Innholdsfortegnelse for January 21, 2019 i TV Guide Magazine

@TVGMMattRoush America’s top TV critic Matt Roush answers your burning questions I loved the flashback episode of Showtime’s Escape at Dannemora, which showed why Sweat (Paul Dano) and Matt (Benicio Del Toro) were in prison as well as the setup for Tilly (Patricia Arquette) cheating on her first husband. But I question the placement as the penultimate episode. Airing it at the point when the prison break was imminent seemed to slow things down unnecessarily. —Michael MATT ROUSH: I thought it was genius for director Ben Stiller and the screenwriters to place the characters’ backstories right before the climax. We had become so invested in their escape that stepping back to provide sobering context added to the rich character development. This wasn’t a typical prison-escape drama, and that episode is…

Death of a Cheerleader (Saturday, Feb. 2, 8/7c) This remake of the 1994 version with Tori Spelling and Kellie Martin now stars Martin as an FBI agent investigating a high school murder. My Great Big Live Wedding With David Tutera (Tuesday, Feb. 5, 10/9c) Each episode of the reality series culminates in one couple’s live nuptials, designed by ultimate party planner Tutera. V.C. Andrews Novels (late summer) Five movie-length adaptations of the popular fiction will air over consecutive weeks, starting with Heaven, about a twisted West Virginia family. Robin Roberts Presents (TBD) The news anchor is producing inspirational scripted projects that include companion documentaries. A biopic on gospel singer Mahalia Jackson is first up.…

PREMIERES Big Brother: Celebrity Edition Jan. 21, 8/7c, CBS Pawn Stars Jan. 21, 10/9c, History Dating #NoFilter Jan. 21, 10:30/9:30c, E! Food Truck Nation Jan. 22, 9/8c, Cooking Channel Siesta Key Jan. 22, 9/8c, MTV Many Sides of Jane Jan. 22, 10/9c, A&E Conan Jan. 22, 11/10c, TBS The Magicians Jan. 23, 9/8c, Syfy Knight Fight Jan. 23, 10/9c, History Pure Jan. 23, 10/9c, WGN America Suits Jan. 23, 10/9c, USA Siren Jan. 24, 8/7c, Freeform Broad City Jan. 24, 10/9c, Comedy Central Kindred Spirits Jan. 24, 10/9c, Travel Channel The Other Two Jan. 24, 10:30/9:30c, Comedy Central Black Earth Rising Jan. 25, Netflix Kingdom Jan. 25, Netflix Medici: The Magnificent Jan. 25, Netflix Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Jan. 25, Netflix Strike Back Jan. 25, 10/9c, Cinemax The Best Thing I…

This Is Us 9/8c, NBC Editors’ Choice Poor Kevin. On This Is Us’s third season of family drama, the former sitcom star (Justin Hartley, above), now a recovering addict and soul searcher, has been investigating his late father’s tour of duty in Vietnam. Why did Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) refuse to discuss his war days, and how did his soldier brother, Nicky (played in flashbacks by Michael Angarano), die over there? But rather than get answers to his burning questions, Kevin has discovered that, well, he doesn’t know Jack. Neither do the rest of us. Turns out Jack kept a huge secret regarding Nicky—who viewers learned was alive, if not exactly well, in last November’s fall finale—from his family. “People have this idea of Jack and how honest he was,” Hartley…

ESSENTIAL EPISODES 24 SEASONS 1–9 AVAILABLE NOW It’s about time, damn it! From 2001 to 2010, the action thriller 24 broke ground with its bold storytelling: Not only did the Fox hit unfold minute by minute over a frenetic 24 hours, but no character was safe from death. The exception? Kiefer Sutherland’s counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer, who repeatedly put himself in danger trying to save the world. Now that the entire Emmy-winning series is available on Hulu, clock in and check out these classics. “Day 1: 11 PM–12 AM” (Season 1, Episode 24) Um, 17-year-old spoiler alert: As the Season 1 finale winds down, Jack thwarts the bad guys and seems headed for a stress-free night with wife Teri (Leslie Hope). Then his colleague, Nina (Sarah Clarke), reveals herself as…

