1) “Kingdom,” 8 p.m., BBC America. David Attenborough (shown here in a previous film) remains the consummate voice of nature films. Shortly before he turns 100 (May 8), he narrates two epics from BBC crews. This six-parter follows families of lions, leopards, hyenas and dogs, competing (sometimes violently) for turf. And a five-part gem on animal parenthood starts Feb. 4 on PBS. Read more…
1) “Stumble,” 8:30 p.m., NBC. This has quickly evolved into a terrific comedy. Fresh from last week’s hilarious sexual-relations lecture, it now has a small-town talent show (shown here). Courteney — the transplanted New Yorker — is flummoxed. Her husband, a folksy coach recovering from a concussion, fits in;Taran Killam plays him with subtle perfection. Read more…
1) “Hell’s Kitchen” finale, 8 p.m., Fox. The show’s 24th champion will be either Jada Vidal (shown here) or Ellie Parker. Last week, they drafted the other chefs for their teams and began planning fancy dinners — one a Cuban-Asian fusion, the other steakhouse-style. Tonight, one will land a major chef job. Read more…
1) “Nova” season-opener, 9 p.m., PBS. Asteroids (shown here) get a bad rap, what with bringing death, destruction and the end of dinosaurs. But this asks the flip side: Is it possible that they brought the elements that were needed to create life on Earth? Deep, detailed (and sometimes a bit dry), this starts a season that also re-examines the first mammals and civilizations. Read more…
1) “Doc,” 9 p.m., Fox. A potent story hits its peak tonight. Convinced that Amy spurred their father’s suicide, a young doctor (shown here, cxenter) and her brother schemed to destroy her. Their plan imploded, he’s in the hospital with an overdose, their mother (left) is there … and the hospital investigates Amy. Despite one flaw — an absurdly one-note investigator — this is a strong, well-crafted hour. Read more…
1) College football, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. The playoffs have been strewn with upsets. In the six quarter-final and semi-final games, only twice has the higher-ranked teams won. Both times it was Indiana (shown here), winning 38-3 and 56-22; now it faces 10th-ranked Miami for the title. Read more…
1) “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” debut. 10 p.m., HBO. Duncan the Tall isn’t your ordinary hero. In George R.R. Martin’s tales, he was a former street urchin who became a squire and then a 6-foot-11 knight, egged on by “Egg” (Aegon), his squire. In this six-part “Game of Thrones” prequel (shown here), he’s played by Peter Claffey, who is a mere 6-5. Read more…
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…
