Best-bets for Jan. 14: lots of detectives and cowboys

1) “Monsieur Spade” opener, 9 p.m., AMC. In “Maltese Falcon,” Sam Spade became the classic private eye, tough, terse and unblinking. Now he’s played by Clive Owen and (shown here) and written by Tom Fontana, the brilliant “Homicide” and “Oz” writer. Surprisingly, he’s living quietly in France; unsurprisingly, trouble finds him. The six-week story is oddly convoluted, but it ripples with quick, sharp dialog. Read more…

1) “Monsieur Spade” opener, 9 p.m., AMC. In “Maltese Falcon,” Sam Spade became the classic private eye, tough, terse and unblinking. Now he’s played by Clive Owen and (shown here) and written by Tom Fontana, the brilliant “Homicide” and “Oz” writer. Surprisingly, he’s living quietly in France; unsurprisingly, trouble finds him. The six-week story is oddly convoluted, but it ripples with quick, sharp dialog.

2) “Yellowstone” rerun marathon, 8-11 p.m., CBS. Assembling makeshift schedules during the strikes, networks found surprises. This show – already shown perpetually on cable and streaming – was a ratings success on CBS. Now reruns of the third season begin. The next two Sundays have three episodes apiece, with two each on Jan. 28-29.

3) “Critics Choice Awards,” 7-10 p.m., CW. Last week, the Golden Globes had a drab host and a lot of well-deserved wins for “Oppenheimer.” Now the witty Chelsea Handler hosts. Best-picture nominees include the splendid “Color Purple” (snubbed by the Globes), plus “Oppenheimer,” “Barbie,” “Maestro,” “The Holdovers,” “Poor Things,” “Killers of the Flower Moon” and more.

4) “True Detective” opener, 9 p.m., HBO. It’s been a half-century since Jodie Foster’s last TV series. In the interim, she’s won two Academy Awards and become a movie director. Now she’s back to TV for a six-parter, that’s set in the Arctic and filmed in Iceland. She plays a troubled cop, called in when research-station people vanish.

5) “Miss Scarlet & the Duke,” 8 p.m., PBS. After a sub-par opener last week, this bounces back with an interesting tale about an underhanded undertaker. That’s followed by fairly good episodes of “All Creatures Great and Small” (a no-nonsense bookkeeper arrives) and “Funny Woman” (Barbara has a long-shot chance for TV stardom).
— Mike Hughes, TV America

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