Year: 2021

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…

1) “Resident Alien” debut, 10 p.m., Syfy. Newcomers often have a tough time fitting in. Now imagine you’re a being (shown here) from another planet, pretending to be the guy you killed. It’s easy to look like him physically (what with shapeshifting and such), but how do you learn the attitudes? This is partly a comedy, in the Sheldon/”Big Bang” style of trying to grasp the human condition. But it’s from Steven Spielberg’s company and also offers sleek, science-fiction visuals, with gorgeous Vancouver backdrops. Read more…