TV Best Bets

Sunday, Jan. 12: Ben Mendelsohn Stars in HBO’s Murder Mystery ‘The Outsider’

Bob Mahoney/HBO

All Times Eastern.

Sunday, Jan. 12

The Outsider
HBO, 9pm
New Series!

Ben Mendelsohn (also a producer) and Cynthia Erivo headline this 10-episode adaptation of Stephen King’s novel. Mendelsohn plays a police detective investigating a horrific and seemingly unexplainable murder who seeks the help of unorthodox private investigator and King fan-favorite character Holly Gibney (Erivo) to solve the mystery. Jason Bateman also appears in a key role, is an executive producer and directed the first two episodes.

College Basketball
CBS & ESPN2, beginning at 12pm Live

A Big Ten matchup with Michigan State at Purdue tips off on CBS, followed by an American Athletic Conference tilt between Memphis and South Florida in Tampa on ESPN2.

25th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards
The CW, 7pm Live

Bestowed annually to honor the finest in cinematic and television achievement, the Critics’ Choice Awards are historically the most accurate predictor of the Academy Award nominations. The Irishman leads all film nominations this year with 14, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Robert De Niro. Netflix came out on top with 61 total nominations, followed by HBO with 33.

Howards End
PBS, 8pm
New Series!

Follow two independent and unconventional sisters and the men in their lives as they seek love and meaning while navigating an ever-changing world in this fresh take on E.M. Forster’s masterpiece. As the series begins, a passionate misunderstanding, a surprise visit and a stolen umbrella set into motion a series of events that unexpectedly intertwine the lives of the Schlegels, the Wilcoxes and the Basts.

Air Disasters: “Fatal Friction”
Smithsonian Channel, 8pm

The new episode “Fatal Friction” looks at how pilots’ aggressive or unprofessional behavior can result in deadly accidents.

Sanditon
PBS, 9pm
New Series!

Experience Jane Austen’s last work, where entrepreneurs, love interests, legacy hunters, hypochondriacs and medical mountebanks come together at a struggling resort aimed to be the next fashionable playground in early 1800s England. In the first episode, an accident brings Charlotte to Sanditon, where she has an awkward encounter with Sidney.

Disasters at Sea: “Firefight”
Smithsonian Channel, 9pm

In December 2014, the ferry boat Norman Atlantic was transporting more than 400 passengers and over 200 cars and trucks from Greece to Italy when an intense fire quickly engulfed the ship in flames. The new episode “Firefight” reveals how investigators created a timeline of the disaster and discovered the fire was burning out of control less than 15 minutes after the first sighting of smoke.

Collector’s Call
MeTV, 9:30pm
Season Premiere!

In an expanded 26-episode second season, host Lisa Whelchel (The Facts of Life) meets with the biggest collectors of pop culture memorabilia, alongside some famous faces, to give viewers an inside look at fascinating and rarely seen private collections, ranging from the precious to the priceless, some with million-dollar values.

Lost in the Wild: “Secrets to Die For”
Travel Channel, 11pm

Kinga Philipps and J.J. Kelley investigate the disappearances of Tom Young and Keith Reinhard, two men who vanished mere months apart in the same mountains above Silver Plume, Colo. Was it just coincidence? Could they have been victims of a vicious animal attack or a serial killer? Or could they actually have stumbled upon a dark secret important enough to kill for?

Monday, Jan. 13

Battle of Little Bighorn
Smithsonian Channel, 8pm

This documentary special revisits the infamous 1876 Battle of Little Bighorn, in which Gen. George Custer’s 7th Cavalry was wiped out when they attacked Chief Sitting Bull and thousands of Hunkpapa Lakota people. What was to follow was a nationwide media storm — but what led to this deadly encounter and how did history books get it so wrong?

College Football Playoff National Championship
ESPN, 8:15pm Live

The national championship is at stake tonight at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, as the Clemson Tigers take on the LSU Tigers.

The New Pope
HBO, 9pm
Season Premiere!

Picking up where The Young Pope left off, this nine-part series finds Pius XIII (Jude Law) in a coma. Sir John Brannox (John Malkovich) is named by the Holy See as the new pope, taking the name John Paul III, setting in motion a showdown the Church may not be prepared for.

The Good Doctor: “Fractured”
ABC, 10pm

Following his father’s death, Shaun (Freddie Highmore) must deal with the effects his intimacy with Lea (Paige Spara) will have on his relationship with Carly (Jasika Nicole). Meanwhile, the team operates on a patient who is refusing all anesthesia during surgery for fear of relapsing.

Meet the Frasers
E!, 10pm
New Series!

