1) Presidential address, 9 p.m. ET, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS and news channels. Technically, it’s not a “State of the Union” speech until a year into the term. But the last seven presidents also delivered a talk their first year, so here it is. The follow-up (including Democratic response by new Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan) continues to at least 11 ET. Alternatives, listed next, include “Will Trent” (shown here), Tom Hanks and more.
2) “Will Trent,” 8 p.m., ABC. Networks still have an hour for non-news shows, before the speech (or afterward, on the West Coast). Most have unscripted hours – “Kitchen Nightmares,” “Deal or No Deal Island,” “Price is Right” – but ABC has this rerun: Faith’s mother(both are shown here) is back, soon becoming entangled in a case of a rare stolen coin.
3) “The Joe Schmo Show,” 9 p.m., TBS. In this fake reality show, everyone is an actor except Ben, who’s being pranked. Last week, he lost a challenge and was ousted; now the show needs a convincing way to bring him back. It’s an entertaining hour that gives “Schmo” its final four.
4) Tom Hanks films. At 7 and 9:30 p.m., FX has “A Man Called Otto” (2022); it’s a remake of a popular Swedish film, with Hanks as a grumpy guy who’s nudged into the lives of his neighbors. And at 8, AMC has Hanks in “Saving Private Ryan” (1998), Steven Spielberg’s World War II gem.
5) ALSO: There’s wrestling (8-10 p.m., CW), pro basketball (Warriors-Knicks, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT) and college basketball. Freeform has “Aladdin” (2019) at 8 p.m. and HBO has two terrific films by writer-director Greta Gerwig – “Lady Bird” (2017) at 8 and “Barbie” (2023) at 9:35.
— Mike Hughes, TV America