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…
1) “Chicago Fire” (shown here), “Chicago Med,” “Chicago P.D.,” 8-11 p.m., NBC. One mega-story sprawls across all three hours. Switching the shows’ usual order, it starts with a gas-main explosion causing cave-ins; doctors and firefighters work at the site. Then “Med” treats victims (including firefighters) at the hospital. At 10, “P.D.” scrambles to find who’s responsible. Read more…
1) “Great Migrations” opener, 9-10 p.m., PBS. For people facing cruelty in the South, this was alluring: The Chicago Defender and other Black newspapers urged them to move North. Millions did, finding jobs, freedom, hope … and fierce weather, crowded cities and new forms of bias. Over three Tuesdays, Henry Louis Gates (shown here) tells the massive story. Read more…
1) “The Bachelor” opener, 8-10 p.m., ABC. Grant Ellis (shown here), who finished fifth in the recent “Bachelorette,” now gets the focus. He’s a 6-foot-5 stock trader and former basketball player (college reserve and a few Dominican Republic games). Now he meets 25 women, including two lawyers, two nurses, two interior designers, a pediatrician and a luxury-travel host. Read more…
1) Football, 3 p.m. ET Fox; 6:30, CBS. It’s the season’s third game between the Eagles (16-3) and Commanders (14-5). They’ve split two; this time, the winner goes to the Super Bowl. At night, the Chiefs (shown here, 16-2) host the Bills, 15-4. The Chiefs have two straight Super Bowl titles; the Bills lost four straight Super games in the early ‘90s and haven’t been back. Read more…
1) “Asia” debut, 8 p.m., BBC America. Here is nature filmmaking at its best. This first hour (of seven) sticks to the water, from awesome manta ray (with 15-foot wingspan) to a two-inch mudskipper (shown here), a fish out of water (literally) that skims the surface. We see aome fish frantically trying to outrun sharks; others join with snakes for a two-tiered hunting party Read more…
1) Figure skating, 8-11 p.m., NBC and Peacock. The U.S. Championships front-load their biggest draw, the women’s finals. (Shown here is a glimpse of last year’s event.) Also, rhythm dance has its finals from 5:12 to 7:30 on Peacock and 6-7:30 on USA. Saturday and Sunday bring the men, pairs and free dance. Read more…
1) “Only Murders in the Building” (shown here), 9-11 p.m., ABC. This wraps a great season that aired on Hulu. A clever finale assembles key suspects, played by Tina Fey (a rival podcaster), Michael Rapaport (Detective Kreps), Cara Delevingne (Alice, Mabel’s friend) and more. Also, Oliver (Martin Short) and Charles (Steve Martin) have emotional family moments. Read more…
1) “Nova,” 9 p.m., PBS. For almost 80 years, people have buzzed about UFO’s in silly movies (shown here) and serious forums. This hour traces that history and offers reasonable explanations for most sightings. But it doesn’t spoil the intrigue. It includes pilots and scientists who point to unexplained cases, insisting they be taken seriously. That starts a strong string of new “Nova” hours. Read more…
1) “Doc,” 9 p.m., Fox. For Amy (Molly Parker, shown here), it’s the first day back at work, after a crash took away eight years of personal and medical memories. Flashbacks show when she was an overbearing medical chief; now she can only watch and suggest. This compelling hour has opposite patients, one in denial, the other deeply loving. We also see Amy’s life, emerging from a fog. Read more…