Matt Fraser is his own biggest fan. The 28-year-old psychic medium is sharp-witted, brutally honest and has a wicked sense of humor, along with an eccentric family to complicate things. “I have a pageant queen girlfriend, Alexa, who I absolutely love, an overbearing psychic mother, and a father and sister who are my biggest skeptics,” Matt says. “The only thing that’s scary about me is my family.”

Manifest: “Grounded”
NBC, 10pm

Ben (Josh Dallas) forms a cautious alliance with an isolated college student from Flight 828, whose callings either uncovered a violent crime or helped him commit one. As Saanvi (Parveen Kaur) strives to further her research into the Death Date, Grace (Athena Karkanis) makes a startling discovery about her pregnancy. Olive (Luna Blaise) meets a kindred spirit.

Tuesday, Jan. 14

College Basketball
FS1, beginning at 6:30pm Live

Nebraska is at Ohio State and DePaul is at Villanova in FS1’s Tuesday night college hoops doubleheader.

NHL Hockey: Minnesota at Pittsburgh
NBCSN, 7pm Live

The NHL on NBCSN features Zach Parise and the Minnesota Wild in Pittsburgh to skate against Evgeni Malkin and the Penguins.

Finding Your Roots: “This Land Is My Land”
PBS, 8pm

Henry Louis Gates Jr. reveals the unexpected family trees of entertainer Queen Latifah and actor Jeffrey Wright, redefining their sense of the black experience — and challenging preconceptions about America’s past.

Homicide City: Charlotte: “ABCs of Murder”
Investigation Discovery, 9pm

When beloved Charlotte schoolteacher Anthony Davis is discovered murdered in his bed, detectives set off on a search for his killer, following a trail of clues that lead nowhere. What they ultimately discover is the tragic fact that despite Davis’ best efforts to steer his students onto the right path, evil sometimes triumphs over good.

This Is Us
NBC, 9pm
New Episodes!

The acclaimed, award-winning drama is back with new Season 4 episodes.

New Amsterdam
NBC, 10pm
New Episodes!

The drama’s second season picks back up after its winter hiatus. When the series left off, Bloom (Janet Montgomery) was struggling with her recovery, while Reynolds (Jocko Sims) received potentially life-changing news.

Wednesday, Jan. 15

The CW Dog Honors
The CW, 8pm

Commemorating some of the most talented and laudable pups on the planet, this primetime special event hosted by Mario Lopez will feature Hollywood’s dog-loving celebrities along with their four-legged family members. These furry stars will be honored in categories ranging from Best Supporting Actor to a Dog, Celebrity Dog Selfie, Pawpular, Top TV Dog and many more.

Nature: “Hippos: Africa’s River Giants”
PBS, 8pm

Go beneath the surface and meet Africa’s river giants, the hippos. Discover an unexpected side of these aquatic mammals that can’t even swim as they protect their families, face their enemies and suffer in a drought. Narrated by David Attenborough.

Expedition With Steve Backshall
PBS, 10pm
New Series!

Head into the unknown with explorer Steve Backshall as he journeys to the world’s last unexplored places and faces challenges around the globe, encountering extraordinary wildlife and meeting remarkable people along the way. In “Oman — Desert Canyon,” Backshall travels to Oman, where he plans to drop nearly 400 meters into the deepest canyon in southern Arabia. In the scorching desert heat, Steve and his team will explore an area where no human has ever set foot.

Good Trouble
Freeform, 10pm
Midseason Premiere!

After a devastating winter finale, the Coterie residents are dealing with the consequences of their personal and professional decisions and realize that sometimes standing up for what you believe in comes at a price. The season picks up with Callie and Mariana’s relationship on the rocks after Callie has decided to move in with Jamie.

In Pursuit With John Walsh
Investigation Discovery, 10pm
Season Premiere!

After a successful first season helping to bring eight fugitives to justice, victims’ rights advocate John Walsh is back, with his son Callahan, to detail more unsolved violent crime cases that urgently need to be closed.

Listing Impossible
CNBC, 10pm
New Series!

When L.A.’s wealthiest put their multimillion-dollar properties up for sale, they sometimes learn that the house of their dreams isn’t anyone else’s, and the homes can end up sitting on the market for years. In this series, superstar real estate agent Aaron Kirman and his team work to fix up such homes and attract the right buyers.

The Magicians
Syfy, 10pm
Season Premiere!

The fantasy drama series based on Lev Grossman’s bestselling books returns for Season 5. Last season, magic was saved but at a terrible cost, as Quentin (Jason Ralph) died heroically to save his friends, and the world. Julia (Stella Maeve), Alice (Olivia Taylor Dudley), Eliot (Hale Appleman), Margo (Summer Bishil) and Penny (Arjun Gupta) must learn to navigate a world without him — a world that now faces a new looming threat.

