1) Football. The college season has reached its semi-finals. Today, Miami (shown here) — ranked No. 10, before beating two higher-rated opponents — faces Mississippi (No. 6) in the Fiesta Bowl. On Friday, top-ranked Indiana faces Oregon (No. 5) in the Peach Bowl. The winners collide Jan. 19. Read more…
As “The Pitt” returns, let’s view parallel lives, three decades apart:
— 1994: “ER” began, with Noah Wyle ill-prepared for what’s ahead. He’s 23.
— 2025: Wyle’s “The Pitt” began, with Patrick Ball (shown here) ill-prepared for what’s ahead. With the exception of one TV episode, he had never acted on camera.
Now he was playing Dr. Frank Langdon in an intense hospital drama. “I was flying by the seat of my pants and trying not to get fired,” he told the Television Critics Association via Zoom.
Both shows soared instantly. In its first year, “ER” won eight Emmys and was nominated for best drama; “Pitt” — which startts its second season Thursday (Jan. 8) on HBO Max– won five Emmys, including best-drama. Read more…
When “The Pitt” began, it faced a basic question:
Would this just be re-doing “ER”? After all, it had the same producer (John Wells), one of the same stars (Noah Wyle, shown here) and the same idea — a fast-moving show, with handheld cameras zipping around an emergency department.
Yes, the show (which starts its second season Jan. 8 on HBO) amps that up by having the entire season trace one, 15-hour day. But beyond that, what could be different?
“We took a huge dry-erase board and just wrote all the things that we never did on ‘ER’ thar could be talked about today,” Wyle told the Television Critics Association. “We were amazed at how fast we filled up that board.” Read more…
1) “Abbott Elementary,” 8:30 p.m., ABC. On Sunday, this likable show (shown here in a previous season) will be up for a Golden Globe as best comedy series; it’s been nominated for that four straight times. First, here’s a clever mid-season shift: After the pipes broke at the school, classes now resume in a former shopping mall. Read more…
1) “Best Medicine” debut, 8 p.m., Fox. Here’s a second chance to see the start of this excellent comedy-drama. It debuted Sunday after football, now repeats that hour in its regular spot. Remaking an English gem (“Doc Martin”), it sees a surgeon, devoid of people skills, hired as the village doctor. He clashes instantly with the townsfolk, including (shown here) his charmmingly distracted assistant. Read more…
1) “Brilliant Minds” return, 10 p.m., NBC. Van had fallen back in love with his ex-wife. (He’s shown here with their son.) Then came a fierce car crash; ow, after a month-long break, the show resumes with her being rushed to surgery. Some of the reactions of the other driver and by Van are terribly misplaced; then the show gets back on track, wrapping up a pivotal and emotional hour. Read more…
As other shows bounce in and out of the PBS line-up, there’s one we can count on:
“Finding Your Roots” is usually there, With new episodes or reruns, it anchors most Tuesdays at 8 p.m., with Henry Louis Gages (shown here) finding deep insights into stars’ pasts.
The show has already done 11 seasons and 116 episodes, profiling about 232 people. Now a new season starts Jan. 6, adding 10 more hours.
It begin with a sometimes-cheery hour, focusing on actors America Ferrera and Darren Criss. Then things turn serious. Read more…
1) “All Creatures Great and Small” season-opener, 9 p.m. Sunday, PBS. A good series starts its sixth season with its best episode yet, deeply moving on multiple fronts. Since Mrs. Hall’s departure, Siegfried (shown here) finds his home and life in shambles … a sheepdog’s ailment endangers the flock … and World War II is in its sixth year. The final minutes here are superb. Read more…
1) “The Pitt,” 11:30 a.m. to 11:41 p.m, HBO. Here’s the first season in one gulp, portraying an intense, 15-hour hospital shift. The show has already won five Emmys — including best drama and actors Noah Wyle (shown here, second from right), Katherine LaNasa and Shawn Hatosy). Now, four days before the second season on HBO Max, it’s up for four Critics Choice Awards. Read more…
The news was greeted with understandable skepticism.
Fox was planning a reboot of “Doc Martin.” A British gem — droll and dry, quiet and clever — was being remade by the network of Gronk, Ken Jeong, screaming chefs, bulky lifeguards and “Krapopolis.”
The result? This new version (shown here) called “Best Medicine,” doesn’t match the original, but it’s surprisingly good.
You can catch the opener twice — after football (about 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT) on Sunday, Jan. 4, then at 8 p.m. Tuesday, which becomes its regular spot. Read more…
Best-bets for Feb. 5: fun chefs, serious sports 
Best-bets for Feb. 4: Muppets and talking dogs 
Best-bets for Feb. 3: a night of crimes, true and not 
