1) Olympic figure skating. The pairs’ long program starts at 2 p.m. ET today on the USA Network, then moves to NBC from 12:55 to 2. Then the women (shown here is the U.S.; Alysa Liu) take over — short, Tuesday (12:35 p.m., USA; 2:40, NBC); long, Thursday (1-5 p.m., NBC). There’s a gala — no rules, just fun — at 12:55 a.m. and 13:40 p.m. Saturday. And it’s all repackaged at night. Read more…
1) Valentine’s Day movies, Hallmark Channel. For Hallmark, this is like Super Bowl Sunday. Beginning at 8 am., it reruns romance tales every two hours; four have “Valentine” in the title, all have young love. At 8, “Because of Cupid” (shown here) debuts, adding a supernatural touch. Also, Great American Family has its own love marathon, every two hours starting at 6 a.m. Read more…
1) Figure skating. It’s time for the men’s finals, with strong prospects. Ilia Malinin (shown here), the U.S. “quad god,” has been considered the favorite. Japan’s Yuri Kagiyama, however, topped him in the short program during the team portion and came close during the individuakl short program. That’s 12:45 p.m. ET on the USA Network, then 3-5 on NBC. Read more…
1) “Next Level Chef,” 8 p.m., Fox. In pro football, Jared Veldeer says, he was “a professional fat guy,” 318 pounds. He was a starting offensive lineman for six teams over a decade. Then he trimmed and became a rarity — “a 6-foot-8 lunch lady” at his kids’ school. Now he’s among eight contestants (including a school cop) competing for five spots, in a fun hour. He’s shown here with Gordon Ramsay, a former soccer pro. Read more…
1) “Nova: Mammal Origins,” 9 p.m., PBS. In our minds, we’re descended from the boldest beasts, which ruled the planet. Science, alas, finds that mammals probably evolved from critters (depicted here) who burrowed and hid, while the big guys were vanquished. That’s illustrated here, with terrific special effects. Read more…
When viewers met Jeanine Mason, she was a teen dancer, quick and joyful.
Now she’s a vigilante suspect (fictionally), filled with rage. That requires some acting.
“There’s a lot of anger, there’s a lot of fear” in the character, Mason (shown here) told the Television Critics Association. “We wanted you to be scared of her, certainly, but … you see how much she’s carrying.”
That’s for the second season of “Cross,” which starts with three episodes Wednesday (Feb. 11) on Amazon Prime, then has five weekly episodes. Read more…
For a big-time attorney, Mickey Haller seems to be in perpetual jeopardy.
In the first three “Lincoln Lawyer” (shown here) seasons, thugs chased, threatened and beat him. He survived, with the help of brains, guts, two ex-wives and a biker.
But in this fourth season, those thugs have badges and subpoenas. Things get a lot more complicated.
The 10-part season just arrived on Netflix. It has a few flaws — some detours that are kind of empty stuffing, plus an ending that feels anti-climactic. Still, it’s a terrific story, with Mickey facing huge stakes and getting great help. Read more…
1) Winter Olympics. It’s time for the short-program start of men’s figure skating. That begins at 12:30 p.m. ET on USA, with NBC taking over for the top-seeded guys (including U.S. whiz Ilia Malinin and Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, who has b eaten him twice on short programs, including, shown here, Satuirday) from 1:45-5 p.m. NBC also has men’s skiing at noon, women’s luge at 12:45 and cross-country sprint at 1:15. As usual, it re-packages the day from 8-11 p.m Read more…
Two series — both of them popular and praised — have new homes for their reruns:
— “Schitt’s Creek” has just moved to HBO Max; and
— “Downton Abbey” (shown here) has set a deal that will put the first three seasons at 10 p.m. Sundays on PBS, from May 17 to Sept. 13. The other three seasons will rerun a year later. Read more…
1) “Independent Lens: The Librarians,” 10 p.m., PBS. Big or (shown here) small, libraries have been quiet refuges. Librarians have been the kindly source of words and wisdom; nNow, however, they’re under attack. Modern book-burners demand the removal of subjects ranging from sexuality to slavery. This compelling film follows several; some lost their jobs, others keep up the quiet fight. Read more…
Best-bets for Feb. 14: Olympic valentines? 
Best-bets for Feb. 13: a day for love and skates 
Best-bets for Feb. 12: Olympians and a “6-8 lunch lady” 