68 Whiskey
Paramount Network, 10pm
New Series!

In this new show from executive producers Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, a group of Army medics survive the realities of war with a sense of humor, even as they find themselves in intense situations.

Thursday, Jan. 16

College Basketball: Cincinnati at Memphis
ESPN, 7pm Live

A Thursday night American Athletic Conference hoops matchup has the Cincinnati Bearcats at the FedExForum to face the Memphis Tigers.

NHL Hockey: Tampa Bay at Minnesota
NBCSN, 8pm Live

Nikita Kucherov and the Tampa Bay Lightning face Zach Parise and the Minnesota Wild tonight in Saint Paul.

NBA Basketball
TNT, beginning at 8pm Live

Kemba Walker and the Boston Celtics are in Milwaukee to battle Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in the first game of TNT’s NBA twin bill. The Denver Nuggets are in San Francisco to face the Golden State Warriors in the late game.

grown-ish
Freeform, 8pm
Season Premiere!

Back for junior year, and picking up after a cliffhanger season finale, the gang returns as confident, eager and seasoned upperclassmen, with Zoey and her girls (… and Vivek) moving into an off-campus home, ready to take on the school year.

Everything’s Gonna Be Okay
Freeform, 8:30pm
New Series!

Nicholas, a neurotic 20-something, is visiting his dad and teenage half sisters, one of whom is on the autism spectrum, when his trip is extended due to his father’s untimely death. The siblings are left to cope with not only a devastating loss, but also the realization that Nicholas is the one who will have to rise to the occasion, move in and hold it all together.

Friday, Jan. 17

Ares
Netflix
New Series!

This psychological horror series delves into the world of a secret student society in Amsterdam. Two best friends join the group, only to slowly discover that they’ve entered a demonic place.

A Fall From Grace
Netflix
Original Film!

Tyler Perry wrote, directed, executive produced and costars in this thriller about a woman (Crystal Fox) who finds herself on trial when her husband (Mehcad Brooks) is murdered. Her only hope for vindication lies with a public defender (Bresha Webb) who has never tried a case. Phylicia Rashad and Cicely Tyson also star.

Sex Education
Netflix
Season Premiere!

The comedy is back for Season 2. Insecure teenager Otis (Asa Butterfield) has all the answers when it comes to sex advice, thanks to his therapist mom (Gillian Anderson). So, he and rebellious friend Maeve (Emma Mackey) start their own sex-therapy clinic at their school.

Hopelessly in Love: “Anna Nicole Smith and Larry Birkhead”
Lifetime, 9pm

This is a revealing account of the relationship between one of the most infamous women in the world, the late actress and Playboy playmate Anna Nicole Smith, and Larry Birkhead, the celebrity photographer who saw her beyond her ill-fated past. Birkhead gives a firsthand recollection of their romantic, tumultuous and often unstable union, which ignited a highly publicized battle over their daughter Dannielynn following Smith’s heartbreaking overdose and death.

Kindred Spirits: “Silent Fear”
Travel Channel, 9pm

In this new episode, Amy Bruni and Adam Berry help a Massachusetts family haunted by a demented shadow creature that only appears in the dark. Everyone witnesses the same entity, suffers from violent paranormal attacks and attributes the activity to the same creature, but the more they talk about the mysterious being, the more powerful and aggressive it becomes.

Ghost Loop: “Cradle to the Grave”
Travel Channel, 10pm

The team arrives in Palatka, Fla., where homeowner Theresa is being terrorized by an entity that crawls across the ceiling from one of her son’s bedrooms to another. Theresa’s land has a violent and tragic past that leads the team to investigate three locations: Theresa’s home, an alleged stillborn burial ground and a bridge where lynchings were once committed.

Trending Fear: “Paranormal Witness”
Travel Channel, 11pm

In the desert near Tucson, Ariz., Aaron Miller has recorded hundreds of ghostly voices. The team commences an investigation and uncovers a stunning revelation: evidence of a serial killer who once dumped bodies on the land Miller’s house now sits upon.

Saturday, Jan. 18

“Tremors” 30th Anniversary Marathon
Syfy, beginning at 10am

Enjoy a day of all the movies in the cult Tremors horror/comedy film franchise, about a desert town terrorized by subterranean monsters known as “Graboids.” Things kick off with Tremors 6: A Cold Day in Hell, and the marathon also includes the original 1990 Tremors, led by Kevin Bacon, Tremors II: Aftershocks, Tremors 3: Back to Perfection, Tremors 4: The Legend Begins and Tremors 5: Bloodlines. Check listings for more details and times.

