1) “The ‘90s Boy Band Boom,” 8-10 p.m., CW. Here’s a mostly joyful tour of an era, told mostly by the guys themselves. It starts with a Backstreet Boys single peaking at No. 69. The group (shown here in the early days) then soared in Europe; so did ‘N Sync. Then came 98 Degrees and more. Girls screamed, guys fumed. One rocker called them “spawns of the devil,” but they’ve persisted. Read more…
1) “NCIS: Sydney,” 8 p.m., CBS. A week later than first scheduled, here’s the season-opener. It’s intense, starting moments after the first season ended: The people who kidnapped JD’s son had a phone link to Col. Rankin. With one flaw (a stiff and stereotyped higher-up from NCIS), it’s a strong hour, with action (shown here) and intensity. Read more…
1) “NFL Honors,” 9-11 p.m., Fox. Snoop Dogg hosts from New Orleans, where the Chiefs and Eagles collide Sunday in the Super Bowl. Neither team has a most-valuable-player nominee; those are Josh Allen, Saquon Barkley, Joe Burrow (shown here), Jared Goff and Lamar Jackson. But other categories include the Chiefs coach and three Eagles on defense. Read more…
1) “Wild Cards” season-opener, 8 p.m, CW. Last season was filled with clever scams, ending with the best: Max helped Ellis nab the crooks, but stole the $33 million Faberge egg. Now, oddly, the show sheds its glam-scam touch. There are laborious scenes reuniting the duo, followed by a so-so case that has Ellis undercover (shown here) amid street-racers. Stick around; it will get better. Read more…
1) “St. Denis Medical,” 8 p.m., NBC. Dr. Ron suggests (gently) that weight-loss would ease a patient’s knee problem. He’s accused of fat-shaming; soon, the nurses (shown here) have dizzying journey through online reviews. A second story – Bruce pondering a high school bully – is mostly sad, but the main one reminds us that this is one of the year’s best new shows. Read more…
1) “9-1-1: Lone Star” series-finale, 8 p.m., Fox. The most-watched shows on Fox were also the most expensive. So “9-1-1” moved to ABC and this spin-off is ending after five seasons. At least, it ends big(shown here) — with an asteroid hitting Texas. Rob Lowe, the star, won’t be jobless: He hosts “The Floor,” which has its season-opener Sunday, after the Super Bowl. Read more…
1) Grammys, 8-11:30 p.m. ET, CBS. A busy night will include tributes to Quincy Jones and to fire-scarred Los Angeles. Performers include Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Brad Paisley, Lainey Wilson, Cynthia Erivo, Chris Martin, Sheryl Crow and some best-album nominees — Sabrina Carpenter (shown here), Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Charli xcs and Jacob Collier. Read more…
1) “Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story,” 8-10 p.m., Lifetime. This is a Lifetime specialty – movies about real-life music stars. Next week is Gloria Gaynor; first, this views Lisa Velez (shown here), a former Hell’s Kitchen teen who soared. The real Velez, now 59, plays her own mother, a Puerto Rican native with 10 children. Bre-Z (“All American”) plays Velez’s friend and back-up singer. Read more…
1) “Fire Country,” 9 p.m., CBS. After a six-week break, this is back to new episodes – starting with a big one: A blaze (shown here) is out of control; Bode and Audrey scramble to survive, while Eve tries to save her dad (Phil Morris) and his ranch. That’s followed by “SWAT,” with an enemy seeking revenge. Read more…
1) “Matlock,” 9 p.m., CBS. After six weeks of reruns , CBS’ splendid Thursday line-up is back to new episodes. Here, there’s a tough task – proving Elijah’s cousin was wrongfully terminated. In an excellent episode, Matty (Kathy Bates, shown here) also has disputes at home and reaches a turning point at work. Read more…
