TV Best Bets

Tuesday, Feb. 4: President Donald Trump Delivers the State of the Union Address

Zach Gibson/Getty Images

All Times Eastern.

Tuesday, Feb. 4

State of the Union Address
Various Networks, 9pm Live

President Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver the annual State of the Union address to Congress tonight. A number of channels will offer varying degrees of live coverage of the speech, and, in some cases, pre- and post-speech programming for preview and analysis. Broadcast networks ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and PBS, and cable news outlets CNN, FOX News Channel, FOX Business Network and MSNBC, are expected to be among the major networks broadcasting the speech. Check the listings section for more details on when coverage on these and other networks begins.

Tom Papa: You’re Doing Great!
Netflix

Comedian and SiriusXM radio host Tom Papa debuts his first Netflix comedy special, filmed in front of a live audience in Newark, N.J.

Finding Your Roots: “Science Pioneers”
PBS, 8pm

Host Henry Louis Gates Jr. traces the family trees of Francis Collins, Shirley Ann Jackson and Harold Varmus, three pioneering scientists who’ve made dramatic contributions to our understanding of the world while knowing little about their own ancestry.

Unsellable Houses
HGTV, 9pm
New Series!

Twin sisters Lyndsay Lamb and Leslie Davis — two of the top-selling real estate agents in the Pacific Northwest — help struggling homeowners sell their seemingly unsellable homes in record time. In each episode, Lyndsay and Leslie come to the rescue of a homeowner whose house has been languishing on the market and calculate the cost to fix it up, and then offer to invest their own money to renovate and stage the home in hopes of a quick sale. When the home sells, the sisters take their cut for their reno investment and then split the rest of the profits with the client.

Miracle Workers: Dark Ages: “Help Wanted”
TBS, 10:30pm

This is the second episode of Season 2 of the anthology series starring Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Buscemi, where a group of medieval villagers are trying to stay positive in the age of extreme income inequality, poor healthcare and widespread ignorance. Tonight, Al lands an impressive new job, while Prince Chauncley loses one of his favorite ducks.

Wednesday, Feb. 5

College Basketball
ESPN2 & FS1, beginning at 6:30pm Live

FS1 airs two Big East college hoops matchups with Villanova at Butler and Seton Hall at Georgetown. ESPN2 has Wake Forest at Louisville in an ACC matchup.

The Masked Singer
FOX, 8pm

Season 3 of The Masked Singer airs on its regular date and time beginning tonight.

NOVA: “Polar Extremes”
PBS, 8pm

Following a trail of fossils found in all the wrong places — beech trees in Antarctica, redwoods and hippo-like mammals in the Arctic — uncover the bizarre history of the poles, from miles-thick ice sheets to warm polar forests teeming with life.

LEGO Masters
FOX, 9pm
New Series!

Will Arnett (voice of The LEGO Movie’s Batman) hosts and executive produces FOX’s new competition series LEGO Masters, which has teams of skilled LEGO creators going head-to-head in elaborate brick-building challenges. The winning team scores a cash prize, the ultimate LEGO trophy and the coveted title of LEGO Masters.

Summer House
Bravo, 9pm
Season Premiere!

Season 4 premieres with returning cast members Kyle Cooke, Amanda Batula, Lindsay Hubbard, Carl Radke, Paige DeSorbo and Hannah Berner. New roommates include Luke Gulbranson and Jules Daoud, and Danielle Olivera and Jordan Verroi return as friends.

Vikings: “The Best Laid Plans”
History, 10pm
Midseason Finale!

Ivar and Igor may be plotting against Oleg, but they’re still part of the force that departs for Kiev to invade Scandinavia. King Harald and King Bjorn begin furious preparations for the invasion, but can enough be done to resist the Rus force?