Thursday, Jan. 31 Anaconda (1997) Sony Crackle Jennifer Lopez and Ice Cube are just two of the stars trying not to get bit by the giant snake in this thriller. Bachelor Party (1984) Hulu The night before his wedding, Rick (Tom Hanks) and his pals have one wild night out, much to the bride’s chagrin. Battle: Los Angeles (2011) Sony Crackle Aliens are here! And they’re taking down L.A. Big Daddy (1999) Sony Crackle An immature guy (Adam Sandler) adopts a kid to impress his girlfriend, which is not a great plan. Charlie’s Angels (2000) Sony Crackle Hello, rebooted Angels! This update of the hit ’70s series stars Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu as kickass detectives. Death Wish (1974) Hulu Charles Bronson sets out to avenge his murdered wife in this violent classic. Four…

Days of Our Lives NBC, check local listings Soap staple Judith Chapman makes her return to Days of Our Lives today, but not as Anjelica Deveraux, the troublemaking diva she first brought to life in 1989—and brought back from the dead in last year’s Halloween episode. Instead, her top-secret character is one viewers have seen before, a woman who has a history with that heroic special agent John Black (Drake Hogestyn). “John was the love of her life,” Chapman says. And she wants to rekindle that flame, despite the small matter of his current marital joy with Marlena (Deidre Hall). “She tries to get him,” says the actress, “and all hell breaks loose!” Chapman is skilled at playing conniving schemers (see also: Gloria Abbott Bardwell of The Young and the…

The Turner Classic Movies network’s annual 31 Days of Oscar—a massive film festival of past nominees and winners—gets you primed for this month’s Academy Awards by creating its own competitions between classic titles every night. “They could be connected by an actor or a director, a theme, genre or Oscar category—or just a plot point,” TCM host Ben Mankiewicz says. Here are the contenders in 62 categories, from Hepburn vs. Streisand to Best Battle With the Bottle. Settle in and enjoy! FRIDAY, FEB. 1 Janet Gaynor 1929 Best Actress Win for Multiple Titles 8/7c Sunrise (1927) 10/9c Street Angel (1928) Grittiest Streets of New York  Midnight/11c The French Connection (1971) 2am/1c Taxi Driver (1976) SATURDAY, FEB. 2 Favorite ’60s Visual Effects Winner  8/7c Fantastic Voyage (1966) 10/9c Doctor Dolittle (1967) Best Battle With the Bottle 12:45am/11:45c Days…

“Being a judge is way harder than I ever thought”—DREW BARRYMORE The World’s Best SERIES PREMIERE 10/9c, after Super Bowl LIII, CBS A SINGING NUN from Italy? A Las Vegas contortionist? Fleet-footed Spanish brothers who flamenco? The talent pool for this new competition—worth $1 million to the winner—is eclectic, to say the least. But this search for the Best, hosted by The Late Late Show’s James Corden, who is also an executive producer, has one very simple advantage over rival projects. “It’s global!” says Drew Barrymore, who shares judging duties with country icon Faith Hill and entertainer/host RuPaul Charles. The Santa Clarita Diet actress took a break from being astounded by the performers to weigh in. This is your first time as a judge. How’s it going? It’s way harder…

@damianholbrook LOVE IT! Cheers to The Titan Games for its Rock-ing ratings. Like an American ninja warrior on human-growth hormones, the premiere of NBC’s feats-of-strength competition from Dwayne Johnson (left) helped the network win Thursday night in viewers age 18–49 for the first time in two years (not including sports programs). That’s some serious muscle! Cheers to Deadly Class for being a lesson in style and substance. Beneath the retro-perfect soundtrack and gorgeously choreographed fight sequences, Syfy’s take on the brutal, ’80s-set comic book series about a prep school for assassins (starring Lana Condor, near left) packs a relevant study of teens coping with abuse, bullies and other issues. Cheers to Tidying Up With Marie Kondo for sparking the joy of how-to shows that actually teach us how to do things! In translating…