College Basketball
CBS, ESPN, FOX & FS1, beginning at 12pm Live
Featured games on the college hoops schedule today include UConn at Villanova (FS1), Seton Hall at St. John’s (FOX), Auburn at Florida (CBS), Marquette at Georgetown (FS1), Oregon at Washington (CBS) and a heavyweight ACC matchup with Louisville at Duke (ESPN).

NBA Basketball
ABC, beginning at 3:30pm Live

NBA Saturday Primetime starts its 2020 run on ABC with a matinee featuring the L.A. Clippers at the New Orleans Pelicans. Later tonight, the L.A. Lakers are in Houston to run the floor with the Rockets.

Stolen by My Mother: The Kamiyah Mobley Story
Lifetime, 8pm
Original Film!

In the summer of 1998, Gloria Williams (Niecy Nash) walked into a Florida hospital posing as a nurse and took newborn Kamiyah Mobley (Rayven Ferrell) out of her mother Shanara Mobley’s (Ta’Rhonda Jones) arms. By the time police were alerted, Gloria was long gone. At age 18, Kamiyah learns the truth.

Seven Worlds, One Planet
BBC America, AMC, IFC & SundanceTV, 9pm
New Series!

Natural history filmmaker Sir David Attenborough narrates this new series revealing how each of Earth’s seven continents has shaped the unique animal life found there. The series opens with “North America,” which explores polar bears in Canada, manatees in Florida, road runners in Arizona and much more.

Sunday, Jan. 19

NFL Football: AFC and NFC Championship Games
CBS & FOX, beginning at 3pm Live

The two teams competing in Super Bowl LIV (Feb. 2, FOX) are determined today as the AFC Championship Game airs on CBS and the NFC Championship Game airs on FOX.

Great Performances: “Movies for Grownups Awards With AARP the Magazine”
PBS, 6pm

In this star-studded awards ceremony, actors and filmmakers are honored for creating films that resonate with older viewers. Celebrating movies that matter, these awards champion movies for grownups, by grownups.

Tennis: Australian Open: First Round
ESPN2, 7pm Live

The 2020 Grand Slam season starts at Melbourne Park for the Australian Open, where Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka are reigning singles champions. ESPN2 and ESPN share coverage of the tournament through Feb. 2.

Howards End
PBS, 8pm

Mrs. Wilcox surprises her family with a final request regarding Howards End. The Schlegels face eviction from their house. The Schlegel sisters take up the cause of Jacky Bast’s husband.

Ray Donovan
Showtime, 8pm

Season Finale!

26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
TNT & TBS, 8pm Live

This year Leonardo DiCaprio will present the SAG Life Achievement Award to two-time Oscar-winning actor, producer and director Robert De Niro.

Sanditon
PBS, 9pm

Young Stringer presses Tom for back pay owed his builders, currently toiling under dangerous conditions. Aided by the new doctor, Charlotte and Sidney respond to an emergency. Miss Lambe pines for her absent lover.

9-1-1: Lone Star
FOX, 10pm
New Series!

In this spinoff of the action drama 9-1-1, Rob Lowe stars as Owen Strand, a New York City firefighter who was the lone survivor from his firehouse on 9/11. When a tragedy befalls a firehouse in Austin, Texas, Strand moves there to help the department rebuild. Liv Tyler, Rafael Silva, Ronen Rubinstein, Natacha Karam, Brian Michael Smith and Jim Parrack also star.

Avenue 5
HBO, 10pm
New Series!

Set 40 years in the future, when traveling the solar system is a booming, multibillion-dollar business, this comedy follows Ryan Clark (Hugh Laurie), the suave captain of the luxurious Avenue 5 spacecraft, who is ill-equipped to calm his crew and passengers when his craft encounters some technical difficulties.

Vienna Blood
PBS, 10pm
New Series!

In this new series, a doctor and a detective team up to solve baffling cases in early 1900s Vienna. Episode 1 begins with Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt calling upon Dr. Max Liebermann, a student of Freud, to help investigate the murder of a beautiful young medium. The mysterious circumstances of the case suggest a supernatural power is at work.

Curb Your Enthusiasm
HBO, 10:30pm
Season Premiere!

Larry David is back — as Larry David — stumbling through one faux pas after another. David is genius in making life’s trivial events — a cold cup of coffee, a stained shirt, a missing toothbrush — a hilarious chain of misfortune. Also returning are series regulars Susie Essman, Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines, Richard Lewis and JB Smoove.

Lost in the Wild: “Murder in Shangri-La”
Travel Channel, 11pm

Kinga Philipps and J.J. Kelley investigate the mysterious disappearance of adventurer and social media star Justin Alexander, who, in 2016, ventured into India’s fabled “Valley of Death” and never returned. The pair attempts to track down Justin’s porter, who may be the only person alive who knows what really happened to him.