TV Best Bets

Friday, Feb. 14: The Explosive Final Season of ‘Strike Back’ on Cinemax

Sophie Mutevelian/CINEMAX

All Times Eastern.

Friday, Feb. 14

Strike Back
Cinemax, 10pm
Season Premiere!

One final adrenalized season is in store for the network’s iconic series. When an Albanian crime family kidnaps a scientist responsible for the development of a top-secret British bioweapon, the covert special-ops soldiers of Section 20 are sent on a mission to secure the virus and take down its potential black-market buyers. But what starts as a relatively straightforward mission quickly escalates into a race against the clock to neutralize an even deadlier weapon of mass destruction.

Cable Girls
Netflix
Season Premiere!

The period drama from Spain set in the late 1920s, following a group of women working at Madrid’s first telephone company, launches its fifth and final season.

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Netflix
Original Film!

Shaun the Sheep, the popular spinoff character from the beloved Wallace and Gromit franchise, returns in this stop-motion animated film. After a mischievous alien crash-lands near Mossy Bottom Farm, Shaun takes his new extraterrestrial friend on the road to find her lost spaceship. Little does he know that a sinister alien-hunting agency is on their trail.

We Love TV Marathon
TV Land, beginning at 9am

Join TV Land for an epic, fun, four-day TV love fest featuring marathons of the very best episodes of fan favorites Everybody Loves Raymond, The King of Queens, Golden Girls, The Andy Griffith Show, Two and a Half Men, The New Adventures of Old Christine and The Goldbergs, presented with trivia and fun facts.

MacGyver: “Red Cell + Quantum + Cold + Committed”
CBS, 8pm

In the new episode “Red Cell + Quantum + Cold + Committed,” Mac (Lucas Till) is recruited to steal a highly classified project from a military lab in order to find flaws in its security.

Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector: “Game On”
NBC, 8pm

The Bone Collector (Brian F. O’Byrne) challenges Lincoln (Russell Hornsby), Amelia (Arielle Kebbel) and the team with a trifecta of victims across New York City. But as the team races to solve the clue trails before it’s too late, Lincoln must come to terms with the Bone Collector’s real target — his own ego.

Blue Bloods: “The Fog of War”
CBS, 10pm
Guest Star Alert!

Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) and Baez (Marisa Ramirez) work with Texas Ranger Waylon Gates (guest star Lyle Lovett) when they are put on a case to find the Lone Star Killer in the new episode “The Fog of War.”

Bill Burr Presents: The Ringers
Comedy Central, 11pm
Season Finale!

Gavin Matts shares how a notorious viral video changed his life, Brenton Biddlecombe explains his struggles as a short man, and Punkie Johnson weighs in on a lesbian stereotype.

Saturday, Feb. 15

XFL Football
ABC & FOX, beginning at 2pm Live

Week 2 of the XFL regular season kicks off today with the N.Y. Guardians at the DC Defenders (ABC) and the Tampa Bay Vipers at the Seattle Dragons (FOX).

The Thing About Harry
Freeform, 8pm
Original Film!

High school enemies Harry (Niko Terho) and Sam (Jake Borelli) are forced to share a ride to their hometown for a party. Things take a turn when Sam learns Harry has come out. Stuck spending the night together, Harry and Sam wonder if they could be more than friends. Queer Eye’s Karamo Brown also stars.

You Can’t Take My Daughter
Lifetime, 8pm
Original Film!

Amy Thompson (Lyndsy Fonseca) is a law student who is attacked and raped by Demetri (Hunter Burke). Discovering that she is pregnant, Amy makes the difficult decision to keep her baby, despite the fact that Demetri continues to stalk and harass her as she waits for the long-delayed trial. Six years later, Demetri finds her and sues her for custody of her daughter. Using her own legal skills, Amy fights back. The film also stars Kirstie Alley as Amy’s mother, Suzanne.

NHL Hockey: Los Angeles at Colorado (at Colorado Springs)
NBC, 8pm Live

The NHL Stadium Series comes to Falcon Stadium on the campus of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs as the L.A. Kings face off against the Colorado Avalanche in primetime on NBC.

NBA All-Star Saturday Night
TNT, 8pm Live

The NBA’s All-Star showcase in Chicago features the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest and the AT&T Slam Dunk contest.

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

This crowded continent hides the most surprising animals in pockets of wilderness. Above Gibraltar, Europe’s only primate lives a life of kidnapping and high drama, while in the cemeteries of Vienna, grave-robbing European hamsters do battle with each other. Come nightfall, the Italian mountain villages are the hunting grounds for rarely seen wolves, while lynx lurk in the forests of Spain. Deep underground in Slovenia’s caves, baby dragons (a.k.a. olms) can eat once a decade and may live for up to a hundred years. Meanwhile, on the surface, the continent has been developed beyond recognition.

