NBC is bracing for a Winter Olympics in Beijing starting Friday marred by a pandemic that China has attempted to tamp down more aggressively than almost any other country. This means broadcast teams will not be on-site this year but instead call the games from Stamford, Connecticut.
Craig Melvin will be the only representative of the “Today” show in Beijing while the rest of the morning show will remain in New York due to China’s stringent travel rules and COVID-19 restrictions. And Lester Holt, the evening news host, won’t make it to Beijing either.
On Hulu Wednesday, the series “Pam & Tommy” recounts the true 1997 story of a disgruntled contractor (Seth Rogan) who steals a sex tape from the home of Pamela Anderson (Lily James) and Tommy Lee (Sebastian Stan) and places it on the Internet. Hulu dubs it a combo love story, crime caper and cautionary tale.
Apple TV+’s big series release of the week on Friday is “Suspicion,” which stars Uma Thurman as a prominent businesswoman whose son is kidnapped, video of which goes global. The authorities investigate four potential suspects.
Amazon’s most notable new series the same day is “Reacher,” which features retired cop Jack Reacher arrested for a murder he did not commit and finding himself in the middle of a deadly conspiracy.
Netflix is super busy. On Tuesday, it releases the drama “My Best Friend Anne Frank” based on the real-life story of Hannah Pick-Goslar, who was indeed the best friend of Anne Frank, the Jewish girl who spent two years hidden away in Amsterdam and wrote what would become a legendary book on her experience. Unfortunately, Frank’s family was found out and placed in concentration camps, where Frank died. On Thursday, Will Arnett stars in a comedic improvised detective series “Murderville” where his character teams up with a different celebrity each episode including Sharon Stone, Ken Jeong, Kumail Nanjiani and Conan O’Brien.
The streaming service is also releasing the second seasons of two dramas shot in Atlanta: “Raising Dion” on Tuesday and “Sweet Magnolias” on Friday.
Over on broadcast and cable, NBC celebrates the life of Betty White on Monday, Fox Tuesday debuts a reality dance competition show revolving around the “Dirty Dancing” film called “The Real Dirty Dancing” and CBS brings back a third season of “Celebrity Big Brother” Wednesday. Starz on Sunday is also releasing the third spin-off of it’s “Power” franchise focused on Joseph Sikora’s Tommy Egan. And Comedy Central begins the 25th season of “South Park” Wednesday.
This covers Monday, Jan. 31 through Sunday, Feb. 6.
MONDAY
“Kenan″ 8:30 p.m. NBC (first season finale) — Kenan, Gary, Mika, Tami and Phil head to Miami for some fun, but with love in the air they find a lot of trouble.
“9-1-1: Lone Star” 8 p.m. Fox — Grace is caught in the ice storm as she goes into labor, and Judd, Owen and Tommy race to find her.
“The Bachelor” 8 p.m. ABC — Shrimp-gate boils over into another week!
“Snowpiercer” 9 p.m. TNT — Layton goes on the hunt, as Wilford works to boost morale.
“Secrets of Playboy” 9 p.m. A&E — Playboy hired the most attractive women in the world by promising an environment where they would always be protected, but outside of the Playboy Mansion, the Bunnies faced dangers and abuses that were covered up by the Playboy “cleanup crew.”
“The Gilded Age” 9 p.m. HBO — Tom Raikes’ visit to New York delights Marian but worries Aunt Agnes.
“Celebrating Betty White: America’s Golden Girl” 10 p.m. NBC — Friends and celebrities pay tribute to the life and career of Betty White.
“Promised Land” 10:01 p.m. ABC — Joe faces different challenges as Mateo threatens to expose his past while Margaret conspires to obstruct his future.
TUESDAY
“My Best Friend Anne Frank” 3:01 a.m. Netflix — Based on the real-life relationship between Anne Frank and Hannah Goslar, from Nazi-occupied Amsterdam to their harrowing reunion in a concentration camp.
“Raising Dion” 3:01 a.m. Netflix (second season debut) — Aside from the cliffhanger ending showcasing who will be Dion’s enemy going into Season 2, our young superhero still needs to find a way to bring his dad home for good.
“American Auto” 8 p.m. NBC — The executives realize a Payne vehicle may have a faulty part and debate whether to issue a recall.
“The Resident” 8 p.m. Fox — A case turns personal for Conrad when the donor recipient of Nic’s heart is admitted to the ER.
“Abbott Elementary” 9 p.m. ABC — Janine convinces Ava to start a gifted program at Abbott led by Jacob; Barbara pushes a hesitant Melissa to start dating again.
“Terry Bradshaw: Going Deep” 9 p.m. HBO — An intimate portrait of Hall of Fame quarterback and Emmy-winning broadcaster Terry Bradshaw.
“The Real Dirty Dancing” 9 p.m. Fox (new series) — Hosted by Stephen “tWitch” Boss, this one-of-a-kind competition features celebrities reliving “Dirty Dancing’s” most memorable moments, hoping to become the next “Baby” and “Johnny.”
“black-ish” 9:30 p.m. ABC — Dre overreacts to Devante leaving the house ashy and Bow intervenes, making the situation worse.