68 Whiskey: “Trouble in River City”
Paramount Network, 10pm

This new episode in Ron Howard’s military war dramedy finds Roback (Sam Keeley) scrambling to keep a promise, Sasquatch (Derek Theler) having to remind the guys that they have unfinished business, and Holloway (Beth Riesgraf) planning to help Qasem’s village.

Expedition With Steve Backshall: “Mexico — Flooded Caves”
PBS, 10pm

Dive into a network of unexplored caves under the Yucatán Peninsula with Steve Backshall. After trekking through kilometers of scorpion-infested Mexican jungle to reach the caves, he faces the terror of being lost in an underwater silt cloud.

Thursday, Feb. 6

Figure Skating: ISU Four Continents Championships
NBCSN, 3pm

The world’s best figure skaters outside Europe compete at the ISU Four Continents Championships held in Seoul, South Korea. Coverage starts with the ladies’ short program today on NBCSN and continues on NBCSN and NBC through Sunday.

Katy Keene
The CW, 8pm
New Series!

The CW’s Archie Comics universe expands beyond Riverdale in this new series starring Lucy Hale as the title character, an aspiring fashion designer. The series follows the lives and loves of Katy, singer/songwriter Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray), performer Jorge Lopez/Ginger (Jonny Beauchamp) and “it” girl Pepper Smith (Julia Chan) as they chase their 20-something dreams in New York City.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
NBC, 8pm
Season Premiere!

The acclaimed comedy starring Andy Samberg, Andre Braugher, Terry Crews, Melissa Fumero and more of a terrific ensemble cast is back for Season 7 with a special one-hour premiere tonight. The hit series has also already been renewed for Season 8.

The Sinner
USA Network, 9pm
Season Premiere!

Bill Pullman returns as Detective Harry Ambrose for Season 3 of this thrilling anthology series. This time, a tragic car accident involving a revered teacher (Matt Bomer) on the outskirts of Dorchester, in upstate New York, uncovers a hidden crime that pulls Ambrose into the most dangerous and disturbing case of his career.

Indebted
NBC, 9:30pm
New Series!

Some familiar faces make a welcome return to the sitcom world in NBC’s new generation-gap laugher. Fran Drescher (The Nanny) and Steven Weber (Wings) star as broke baby-boomer parents who have to move in with their son’s family. Also stars Adam Pally (The Mindy Project) and Abby Elliott (Saturday Night Live).

Tommy
CBS, 10pm
New Series!

Edie Falco stars as Abigail “Tommy” Thomas, a former high-ranking NYPD officer who becomes the first female chief of police for Los Angeles. She uses her unflinching honesty and hardball tactics to keep social, political and national security issues from hindering effective law enforcement in the Southland — but that’s not going to be easy.

Briarpatch
USA Network, 10pm
New Series!

Rosario Dawson, who is also a producer, stars in this anthology series based on Ross Thomas’ Edgar Award-winning 1984 crime novel, with USA Network saying the drama will update Thomas’ sense of fun, danger and place for a new generation. The place is a small, quirky Texas community that is the hometown of investigator Allegra Dill (Dawson), who is drawn back there after her police officer sister is murdered in a car bombing. Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot) is an executive producer.

Friday, Feb. 7

Horse Girl
Netflix
Original Film!

Alison Brie stars in this darkly humorous psychological thriller as a socially awkward arts-and-crafts store employee who is more content in the company of horses and supernatural crime shows than people. But when a series of strangely lucid dreams upends the simplicity of her waking life, she becomes increasingly unable to distinguish the logic of her dreams from reality.

Locke & Key
Netflix
New Series!

Based on the comic books by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, this series follows three siblings who, after the murder of their father, move to their ancestral home and find the house has magical keys that give them a vast array of powers and abilities. Unfortunately, a demon also wants the keys, and will do anything to get them. Carlton Cuse (Lost) is a showrunner and cowrote a few of the episodes.

My Holo Love
Netflix
New Series!

