TV Best Bets

Tuesday, Jan. 10: “Darkness That You Cannot Conceive” in FX’s Taboo

Taboo FX © 2016, FX Networks. All rights reserved.

All Times Eastern.

Tuesday, Jan. 10

Taboo
FX, 10pm
New Series!

Tom Hardy stars in this visceral, visually stylized eight-part drama series set in 1814 London. Taboo follows James Keziah Delaney (Hardy), who is believed to be long dead when he returns home after 10 years in Africa. He’s come back to inherit his late father’s shipping business, but discovers he’s heir to something far more sinister. Driven by revenge and forever altered by his experiences abroad, Delaney becomes embroiled in a world of conspiracy, murder and treachery.

College Basketball
ESPN, ESPN2 & FS1, beginning at 7pm Live

Warm up a winter Tuesday night with some of the nation’s hottest college hoops teams in action. Highlights are Kentucky at Vanderbilt (ESPN), Baylor at West Virginia (ESPN2), Xavier at Villanova (FS1), Indiana at Maryland (ESPN), Kansas at Oklahoma (ESPN2) and Providence at DePaul (FS1).

Being Mary Jane
BET, 9pm
Season Premiere!
In Season 4, when Kara (Lisa Vidal) helps her land a gig as a correspondent on Great Day USA, a national morning news show based in New York City, Mary Jane (Gabrielle Union) makes the move to achieve her lifetime career goal of becoming a national lead anchor. At Great Day, Mary Jane meets her idol, veteran lead anchor Ronda Sales (Valarie Pettiford), and realizes that working closely with your heroes isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Things are further complicated when Mary Jane’s old nemesis, Justin Talbot (Michael Ealy), appears as a new producer. Along with the new job and city, Mary Jane resolves to start fresh in every way possible, including her love life. She quickly falls for Lee Truitt (Chiké Okonkwo), a successful standup comedian from the U.K. who tests MJ’s preconceived notions about what (or who) she needs in her life.

This Is Us: “The Right Thing to Do”
NBC, 9pm
Kate (Chrissy Metz) struggles with her feelings in the aftermath of Toby’s (Chris Sullivan) heart attack. As William (Ron Cephas Jones) begins to spend more time with Jesse (Denis O’Hare), Randall (Sterling K. Brown) has to get used to his father’s new relationship. After receiving the news they’re expecting triplets, Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore) must find a way to afford a home that can accommodate three babies. Olivia (Janet Montgomery) unexpectedly resurfaces, throwing both Kevin (Justin Hartley) and Sloane (Milana Vayntrub) for a loop.

American Experience: “Command and Control”
PBS, 9pm
Discover the terrifying truth behind one of America’s most dangerous nuclear accidents — the deadly 1980 incident at an Arkansas Titan II missile complex — in this chilling, minute-by-minute account of the long-hidden story.

Good Behavior: “All the Things”
TNT, 9pm
Season Finale!

Letty (Michelle Dockery) makes a devastating choice and once again has to clean up her own mess. But this time it’s to save Javier (Juan Diego Botto).

Chicago Fire: “The People We Meet”
NBC, 10pm
Severide (Taylor Kinney) agrees to a bone marrow donation, but a work accident throws everything into flux. Casey (Jesse Spencer) and Dawson (Monica Raymund) try to find harmony at home. Meanwhile, Otis (Yuri Sardarov) and Mouch (Christian Stolte) decide to film a PSA encouraging people to join the Chicago Fire Department, but hit a creative wall in the process.

Shooter: “Ballistic Advantage”
USA Network, 10pm
Bob Lee (Ryan Phillippe) must broker a dangerous exchange in order to save his family. Nadine (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) struggles to balance her allegiances to Bob Lee and the FBI. Isaac (Omar Epps) strikes a tenuous deal for his freedom.

Wednesday, Jan. 11

Blindspot: “Droll Autumn, Unmutual Lord”
NBC, 8pm
After one of the world’s most-wanted terrorists surfaces in New York for unknown reasons, the team must partner with the CIA to stop a deadly bombing.

Nature: “Snowbound: Animals of Winter”
PBS, 8pm
Travel with wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan to meet animal survivors of winter, from the penguins of Antarctica to the Arctic fox and the bison of Yellowstone. Snow looks magical, but it’s a harsh reality to these animals.

Are You the One?
MTV, 9pm
Season Premiere!
Season 5 of the matchmaking series tries to match 11 couples with their preselected ideal partner as determined by a rigorous, preseason matchmaking process carried out by a team of professional relationship gurus and psychologists. With only 10 tries to find the winning combination, the love seekers will have to follow their hearts if they want to walk away with love (and their share of $1 million).

Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce
Bravo, 10pm
Season Premiere!
As Season 3 debuts, all five of the ladies are on the brink of big change. Abby (Lisa Edelstein) faces the final breakup of her marriage, yet another job change and, uh, the change. Delia (Necar Zadegan) plots revenge on Albert (Brian Markinson) for her wedding humiliation. Phoebe (Beau Garrett) realizes she kissed her five-figure alimony checks goodbye when she married J.D. (Aaron Staton). Jo (Alanna Ubach) gives Frumpkis (Maury Sterling) an ultimatum. And a blossoming Barbara (Retta) is on the brink of a new gig and new love interest played by Malcolm-Jamal Warner.

Chicago P.D.: “You Wish”
NBC, 10pm
When a mutilated sex offender is found dead, it is unclear whether he was the victim of a hate crime, sexual assault or self-mutilation. As Intelligence questions those related to the case, they find themselves up against a private “special police” force who may be covering up illegal activities.

Full Frontal With Samantha Bee
TBS, 10:30pm
New Time Slot!
Hailed by media outlets as “America’s new comedian-in-chief,” Samantha Bee continues her sassy-smart commentary on contemporary issues for another season; however, she’s moving to Wednesday nights. “I am only sorry that this renewal leaves me unavailable for a cabinet position in the new administration,” Bee said. “I will, however, be available to host the White House Correspondents Dinner, seeing as I already bought the dress.”

Thursday, Jan. 12

Superstore: “Rebranding”
NBC, 8pm
Jeff (recurring guest star Michael Bunin) lets the employees know that Rex (guest star Ravi Patel), a vice president from corporate, will be coming by the store to help with the rollout for Cloud 9’s storewide rebranding, and it turns out Rex is someone from Jonah’s (Ben Feldman) past. Amy (America Ferrera) and Garrett (Colton Dunn) are delighted to hear Rex’s stories about Jonah. Meanwhile, Mateo (Nico Santos) is stunned to learn of rumors that Jeff is in a relationship with an employee.

NBA Basketball
TNT, beginning at 8pm Live

Dwyane Wade and the Chicago Bulls head to New York City’s Madison Square Garden for a matchup against Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks, followed by the Detroit Pistons at Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors.

The Good Place: “What’s My Motivation?”
NBC, 8:30pm
Eleanor (Kristen Bell) and Tahani (Jameela Jamil) hatch a plan while Michael (Ted Danson) makes a startling discovery. Meanwhile, Chidi (William Jackson Harper) confides in Eleanor after learning some interesting news.

My Kitchen Rules
FOX, 9pm
New Series!
In this American version of the Australian reality smash, celebrity pairings (including Brandy and Ray J, Lance Bass and his mom, and Naomi Judd and husband Larry Strickland) will compete to throw the best dinner parties. Their fellow competitors will judge the fetes, with additional critique coming from professional chefs/judges Curtis Stone and Cat Cora.

College Basketball
FS1,
beginning at 9pm Live
FS1 airs a Pac-12 college basketball doubleheader with the Washington Huskies at the Cal Golden Bears and the UCLA Bruins at the Colorado Buffaloes.

Chicago Med: “Heart Matters”
NBC, 9pm
Dr. Rhodes’ (Colin Donnell) and Dr. Charles’ (Oliver Platt) heart transplant patient gets into a car crash, revealing issues that could complicate her surgery. A past arrest causes trouble for Maggie (Marlyne Barrett) when the arresting officer is brought to Chicago Med with a serious injury. Elsewhere, Dr. Manning (Torrey DeVitto) and Dr. Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss) must defend their actions when explaining a patient’s cause of death. Meanwhile, Dr. Halstead attempts to treat an uncooperative horse jockey.

The White House: Mysteries at the Museum
Travel Channel, 9pm
Don Wildman explores the major events that turned a simple home of wood and bricks into the most powerful house in the world, the living quarters for the U.S. president and first family.

Growing Up McGhee
UP TV, 9:30pm
Season Premiere!
In the second season, the McGhee sextuplets are 6 years old, and each day brings new challenges to parents Ro and Mia. The children’s social circles expand as they make friends at school, learn how to ride bicycles and play musical instruments. The season ends with an extra special event — Ro and Mia renew their vows with their kids in tow and get the wedding of their dreams.