The Secret Ingredient
Hallmark Channel, 9pm
Original Film!

Bakery owner Kelly (Erin Cahill) hasn’t thought about love since Andrew (Brendan Penny) ended their engagement for culinary school in Paris. Now he’s back, and so is their chemistry. Unfortunately, Kelly’s still hurt and won’t see Andrew before he leaves. But little does she know that when she’s selected as a contestant on the Valentine’s Day Bake-Off, Andrew is as well.

Sunday, Feb. 16

NHL Hockey
NBC & NBCSN, beginning at 12:30pm Live

The 2020 Hockey Weekend Across America celebration includes today’s tripleheader of NHL national TV games, with Detroit at Pittsburgh and Boston at the N.Y. Rangers on NBC, and St. Louis at Nashville on NBCSN.

NASCAR Cup Series: Daytona 500
FOX, 2:30pm Live

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season begins at famed Daytona International Speedway for the 62nd Daytona 500. Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and 2019 Cup Series champion Kyle Busch are among the top contenders. Seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson begins his final season as a full-time driver.

American Idol
ABC, 8pm
Season Premiere!
Returning to the iconic judges’ desk are music industry legends and all-star American Idol judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. Emmy Award-winning producer Ryan Seacrest returns as host, and multimedia personality Bobby Bones will return as in-house mentor.

Washington
History, 8pm
New Miniseries!

This three-night, six-hour documentary event will weave together dramatic live-action sequences, excerpts from George Washington’s letters, and insights from a roster of notable experts, historians and scholars to tell a very personal story about the evolution of one of history’s most iconic leaders.

Outlander
Starz, 8pm
Season Premiere!

Season 5 finds the Frasers fighting for their family and the home they have forged on Fraser’s Ridge. Jamie (Sam Heughan) must find a way to defend all that he has created, while Claire (Caitriona Balfe) must use her modern knowledge and foresight to prevent her family from being ripped apart again. Brianna (Sophie Skelton) and Roger (Richard Rankin) work to raise their son under the looming specter of Stephen Bonnet (Ed Speleers).

NBA All-Star Game
TNT, 8:20pm Live

TNT airs the 2020 NBA All-Star Game from Chicago’s United Center. Expect to see Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Luka Dončić, Trae Young and more of the NBA’s best competing in the game, but don’t expect to see much defense. Last year, Team LeBron beat Team Giannis 178-164.

Duncanville
FOX, 8:30pm
New Series!

Amy Poehler teams up with co-creators and fellow executive producers Mike and Julie Scully (The Simpsons) for this animated family comedy centered around spectacularly average 15-year-old Duncan (voiced by Poehler) and the people in his world. Duncan’s not exceptional, but he has a wild imagination in which he’s never anything less than amazing. The voice cast also includes Ty Burrell, Riki Lindhome, Joy Osmanski, Rashida Jones and Wiz Khalifa.

Race for the White House
CNN, 9pm
Season Premiere!

Oscar winner Mahershala Ali narrates this six-part docuseries that uses rare archival footage, interviews and stylized dramatizations to tell the story of one iconic presidential campaign in each episode. Elections covered this season include Wilson vs. Roosevelt vs. Taft (1912), Eisenhower vs. Stevenson (1952), Johnson vs. Goldwater (1964), Carter vs. Ford (1976), Reagan vs. Carter (1980) and Obama vs. McCain (2008).

War of the Worlds
EPIX, 9pm
New Series!

H.G. Wells’ classic alien invasion tale gets a contemporary reimagining in this eight-part drama set in present-day Europe and with a cast led by Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern. When extraterrestrials wipe out most of humanity, the survivors come to realize that this savage attack on Earth is not arbitrary — its seeds are being sown before our very eyes.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
HGTV, 9pm
Season Premiere!
The iconic home renovation series is back, this time on a new network and with a new host — Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson. The stunning whole-home overhauls will be done for deserving families, so bring your tissues as this is going to be some feel-good TV.

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
NBC, 9pm

Jane Levy plays a computer coder who suddenly starts to hear the innermost thoughts of the people around her through songs. Lauren Graham and Mary Steenburgen also star. A repeat airing of the pilot — which originally previewed in January — will precede this new episode.

Sanditon
PBS, 9pm

With the approach of Sanditon’s regatta, the success of the resort hangs in the balance — as do assorted romances. How will Charlotte, Sidney and other lovers fare in the marriage game?