In this series from South Korea, a woman with a disorder causing her to not recognize familiar faces lives a reclusive life until she starts using an artificial intelligence program called Holo, whose appearance is the same as the software developer’s. The developer falls in love with the woman, but his cold personality contrasts with that of Holo’s.

The Waltons: “The Separation”
MeTV, 12pm

A misunderstanding and plain stubborn pride cause a rift between the Walton grandparents.

Bill Burr Presents: The Ringers
Comedy Central, 11pm

Steph Tolev explains what it’s like being a Canadian woman in Los Angeles, Ron Taylor discusses a common sports movie trope, and Mark Ellis reveals what makes him cry.

High Maintenance
HBO, 11pm
Season Premiere!

Ben Sinclair returns as The Guy for the nine-episode fourth season of the critically acclaimed show that uses a marijuana dealer to tell a variety of distinctly authentic, empathetic and insightful stories about his New York City community.

Saturday, Feb. 8

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

Saturday’s college hoops highlights include Michigan State at Michigan (FOX), Kentucky at Tennessee (CBS), Seton Hall at Villanova (FOX), Virginia at Louisville (ESPN), Duke at North Carolina (ESPN) and Oklahoma State at Baylor (ESPN2).

XFL Football
ABC & FOX, beginning at 2pm Live

After 19 years, the XFL pro football league is back and kicks off its season with the Seattle Dragons at the DC Defenders (ABC) and the L.A. Wildcats at Houston Roughnecks (FOX). ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, FOX, FS1 and FS2 will combine to televise every game of the eight-team league’s 10-week regular season and playoffs.

2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards
IFC, 5pm

The ceremony honoring the best in independent cinema marks its 35th anniversary with tonight’s ceremony. The Lighthouse and Uncut Gems lead nominees across various categories with five nods each.

The Neighbor in the Window
Lifetime, 8pm
Original Film!

When upbeat, outgoing Karen (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), her husband and their young son relocate to Washington, Karen looks forward to starting a new life. She meets Lisa (Jenn Lyon), her beautiful, charming neighbor, and they quickly bond. But Lisa soon starts lying to Karen and about Karen to others. Lisa cleverly sets herself up as Karen’s victim, until every aspect of Karen’s new life starts to unravel.

Seven Worlds, One Planet: “Asia”
BBC America, 9pm

Our most varied, extreme and largest continent — Asia, which stretches from the Arctic Circle to the equator — is explored tonight. Walrus gather in huge numbers in the frozen north and brown bears roam remote Russian volcanoes. This is a world of the rarely seen, from yeti-like monkeys in the mountain forests of China to the most bizarre predator in the baking deserts of Iran. Asia is the largest of all continents, but it seems there’s not enough space for wildlife. The deep jungles provide sanctuary for the last few Sumatran rhino.

In Memoriam
Investigation Discovery, 9pm

This documentary feature details the reality of life in an America where there is an active shooter incident every 12 days. In the film, wounded survivors, grieving relatives and first responders from three recent massacres — the attacks at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas, the Sutherland Springs Baptist Church in Texas and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. — relive the moment their lives changed forever.

Sunday, Feb. 9

NASCAR: Daytona 500 Qualifying
FOX & FS1, beginning at 12pm Live

Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway start the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season with Daytona 500 qualifying (FOX) and the Busch Clash at Daytona (FS1).

The 92nd Annual Academy Awards
ABC, 8pm Live

Hollywood’s biggest stars come out for Hollywood’s biggest night. Once again, there will be no host for the festivities, but that won’t put a damper on the excitement as viewers see who picks up the coveted trophies.

The Aquarium
Animal Planet, 8pm
Season Premiere!

The docuseries that offers a behind-the-scenes look at Atlanta’s Georgia Aquarium returns for Season 2. This season will include the stories of a sneaky moray eel moving from one habitat to another, a giant sea turtle named Tank who needs to learn healthier eating habits, a follow-up with rescued baby sea otter Gibson as he learns to become a more independent pup and more.

