) Olympic figure-skating, USA Network and NBC. This was supposed to be the key time for viewers, with women skating solo. That’s live during USA’s morning (4-9:25 a.m. today, 5-9 a.m. Thursday) and taped for NBC’s evenings (8-11:30 p.m.). The problem came with the event’s star, Russia’s Kamila Valieva (shown here), 15. After she skated brilliantly in the team event, word came that she’d tested positive for a banned drug. With or without her, this loses some of its joy. Read more…
1) “State of the Union” opener, 10 p.m., Sundance. You wanna spend part of Valentine’s Day watching a fractured marriage? Maybe not; there are plenty of romantic choices, including (shown here), the splendid “Shakespeare in Love” (details below). But “State of the Union” is special; written by novelist Nick Hornby, it has wit, depth and skilled actors. Like the first season, this has ten 10-minute episodes, airing each weekday for two weeks; each shows the couple in a coffeeshop, waiting to see a marriage counselor. He (Brendan Gleeson) resists a changing world; she (Patricia Clarkson) embraces it. Read more…
1) Super Bowl, 6:30 p.m., NBC. The Cincinnati Bengals are one win away from an amazing turnaround. Two years ago, they head football’s worst record, 2-14 … giving them a chance to draft quarterback Joe Burrow (shown here); this year, they were 10-7, then won three play-off games by a total of 13 points. Standing in their way is Matthew Stafford, who went 12 years without a playoff win; traded to the Los Angeles Rams, he went 12-5, then raced through the playoffs. Read more…
1) Olympic figure skating, USA Network and NBC. The rhythm dance competition (shown here with the U.S. duo of Zachary Donahue) and Madison Hubbell) will be packed into two busy days. The first round is live today, in USA’s morning (6-9:40 a.m.), then will be repeated on tape during NBC’s prime time (8-11 p.m.). The final round starts live at 8:15 p.m. Sunday on USA; NBC will take over at about 10:45 p.m., after the Super Bowl trophy is handed out. Read more…
1) “The Perfect Storm,” 7-10 p.m., AMC. After this, we really will be afraid to go near the water. “Jaws” (1975) is at 8 p.m. on BBC America, on the same night that Mark Wahlberg is in two movies about real-life disasters. “Deepwater Horizon” (2016) has a fire on an offshore oil rig; “Perfect Storm” has Wahlberg (shown here) and George Clooney as mariners, as weather extremes converge. “Jaws” is a classic; the others were well-crafted, each nominated for two technical Oscars. Read more…
1) “Call Me Kat,” 9 p.m., Fox. It’s time to celebrate Mayim Bialik’s busy stretch. While many shows duck into reruns during the Olympics, she has four-and-a-half new hours each week. At 8 p.m. (Tuesdays through Fridays, for two weeks), she hosts ABC’s “Jeopardy National College Championship.” And tonight also brings her likable (if lightweight) comedy (shown here). In this episode, Kat (Bialik) spies on the boyfriend of her mom (Swoosie Kurtz); also, the guys try yoga. Read more…
1) Winter Olympics, 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., NBC. For viewers who prefer events with American contenders, here are two big finals, both live. There’s the women’s snowboarding halfpipe, with Chloe Kim (shown here), who won in 2018 at 17. And there’s men’s figure-skating: Nathan Chen is a three-time world champion, but finished fifth in the 2018 games. The winner that time, Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu, is trying to be the first guy in 94 years to win the event three straight times. Read more…
1) TONIGHT’S MUST-SEE: “American Masters,” 9-11 p.m., PBS. Just 51 weeks after PBS had a splendid Marian Anderson profile, here’s an even better one. Last year’s film focused on the peak: Banned from the segregated Constitution Hall, Anderson had a triumphant concert (shown here) at the Lincoln Memorial. This film includes that, but has a deeper profile of a winding life – a phenom at 8, a high-school grad (finally) at 24, a star who performed for royalty, but sat in the back of the bus. Read more…
1) “American History: Riveted: The History of Jeans,” 9 p.m., PBS. At first, jeans were just supposed to be sturdy and practical; cowboys and farmhands could wear them forever. Then they were worn by everyone from civil-rights protestors to hip hop stars to model (including Brooke Shields in the ad shown here). They became fashionable … and expensive; they were ripped and faded (on purpose). It’s a fun and fascinating story. Read more…