“FBI: Most Wanted” 10 p.m. CBS — The team looks for a Colombian drug lord who escapes from a U.S. prison.
“Late Night With Seth Myers” 12:35 a.m. CBS — David Letterman stops by as the show celebrates its 40th anniversary.
WEDNESDAY
“Pam & Tommy” 12:01 a.m. Hulu (new series) — Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s honeymoon sex tape is stolen and leaked to the public.
“The Tinder Swindler” 3:01 a.m. Netflix — The jaw-dropping story of several women who were conned out of hundreds of thousands of dollars by a prolific playboy scammer.
“Celebrity Big Brother” 8 p.m. CBS (third season debut) — Atlanta’s Cynthia Bailey is among the celebrities, along with Carson Kressley, Lamar Odom and Chris Kirkpatrick.
“South Park” 8 p.m. Comedy (25th season debut) — This enduring adult animated series is back.
“The Wonder Years” 8:30 p.m. ABC — Dean’s plans to ask Keisa to the Valentine’s Day Dance are foiled when another boy asks her out first.
“The Conners” 9 p.m. ABC — Mark returns to public school and finds it hard to fit in; and when Darlene finds out what Mark’s doing to make a little extra cash for college, she’s anything but happy about it.
“Skyville Live” 10 p.m. CMT — In a concert from 2015, late Southern rock legend Gregg Allman joins some of his close musical friends.
THURSDAY
“And Just Like That” 3:01 a.m. HBO Max (first season finale) — Will Carrie’s former squeeze Aiden Shaw (John Corbett) pop in?
“Murderville” 3:01 a.m. Netflix (new series) — Eccentric detective Terry Seattle (Will Arnett) teams up with clueless celebrity guest stars to investigate a series of murders in this improvisational crime comedy.
“Soul of a Nation: Screen Queens Rising” 8 p.m. ABC — Exploring how Black actresses, a historically overlooked and under-valued group in Hollywood, have in recent years begun to ascend to the top echelons of entertainment and American culture.
“Married to Real Estate” 9 p.m. HGTV — A couple from Washington, D.C., are desperate to own a designer bungalow in Atlanta’s Grant Park neighborhood; after battling through the area’s competitive market, Egypt and Mike fight permitting issues to design the open floor plan of their dreams.
“Single Drunk Female” 10:30 p.m. Freeform — Sam faces her hardest challenge yet: avoiding alcohol on St. Patrick’s Day in Boston.
FRIDAY
“The Afterparty” 12:01 a.m. Apple TV+ — Chelsea reveals her not-so-innocent motive: revenge, plain and simple. Her recollection is a tense psychological thriller.
“Reacher” 12:01 a.m. Amazon (new series) — Jack Reacher, a veteran military police investigator who has just recently entered civilian life, is falsely accused of a homicide in a small Georgia town and must prove his innocence.
“Suspicion” 12:01 a.m. Apple TV+ (new series) — When the son of a prominent American businesswoman (Uma Thurman) is kidnapped from a New York hotel, the eye of suspicion quickly falls on four seemingly ordinary British citizens who were at the hotel on the night in question.
“Torn” 3:01 a.m. Disney+ — On Oct. 5, 1999, legendary climber Alex Lowe was tragically lost alongside cameraman and fellow climber David Bridges in a deadly avalanche on the slopes of a Tibetan mountain.
“Through My Window” 3:01 a.m. Netflix — Raquel has a longtime crush on her hot neighbor, Ares, whom she secretly watches but has never spoken to. Can she make Ares fall in love with her?
“Sweet Magnolias” 3:01 a.m. Netflix (second season debut) — Does Dana Sue pursue a relationship with hot farmer Jeremy or rekindle her marriage to her hot, handy husband Ronnie?
“Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremonies” 8 p.m. NBC — The athletes of Team USA will get special focus in addition to the traditional performances, pageantry, and Parade of Nations.
WEEKEND
“Winter Olympics” 8 p.m. Saturday NBC — Women’s short program and the men’s free skate for the team competition in figure skating and the men’s downhill event in alpine skiing.
“Winter Olympics” 8 p.m. Sunday NBC — Pair’s free skate in the team competition of figure skating (live), the first runs of the women’s giant slalom event in alpine skiing, women’s big air qualifying in freestyle skiing.
“Billions” 9 p.m. Sunday Showtime — Prince works to secure a key supporter in his bid for the games but faces an unexpected challenge when news leaks that another player is homing in on the NYC bid.
“Claws” 9 p.m. Sunday TNT (series finale) — Desna, our gangster queen of Palmetto, has her final showdown with her nemesis, Quiet Ann.
“Euphoria” 9 p.m. Sunday HBO — HBO is being super secretive about releasing any advance info on this show.
“Power Book IV: Force” Sunday Starz (new series) — Joseph Sikora will reprise his iconic role in the fourth installment of the “Power” Universe, as he leaves New York behind and plans to take on a city of his own: Chicago.
“The Righteous Gemstones” 10 p.m. Sunday HBO — After surviving a harrowing attack, Jesse takes matters into his own hands.
“We Need to Talk About Cosby” 10 p.m. Showtime — In the ‘70s, Bill Cosby becomes an on-screen educator and moral authority.
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