Power: “Exactly How We Planned”
Starz, 8pm
Series Finale!

Tonight marks the end of the hit crime drama that was brought to us by rapper 50 Cent, who had a recurring role in the six seasons and was one of the executive producers. “Don’t trip,” he told fans on his Instagram account early in the season, “I have four spinoff shows coming.”

Sanditon
PBS, 9pm

At loggerheads over the disappearance of Miss Lambe, Charlotte and Sidney comb the London underworld to find her. Meanwhile, Tom tries to save Sanditon and his marriage, and Edward and Clara hatch a cunning plot to seize Lady Denham’s legacy.

Homeland
Showtime, 9pm
Season Premiere!

The 12-episode final season begins tonight and picks up with Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) recovering from months of brutal confinement in a Russian gulag. Her body is healing, but her memory remains fractured — which is a problem for Saul (Mandy Patinkin), now national security adviser to the newly ascendant President Warner (Beau Bridges). Against medical advice, Saul asks Carrie to walk with him into the lion’s den — one last time.

These Woods Are Haunted
Travel Channel, 9pm
Season Premiere!

The series that explores creepy happenings in the great outdoors returns. In the premiere, a late-night fishing trip becomes a living nightmare when two brothers encounter a monster at the lake. Then, three Bigfoot hunters become the hunted while camping in the Ozarks.

Wrong Man
Starz, 9:50pm
Season Premiere!

This series examines the cases of three different inmates who are serving life sentences on murder convictions but who claim their innocence. In the second season, the series will continue to uncover new theories and reveal startling new evidence that could prove that three more inmates, two of whom are women, are, in fact, not guilty. After the premiere episode, the show will air in its usual 9pm time slot.

Vienna Blood
PBS, 10pm

Their latest investigation draws Max and Oskar into the sphere of nationalistic groups who despise Vienna’s immigrants. Max’s fiancée is provoked into taking daring risks before the murderer’s shocking rationale is finally revealed.

Curse of the Bermuda Triangle
Science Channel, 10pm
New Series!

A team of savvy boat captains and experienced divers, who comprise the Triangle Research and Investigation Group (TRIG), seeks to unravel some of the biggest secrets surrounding the infamous Bermuda Triangle in this series. In the premiere, the TRIG team investigates the case in which a squadron of Navy aircraft known as Flight 19 flew into the Triangle on a routine training mission in 1945 and was never seen again.

Kidding
Showtime, 10pm
Season Premiere!

Jim Carrey returns as iconic children’s television host Jeff Pickles. The second season picks up moments after Season 1’s cliffhanger and, with his beloved Mr. Pickles’ Puppet Time off the air for the first time in 30 years, Jeff must find a way to communicate with his many fans who still need him.

The Alaska Triangle
Travel Channel, 10pm
New Series!

This series investigates the mysteries surrounding a vast expanse of rugged Alaskan wilderness known as the “Alaska Triangle,” from disappearances to sightings of strange creatures and more. In the series premiere, an eyewitness shares startling video evidence of extraterrestrial activity in Fairbanks, and a UFO hunter flies over Alaska’s highest mountain in search of a secret underground alien base.

Monday, Feb. 10

College Basketball: Florida State at Duke
ESPN, 7pm Live

The Florida State Seminoles head to Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., to face the Duke Blue Devils in a clash of ACC elites.

Taken 3
FX, 8pm

Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) returns and is out for revenge in this 2015 action movie sequel. After being framed for a brutal murder, he must try to take back his life as he is hunted by every government agency imaginable.

America’s Got Talent: “The Champions Finals”
NBC, 8pm

The Top 10 finalists perform, including four golden buzzer acts and six performers from the semifinals.