The Blacklist: “The Forecaster”
NBC, 10pm
A new case arrives at Liz’s (Megan Boone) doorstep, where someone has left a diorama depicting a crime soon to be committed. Meanwhile, Red (James Spader) explores a new business opportunity.

Colony
USA Network, 10pm
Season Premiere!
As Season 2 kicks off, mysterious intruders are still in control of a near-future Los Angeles. In an effort to get their son back, Will (Josh Holloway) has been cooperating with the Collaborators and now knows about his wife Katie’s (Sarah Wayne Callies) alliance with the Resistance. With her secret out and on opposite sides of the battle, have they jeopardized any hope of reuniting their family?

Caraoke Showdown
Spike, 10:30pm
New Series!
This “party on wheels” takes groups of passengers on a musical journey to win money by competing in a variety of karaoke-style challenges. Throughout various rounds of game play, contestants compete for cash by belting out their favorite tunes, finishing lyrics or acting out songs. The series is hosted by Craig Robinson and executive produced by Howie Mandel.

Friday, Jan. 13

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
Netflix
New Series!
Neil Patrick Harris headlines this eight-episode series adaptation of the best-selling books by Lemony Snicket (a.k.a. Daniel Handler). Harris plays Count Olaf, the evil guardian of Violet (Malina Weissman), Klaus (Louis Hynes) and Sunny Baudelaire who will stop at nothing to get his hands on their inheritance. Patrick Warburton costars as Lemony Snicket, with Joan Cusack as Justice Strauss.

NBA Basketball
ESPN, beginning at 8pm Live

An NBA doubleheader on ESPN has Al Horford and the Boston Celtics at Dwight Howard’s Atlanta Hawks, followed by the Detroit Pistons at the Utah Jazz.

Grimm: “Trust Me Knot”
NBC, 8pm
Hank (Russell Hornsby) and Wu (Reggie Lee) find a solution to stop Renard (Sasha Roiz) while Nick (David Giuntoli) is still on the run. Adalind (Claire Coffee) receives a phone call that throws her into the middle of everything. Back at the spice shop, Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) and Rosalee’s (Bree Turner) adventure in babysitting takes an interesting turn when Diana (guest star Hannah R. Loyd) demonstrates her power.

Great Performances: “Bel Canto the Opera”
PBS, 9pm
Experience composer Jimmy López and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz’s operatic adaptation of Ann Patchett’s best-selling novel inspired by a true-life hostage crisis in the 1990s in Lima, Peru. With soprano Danielle de Niese.

The Wheel
Discovery Channel, 10pm
New Series!
This new survival adventure series dares six participants to make it through six distinctly grueling landscapes across South America. With every turn of the wheel, each survivalist is dropped into a new isolated location, exposed to the world’s deadliest terrains, including freezing tundra, rugged mountains and treacherous rainforest. Participants don’t know when or why the wheel will turn — nor that their stint at each spot is determined by the rotation of the moon. Equipped only with light survival packs and SOS devices that can be used at any time to quit the challenge and call for help, they must fend for their lives by procuring food, water and shelter. And when the wheel turns again, they will be thrust into a new location, forced to use a completely different set of skills to survive.

Saturday, Jan. 14

College Basketball
CBS, ESPN2, FOX & FS1, beginning at 12pm Live

Some of the nation’s top teams are in action with big matchups this Saturday. Highlights include Connecticut at Georgetown (FOX), Villanova at St. John’s (FS1), Texas A&M at Mississippi State (CBS), Xavier at Butler (FS1) and Saint Mary’s at Gonzaga (ESPN2).

NFL Playoffs: Divisional Playoffs
CBS, FOX & NBC, beginning at 4:30pm Live

The road to Super Bowl LI in Houston continues with the divisional playoffs Saturday and Sunday on CBS, FOX and NBC. Saturday has an NFC wild-card winner at the Atlanta Falcons on FOX, followed by an AFC wild-card winner at the New England Patriots on CBS. Sunday has an AFC wild-card winner at the Kansas City Chiefs on NBC, followed by an NFC wild-card winner at the Dallas Cowboys on FOX. The four winners advance to the conference championship games on Jan. 22.

A Royal Winter
Hallmark Channel, 9pm
Original Film!
When Maggie Marks faces a tough career decision, she flees to Europe for some soul-searching and sightseeing with a friend. There she encounters a handsome European playboy prince and finds herself in a world she has never known, where she finds a new direction in life and teaches him to be a better prince along the way. Stars Merritt Patterson, Jack Donnelly and Samantha Bond.