NCIS: New Orleans
CBS, 10pm
New Episodes!

Season 6 of NCIS: New Orleans resumes with new episodes tonight.

The Windsors: Inside the Royal Dynasty
CNN, 10pm
New Series!

This six-part series tells the incredible, dramatic and emotional tale of the British royal family using never-before-seen footage and interviews with insiders. The series premiere, “Succession,” follows King Edward VIII’s decision to abdicate the throne and marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson.

Slow Burn
EPIX, 10pm
New Series!

The first season of this docuseries based on the hit podcast of the same name expands upon that podcast’s first season as host Leon Neyfakh looks back at the Watergate crisis. His exploration excavates the strange subplots and forgotten characters involved in the downfall of a president, and flashes back to politically tumultuous times not so far removed from today.

Good Girls
NBC, 10pm
Season Premiere!

Christina Hendricks, Retta and Mae Whitman are back for Season 3 of the crime comedy/drama about three suburban moms embroiled in a robbery while trying to make ends meet, and the fallout that ensues.

Vienna Blood
PBS, 10pm

When his nephew, a student at a military school, suffers a breakdown after a fellow cadet’s death, Max calls on Oskar for help. The school prepares a new generation of military officers, but its barbaric traditions are hidden from the outside world.

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
HBO, 11:10pm

Season Premiere!

Monday, Feb 17

The Waltons: “The Fawn”
MeTV, 12pm

Erin adopts a wild animal, while John Boy gets a life lesson with a new job.

College Basketball
ESPN, beginning at 7pm Live

A college basketball doubleheader on ESPN has the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, followed by the Iowa State Cyclones at the Kansas Jayhawks.

Transformers: The Last Knight
FX, 8pm

In troubled times, humans and Transformers are engaged in a war. Optimus Prime is gone, and without a leader, chaos reigns. Within the madness, Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) must team with the iconic Bumblebee and others to uncover the hidden history of Transformers on Earth to save both races. Anthony Hopkins and Josh Duhamel also star in this 2017 action adventure.

America’s Got Talent: The Champions
NBC, 8pm
Season Finale!

The Season 2 winner of the series that brings together the most memorable and talented acts from Got Talent competitions around the globe is determined tonight.

No Passport Required: “Boston”
PBS, 9pm

Visit Boston with chef Marcus Samuelsson to learn about the Portuguese, Brazilian and Cape Verdean diasporas, united by one language in the bustling port city they call home. Meet the chefs who are continuing and transforming culinary traditions.

Spy Games: “Mind Over Matter”
Bravo, 10pm

The Assessors push the competitors beyond their physical and mental limits in a grueling endurance test, with the challenge taking a dangerous turn. When a frontrunner starts to crack under the pressure, their fate in the game hangs in the balance. As the bottom two contestants fight it out at the interrogation, only one will make it through to the next mission.

Tuesday, Feb. 18

Finding Your Roots: “Italian Roots”
PBS, 8pm

Henry Louis Gates Jr. explores the roots of talk show host Jimmy Kimmel and actors Marisa Tomei and John Turturro, introducing them to ancestors who made immense sacrifices to bring their families from Italy to America.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle
FX, 8pm

In this 2017 sequel to Kingsman: The Secret Service, the world is held hostage, and the Kingsman headquarters has been destroyed. It is in this time of crisis that the Kingsman discover an allied spy organization in the United States. Colin Firth, Julianne Moore and Taron Egerton star.

Project Blue Book: “The Men in Black”
History, 10pm

When Hynek (Aidan Gillen) is kidnapped by the mysterious Man in Black, Quinn (Michael Malarkey) teams up with the CIA to track him down and save his life.

Ink Master: “Head Spin”
Paramount Network, 10pm

In the new episode “Head Spin,” the Turf War is more intense than ever before as a team challenge leaves the artists dizzied and out of control.

House Hunters: “Too Many Firsts in Florida”
HGTV, 10:30pm

An Air Force officer and his wife move to Florida and have just eight days to find their first home. They’re soon-to-be parents but can’t agree if they should get the fixer-upper he wants or the move-in-ready home she needs.

Wednesday, Feb. 19

Nature: “The Mighty Weasel”
PBS, 8pm

Discover the truth about the infamous weasel, often associated with unsavory behavior. Do these critters deserve their bad reputation? Follow the adventures of a first-time weasel mom, fearless honey badger and a tiny orphan weasel.

NHL Hockey: N.Y. Rangers at Chicago
NBCSN, 8pm Live

Wednesday Night Hockey features a matchup of Original Six teams as Artemi Panarin and the N.Y. Rangers head to the Windy City to clash with Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks.