Twisted Love: “Love and Hot Lead”
Investigation Discovery, 9pm

Jennifer Jones is 18 years old when she meets her sister’s girlfriend, Bobbi Jo Smith. The two hook up behind the sister’s back, and before long become obsessively inseparable. But when Bobbi Jo’s roommate, 49-year-old Bob Dow, develops feelings for Jennifer, those feelings become deadly.

No Passport Required: “Las Vegas”
PBS, 9pm

Explore Las Vegas and its deep-rooted Chinese community, from the Strip’s neon-lit casinos to modest shopping malls. Chef Marcus Samuelsson learns about diverse food traditions and meets a new wave of chefs transforming their parents’ cuisine.

Manifest: “Return Trip”
NBC, 10pm

Ben (Josh Dallas) and Saanvi (Parveen Kaur) work together to orchestrate a surprising family reunion for an emotionally closed-off Flight 828 passenger. Meanwhile, Olive (Luna Blaise) drifts further away from her family, Jared (J.R. Ramirez) learns more about a growing cabal of anti-828 sentiment, and Michaela (Melissa Roxburgh) finds herself out on a limb when baggage from Zeke’s (Matt Long) past threatens to destroy his tenuous new life.

Operación Pacífico
Telemundo, 10pm
New Series!

Majida Issa and Mark Tacher star in Telemundo’s latest “Super Series,” a police drama based on true events and filmed in Mexico and Colombia. Issa plays Capt. Amalia Ortega, a woman living a double life whose mission is to take down the most wanted Mexican drug lord.

Tuesday, Feb. 11

Finding Your Roots: “Slave Trade”
PBS, 8pm

Upending their notions of African American history, host Henry Louis Gates Jr. journeys with film director Ava DuVernay, actor S. Epatha Merkerson and musician Questlove to the unexpected places where their ancestors were scattered by slavery.

Murder on the Orient Express
FX, 8pm

On a lavish train traveling across Europe, a mystery unfolds. A passenger on the Orient Express is dead, and Hercule Poirot will attempt to decipher the clues to catch the killer while onboard. Kenneth Branagh, Penélope Cruz and Johnny Depp star in this 2017 movie based on the Agatha Christie novel.

Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes
HBO, 9pm

Interweaving priceless archival footage of Muhammad Ali’s many appearances on The Dick Cavett Show with insights from a number of authors, sports commentators and members of Ali’s inner circle, this film tracks the three-time heavyweight boxing champion’s most memorable fights and personal battles to paint an illuminating portrait of a man whose impact on the civil rights movement rivals his feats in the boxing ring.

This Is Us: “A Hell of a Week: Part Three”
NBC, 9pm

Kate (Chrissy Metz) finds strength in unexpected places.

American Experience: “The Fight”
PBS, 9pm

Explore the stories of two men, boxers Max Schmeling of Germany and American Joe Louis, culminating in what was arguably the most politicized sporting event in history: the 1938 heavyweight championship of the world.

For Life
ABC, 10pm
New Series!

An innocent man serving a life sentence becomes a lawyer while in prison, fighting cases on behalf of his fellow inmates while figuring out how to overturn his own conviction.

Project Blue Book: “Hopkinsville”
History, 10pm

When alleged alien beings invade a home in rural Kentucky, Hynek (Aidan Gillen) and Quinn (Michael Malarkey) are brought in on the CIA’s top-secret program, MK Ultra, which believes the attack may be the start of a much larger invasion.

New Amsterdam: “In the Graveyard”
NBC, 10pm

The doctors stop at nothing to help their patients following a shocking realization that prompts a change in the hospital. Meanwhile, Reynolds (Jocko Sims) must make an important decision in his career.

Cherish the Day
OWN, 10pm
New Series!

Ava DuVernay (Queen Sugar) brings us this new anthology series that chronicles a couple’s relationship over five years, each episode spanning one single day. The narrative will unfold to reveal significant moments in a relationship, from the extraordinary to the everyday, that compel us to hold true to the ones we love. Xosha Roquemore, Alano Miller and Cicely Tyson star.