Month: January 2021

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…

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. After a five-week rest, the show begins its Biden era. John Krasinski hosts, Machine Gun Kelly is the music guest and the presidential focus shifts. In the most-recent new episode (Dec. 19), Alex Moffat – who had often played Eric Trump (as he does here, left) – became Joe Biden. Previously, that role went to Jason Sudeikis and then, for six election-time episodes, Jim Carrey. Read more…

1) “Citizen Kane” (1941), 8 p.m., Turner Classic Movies. The American Film Institute’s best-movie list covers a century-plus of masterworks. This is No. 1 – just above “The Godfafher” and “Casablanca.” It’s a prime example of “auteur” filmmaking, molded by one person’s vision. Orson Welles (shown here) conceived, directed and starred in it; he also claimed he’d co-written it. (He only offered a couple ideas to the writer, but co-accepted an Oscar for the script.) The result weaves words and pictures perfectly. Read more…

1) “Grown-ish,” 8 p.m., Freeform. This was originally built around the college life of Zoey (shown here), from “Black-sh”; she still narrates, but tonight’s story ranges afar. Ana reaches a turning point in her romance and Aaron finds his activist spirit revived. This isn’t quite a comedy – there are plenty of them on Thursdays – but it is a crisply filmed half-hour, with likable young people exploring life. Read more…