Criminal Minds
CBS, 9pm
Series Finale!

Criminal Minds ends its run after 15 seasons with a two-part series finale tonight. In “Face Off,” the BAU team sets out on an epic hunt to capture Everett “The Chameleon” Lynch (returning guest star Michael Mosley). Then in “And in the End,” Dr. Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) is guided by ghosts from his past, while the BAU’s shocking discovery about Lynch takes a personal turn for Rossi (Joe Mantegna).

Expedition With Steve Backshall: “Bhutan — White Water”
PBS, 10pm

Join Steve Backshall in the foothills on the Himalaya, where he plans to kayak the last unrun river in Bhutan, which runs through the country’s steepest gorge. Before his attempt, Steve seeks blessing from a local Buddhist monastery.

Year of the Rabbit
IFC, 10:30pm
New Series!

Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows) stars as Detective Inspector Rabbit, a hardened booze-hound and loose-cannon cop in Victorian London. He’s aided and abetted by his new partner Wilbur Strauss (Freddie Fox) and the country’s first female police officer, Mabel Wisbech (Susan Wokoma), as they bring justice to the streets of the East End. The premiere episode finds the trio investigating the murder of a cabaret girl.

Thursday, Feb. 20

NBA Basketball
TNT, beginning at 8pm Live

Thursday night’s NBA doubleheader on TNT opens with Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets in Philadelphia to face Al Horford and the 76ers. In the second game, James Harden and the Houston Rockets are in the Bay Area for a tilt with the Golden State Warriors.

Jurassic World
FX, 8pm

The beautiful Jurassic World dinosaur park has been open for 10 years, and the visitor rates are starting to decline. When corporate backers urge the creation of a new attraction, scientists start messing with the wrong things and it backfires horribly. Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and Ty Simpkins star in this 2015 action adventure.

A Year in Music: “1971”
AXS TV, 8:30pm

Former MTV VJ Matt Pinfield hosts this episode that looks back at the music of 1971, covering everything from the end of the Beatles to the rise of activism in music.

College Basketball
ESPN2 & FS1, beginning at 8:30pm Live

The Michigan State Spartans are at the Nebraska Cornhuskers (FS1) and the San Francisco Dons are at the Gonzaga Bulldogs (ESPN2) in a pair of Thursday night college basketball matchups.

Friday, Feb. 21

The Last Thing He Wanted
Netflix
Original Film!

Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck, Rosie Perez, Willem Dafoe and Mel Rodriguez lead the cast of this political thriller set against the nebulous backdrop of the 1980s Iran-Contra scandal and based on the Joan Didion novel of the same name.

The Waltons: “The Bequest”
MeTV, 12pm

The promise of inherited money results in both happy moments and unusual conflicts for the Walton family.

NBA Basketball
ESPN, beginning at 8pm Live

ESPN’s Friday night NBA doubleheader has a pair of Western Conference clashes with the Denver Nuggets at the Oklahoma City Thunder and the New Orleans Pelicans at the Portland Trail Blazers.

Fresh Off the Boat
ABC, 8pm
Series Finale!

The groundbreaking comedy will wrap up its six-season run with an hourlong series finale.

Gold Rush: Dave Turin’s Lost Mine
Discovery Channel, 9pm
Season Premiere!

This season, Dave is expanding his hunt for an even bigger payday in the historic lost mines of Montana. With more than 3,500 abandoned mines in the Treasure State, Dave believes one of them could be a jackpot in gold. But finding it will require him to uncover the history and decode the land like never before.

Bad Moms
FX, 9pm

Three moms reach their breaking point. They are tired of their conventional responsibilities and what the world expects of them. It’s time for some freedom and fun as these moms decide to take care of themselves and fight back against the head of the PTA, who wants them to conform. Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn star in this 2016 comedy.

Haunting in the Heartland: “The Watchman”
Travel Channel, 10pm
New Series!

Steve Shippy is called to Merrill, Mich., to investigate an evil entity tormenting a young girl. With the help of a local historian, he discovers the town’s long-forgotten traumatic past and its connection to the girl’s home.

The Hours
TCM, 10:30pm

Continuing its 31 Days of Oscar celebration, Turner Classic Movies presents the network premiere of this acclaimed, Oscar-winning 2002 psychological drama based on the novel by Michael Cunningham. Nicole Kidman won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance here, and she is joined by a stellar cast including Miranda Richardson, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Meryl Streep, Ed Harris and many more.

This Week at the Comedy Cellar
Comedy Central, 11pm
Season Premiere!

Comedians of all stripes, from rising stars to established legends, pop into New York’s legendary Comedy Cellar every week for a topical set.