Mike Hughes on TV

1) “Chicago Fire,” 9 p.m., NBC. Drama often works best when people are wedged into tight spaces – a jury room, a lifeboat, a quarantine room … and, in this case, a freight elevator. After a couple minutes, this terrific episode becomes a four-person play. David Eigenberg (shown here, at his bar in a previous episodes) has some great moments here as Herrmann; he and Joe Minoso (as the stoic Cruz) are trapped there with two civilians, well-played by Baize Buzan and Brian King. Basically filmed non-stop, it’s a sharp and involving hour. Read more…

1) “Frontline,” 10 p.m., PBS. Who deserves blame for the slow COVID response? Almost everyone, “Frontline” has found. Earlier, it pointed to the Trump response; now here’s the case against China (shown here) and the World Health Organization. On Dec.26, 25 days after the first case, Chinese officials and hospitals were finally warned of the danger; still, the government remained in denial for four crucial weeks. Secret tapes of WHO meetings show deep worries … but spokesmen kept downplaying the problem. Read more…

1) “Roots” (shown here), 3-10 p.m., Sundance. As Black History Month begins, here’s one of TV’s great projects, portraying the slavery experience. It set ratings records in 1977, then won nine Emmys and a Peabody. Tonight has the first half, with the rest airing from 3-10 p.m. Tuesday. This part also reruns from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, so you can catch the epic in one 14-hour sweep. Read more…

1) “Masterpiece: The Long Song,” 10 p.m., PBS. Here is Jamaica in the 1830s, offering visual beauty and emotional pain. Hayley Atwell – thoroughly transformed from her work as Peggy Carter in the Captain America films – plays an empty-headed plantation-owner, with Tamara Lawrence as her slave. Then a man (Jack Lowden, shown here with the women) arrives with news. This three-week story veers toward soap-opera turf, then evolves into a nuanced drama – beautifully filmed, skillfully acted and, at times, wrenching to watch. Read more…