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) “The Simpsons Movie” (2007), 6 p.m. and midnight, FX. On TV in 2007, Bart Simpson scrawled: “I will not wait 20 years to make another movie.” But maybe he will. This first one (shown here) came 17 years after the series began. Critics approved and it topped a half-billion dollars worldwide. Still, we’ve waited 16-plus years – so far – for the next one. Read more…
1) “SWAT.” return, 8 p.m., CBS. After months of alternatives, CBS has re-assembled the line-up that gets strong ratings on Fridays. They’ll have reruns for now, with their new seasons starting Feb. 16. In “SWAT” (shown here in a previous episode), it’s Patrol Day, when the elite team must work the streets. Trouble soon follows. Read more…
1) “SEAL Team.” 9 and 10 p.m., CBS. After a long stretch of comedies (the original, British “Ghosts”) on Thursdays, CBS shifts to military action. Over two weeks, it reruns a four-parter that wrapped up a season on Paramount+. Jason (David Boreanaz, left, in a scene from another episode) takes the team to Venezuela, for a tough mission involving Iran’s nuclear program. Read more…
1) “Nature: Big Little Journeys” opener, 8 p.m., PBS. This three-week series shows small creatures with big migrations. Only one per cent of baby turtles reach adulthood, we’re told; in Canada, we see one try to cross a highway and reach a lake, to avoid freezing. And in South Africa, a bushbaby (shown here, not in a scene from the film) looks for a home. Both encounter creatures – a moose, an elephant, etc. — much larger. Read more…
1) “La Brea” season-opener (shown here), 9 p.m., NBC. In a classic understatement, someone says: “Things look pretty bleak now.” Oh, it was bleak long ago, when people fell through a sinkhole and emerged in 10,000 BC, with mammoths romping. It got worse when a time portal went awry (don’t they always?); Eve was swept away and dinosaurs arrived. Now we’re just six weeks from the Feb. 13 finale. Read more…
1) College football national championship game, 7:30 p.m. ET,. ESPN and ESPN2, with pre-game at 7. This is the finish that fans might prefer: There were two tight semi-finals, eacb unsettled until the final play. Surviving were Washington (shown here)and Michigan, undefeated and ranked No. 2 and 1 when the regular season ended. Now they collide. Read more…
1) “All Creatures Great and Small” season-opener, 9 p.m., PBS. The sweet, village-veterinarian life will be shaken in this excellent season. Tristan has left for World War II and James, who’s talkimg with Helen (they’re shown here) about having a baby, might be next. Siegfried will soon hire a bookkeeper and a young vet. Tonight brings gentler problems, including a stray dog and a sort-of-stray boy. Read more…
1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. After a busy spurt, with eight new episodes in 10 weeks, “SNL” is on a month-long break. It has reruns tonight (Jason Momoa, shown here with Chloe Fineman, hosts, with Tate McCrae as music guest) and next week, before returning to a new episode Jan. 20, with Jack Elordi and Renee Rapp. Read more…
1) “Greatest @Home Videos,” 8 p.m., CBS. Born amid the pandemic’s burst of online originality, this has its 10th special. It’s the second with an award-show theme. Cedric the Entertainer picks the best videos from around the world, settles on a top two and lets viewers choose. Max Greenfield, who stars with him in “The Neighborhood” (shown here) shows up as “verifier of the results of stuff.” Read more…