KILLER SKILL I couldn’t agree more with your Jeer [January 7] about the wonderful Jodie Comer from Killing Eve being overlooked [for awards]. As far as I’m concerned, she was the star of the show. —Rob GOING WILD Crikey! It’s the Irwins is redefining feel-good TV. The positive attitudes of Bindi, Robert and Terri combined with adorable animals bring a smile to my face every time. What a great legacy for Steve Irwin! —Aimee FRESH TAKES The Cool Kids and God Friended Me are two great shows we never miss watching. Thank goodness for these new concepts. —Donna FINAL TWISTS Cheers to an exciting season ender for Midnight, Texas [the series finale aired December 28]. It was full of unexpected turns. —Sharon Email us: letters@tvgm.com FAN ART STAR TREK: DISCOVERY @thesenesx…

1942–2019 WANT TO HEAR the greatest dirty joke ever? Google “Bob Einstein clips.” He told oodles. The writer and comedian—most recently known as droll divorcé Marty Funkhouser on Curb Your Enthusiasm—died January 2 from cancer at age 76. The son of a radio comic and a retired actress (his younger brother is director Albert Brooks), Einstein was discovered by Tom Smothers in the late 1960s after playing the bribable man in charge of the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a local L.A. talk-show skit. Einstein, then 25, was soon writing for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and acting onscreen in sketches as stickler cop Officer Judy, who once gave Liberace a ticket for playing the piano too fast. Then in 1972, Einstein cocreated his best character, hapless daredevil Super Dave…

There’s no gift like quality time with thoughtful, candid Tom Selleck. We checked in with the TV titan as he was about to leave for his holiday break, right after the cast handed out “lovely” windbreakers (his description) as Christmas presents for the crew. (Every year, costar Bridget Moynahan organizes the purchase, and the cast contributes.) Before returning to his California ranch, Selleck reflected on his nine years as NYPD commissioner Frank Reagan—another in his gallery of small-screen heroes, men with a strong sense of honor and duty. The commish may have the weight of New York City on his shoulders, but the actor was in a fine mood as he discussed why his beloved drama still leads the Friday pack in total viewers (“I don’t think we have many…

In Pursuit With John Walsh 10/9c, Investigation Discovery During the 24-year run of America’s Most Wanted (1988–2011), John Walsh helped track down 1,244 criminals and 61 abducted kids. He notched more victories via CNN’s The Hunt With John Walsh (2014–17). Now, at 73, he’s back hosting and sleuthing for Investigation Discovery. “I’d been trying to retire,” says the crimebuster, who was 35 when he and wife Revé learned their 6-year-old son, Adam, had been murdered after being snatched from a Florida department store. What keeps Walsh in pursuit: free rein (he can even pull up Most Wanted cold cases that still trouble him) and the chance to share his mission with one of his sons. NEW COSTAR “I’m an old guy,” quips Walsh (inset). So he’s “thrilled” Callahan, one of…

ACROSS 1 A Different World actress Summer  5 True Blood star Paquin 9 ____ of Bones 12 Robert’s title on Downton Abbey Existed  14 One (prefix)  15 Big Little Lies actor (2 wds.) 17 Chest bone 18 Loudermilk actor Will 19 ____ in Boots  20 Before, to poets 21 Data’s daughter on Star Trek: The Next Generation 24 Totaled, as a bill (2 wds.)  25 Mr. Mooney on The Lucy Show (2 wds.) 27 Star of The Flash (2 wds.) 29 The Price Is Right announcer (2 wds.)  30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor Braugher 31 Days of ____ Lives 32 Ad ____ committee 35 Majors and Pace 36 Abbi’s costar on Broad City 38 Ending for north or east 39 A Charlie Brown Christmas pianist 43 ____ King Cole 44 State where Glee was set 45 Calf meat 46…

THE PREFERRED “MODERN” gift for a 35th anniversary may be jade, but Lifetime—which turns 35 on February 1—has something else that’s green and valuable to show for its milestone: success, the kind fueled by a ratings smash. That would be January’s Surviving R. Kelly, a controversial docuseries featuring women breaking their silence with allegations of sexual, mental and physical abuse by the R&B singer. Over the three nights it aired, Surviving averaged 2.1 million viewers and ranked as the No. 1 nonsports program among cable series with viewers age 18–49. The tie between Lifetime and its audience has thrived thanks to a mission that was unique in 1984 and continues today. “We’ve always championed women’s stories,” says Tanya Lopez, executive vice-president, movies, limited series and original movie acquisitions. “That means…

@TVGMMattRoush I Am the Night A California noir delves into Hollywood’s deepest, darkest corners SERIES PREMIERE Monday, Jan. 28, 9/8c, TNT WHEN EVEN A side trip to balmy Hawaii can’t pierce the darkness of the soul, you know you’re in that shadowy twilight zone that Turner Classic Movies likes to call “Noir Alley.” In I Am the Night, it’s less an alley than a labyrinth of corruption and decadence that awaits 16-year-old Fauna (sultry, sulky India Eisley) as she leaves small-town Nevada for the glamour and grit of 1965 Los Angeles to embark on a perilous quest for identity. Her search for an elusive birth mother, somehow connected to shady L.A. gynecologist George Hodel (Jefferson Mays, oozing perverse malice), puts Fauna on a collision course with washed-up reporter Jay Singletary…

“We live in the Information Age. I wish it were the Wisdom Age”—BRADLEY WHITFORD Valley of the Boom SEASON FINALE 9/8c, National Geographic CODING BLUE! TECHNOLOGY empires crumble on tonight’s finale of Valley of the Boom, National Geographic’s wild six-part limited series that tells three true, interconnected stories from the dot-com boom and bust of the 1990s and early 2000s. We hacked into the mind of former West Wing star Bradley Whitford (left), who plays James Barksdale, CEO of Netscape, the company that created the first dominant browser for easy web surfing. Competitor Microsoft’s brutal war on Netscape makes for Shakespearean stuff. Do you see Barksdale as a little-guy hero? He’s a decent, thoughtful man who reminded me of my dad. He wasn’t in the business world only for profit,…

ORDEAL BY INNOCENCE Aristocrat Leo Argyll (Bill Nighy) and his surviving kids are ready to move on from the murder of matriarch Rachel (Anna Chancellor, left, with Nighy) by son Jack (Anthony Boyle), who died in prison. Then a young scientist (Luke Treadaway) appears at their door, claiming to be Jack’s alibi. Available on Prime Video THE WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION Kim Cattrall (left) is a rich lady in 1920s London who takes a young man home for the night, wills him her fortune and ends up a dead, bloody mess soon after. Available on Acorn TV or Prime Video’s Acorn TV Channel ($4.99 per month) AND THEN THERE WERE NONE Ten strangers (like a mercenary played by Poldark’s Aidan Turner, left) are invited to an island and killed one…

Newly available Alright Now (2018Hulu Cobie Smulders rocks, literally, as a has-been musician who goes back to school in this indie comedy. Another Time (2018) Hulu Justin Hartley (This Is Us) travels to the past in search of true love. Disaster Movie (2008) Hulu A comedy spoofing all the biggest action flicks in film history. Matt Lanter (Timeless) stars. Geostorm (2017) HBO Now A weather-controlling satellite goes haywire and causes global havoc. Logan (2017) HBO Now The X-Men’s unkillable mutant faces a dark future…but finds some small hope in the next generation when he meets his hard-fighting daughter (Dafne Keen). My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) HBO Now Opa! A young Greek woman (Nia Vardalos) finds love with a—gasp!—American man (John Corbett). O (2001) Hulu Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello is reimagined inside a high school. Ocean’s 8 (2018) HBO…