The Media Tourist

What to watch, and more! Jan. 23 – Jan. 29

When daytime TV was wild, the drama of African animals & the return of Patrick Dempsey

FRIDAY, Jan. 23
Dirty Talk: When Daytime Talk Shows Ruled TV
Revist the not-so-long-ago era when sensational, tabloid-style talk shows like Jerry Springer (above), Geraldo and Maury dominated ratings with explosive, often scandalous, content, pushing boundaries with fights, paternity tests, and outrageous guests (9 p.m., ABC).

Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie
Gabby (Laila Lockhart Kraner) and Grandma Gigi (Gloria Estefan) set off on a magical road trip to Cat Francisco. But when her dollhouse is swiped by the eccentric cat lady (Kristen Wiig), Gabby embarks on a real-world rescue mission (Peacock).

SATURDAY, Jan. 24
Kingdom
New natural history series chronicles the drama of real-life sagas of four African animal families in one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by BBC Studios Natural History Unit (8 p.m., AMC+ and BBC America).

Toni Braxton’s Breathe Again
The Grammy-winning singer kicks off the network’s winter slate in a tale of three women who meet on a reality dating show and suffer heartbreak in the spotlight (10 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, Jan. 25
It’s Not Like That
Scott Foley, Erinn Hayes and J.R. Ramirez star in this new faith-based drama about a recently widowed pastor with three kids who meets a newly divorced mom with two teens (Prime Video).

Memories of a Killer
Patrick Dempsey returns to broadcast TV alongside Michael Imperioli and Gina Torres in this new drama about a hitman living a double life (10 p.m., Fox).

MONDAY, Jan. 26
American Idol
The hit singing competition returns for its ninth season with superstars Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Carrie Underwood in the judges’ seats, and making a trip to Nashville for round one (8 p.m., ABC).

TUESDAY, Jan. 27
33 Photos from the Ghetto
Documentary tells the story of civilian photos taken inside the notorious Warsaw Ghetto during the 1943 uprising and purge by German forces (HBO Max).

Moonshiners: Master Distiller
New series of the backwoods competition tests competitors turning beer into spirits, making prison ‘shine and distilling. Yee-haw! (9 p.m., Discovery Channel).

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 28
Shrinking
Jason Segel and Harrison Ford return for season three of the dramedy about a therapist who breaks the rules and tells his clients exactly what he’s thinking (Apple TV+).

Queens of Combat
Experts search for evidence to prove that women once fought among men in Rome’s infamous gladiatorial arena (10 p.m., PBS).

The Wrecking Crew
Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa (above) star as two estranged half-brothers who reunite after their father’s death, only to discover a conspiracy that threatens to tear their family apart (Prime Video).

THURSDAY, Jan. 29
Scenes After a Marriage
New imported drama series strips relationships down to their core and captures the universal struggles of love, loss and the uncertainties of divorce (Viaplay).

Cross
Aldis Hodge returns to season two of the pulse-pounding thriller series about a brilliant homicide detective/forensic psychologist now hunting down a ruthless vigilante targeting crooked millionaires (Prime Video).

BRING IT HOME

Channing Tatum is a real charmer starring in Roofman (Paramount Home Entertainment), based on the surprisingly true story of a real-life prolific robber known for breaking into establishments (you guessed it!) through the roof…and for stealing hearts. With Kristen Dunst, LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple and Peter Dinklage.

Ready for a good scare? In Shelby Oaks (Decal-Neon Films), a film crew uncovers a disturbing lead in a woman’s search for her missing sister, steering her into a terrifying mystery and an unknown evil. Starring Camille Sullivan and Keith David. Loaded with extras, including commentary and a making-of feature.

Groove to the amazing story of the South African band Ladysmith Black Mambazo—who, you might recall, broke into the musical mainstream by performing with Paul Simon on his hit “Graceland—in Beyond Graceland (MVD Entertainment). Tracing the history and success story of the group, it includes commentary from Simon, Oprah Winfrey, Dolly Parton and Whoopi Goldberg.

Reach for the sky! And your remote, to start watching the Outlaws & Lawmen: 10 TV Westerns Collection (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment). Ride alongside Tom Selleck and Sam Elliott in this wild-West roundup of episodes from shows including Crossfire Trail, Rough Riders and Conagher. Special features include commentary, insights and cast profiles.

Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s sprawling drama One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), a movie-awards favorite this year, stars Leonardo di Caprio as a former counterrevolutionary who reunites with some of his old colleagues when his daughter (Chase Infiniti Payne) goes missing. With Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall and Alana Haim.

In Keeper from director Osgood (The Monkey) Perkins, a romantic retreat takes a dark turn when a sinister presence reveals the cabin’s chilling past. Starring Tatiana Maslany and Rossif Sutherland (pssst…he’s Kiefer’s brother!)

READ ALL ABOUT IT

It rose into pop-cultural prominence after Jurassic Park III when it bested a mighty T-Rex, but how much do you know about the Spinosaurus? In Spinosaur Tales, paleontologists David Hone and Mark P. Whitton explore the ins, outs and all abouts of one of the Earth’s largest land predators of all time—and one of the strangest-looking and most enigmatic dinosaurs.

Explore a master of 20^th century photography in Louis Stettner: Photofile (Thames & Hudson), about the New York lensman of the 1940s and ‘50s whose career lasted nearly 80 years and stretched from the streets of the Big Apple into the battles of World War II.

Why do we love monsters? And why do we love them so much there used to be scuds of magazines about them? In The Great Monster Magazines (McFarland), author Robert Michael Cotter digs into the graveyard of publications that once fed readers’ appetites for fear and fantasy, including Famous Monsters of Filmland, Midnight Marquee, Fangoria, Terror Tales and dozens more, plus monster-adjacent comic books.

NOW HEAR THIS

The new remix of Yes Symphonic Live (Mercury Studios)—originally a 2001 LP recorded by members of the prog-rock pioneers with a live orchestra—is a feast for the ears, with lush versions of radio hits like “Close to the Edge,” “I’ve Seen All Good People,” “Owner of a Lonely Heart” and “Roundabout.” Available as a 4-LP set, which includes a Blu-ray documentary, or 2 CDs with a fold-out poster. 

What to watch, and more! Oct. 31 – Nov. 6

A ‘Halloween’ marathon, the return of Robin Hood & how Harry Chapin’s ‘Cat’s in the Cradle‘ touched just about everyone

FRIDAY, Oct. 31
Halloween on Halloween
Happy Halloween! How better to celebrate than with this marathon of Halloween movies, starting with the original and continuing through its five sequels! (Begins 6:30, AMC).

The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Marathon
Tune in for a full day (well, 17 hours) of spook-tacular stuff in this 11th annual event featuring the characters from TV’s longest running comedy series—and a parade of alien invasions, horror film parodies and frights bigger than Homer’s donut cravings (starts 7 a.m., FXX).

SATURDAY, Nov. 1
Oktoberfest: Beer and Blood
In 1900s Munich, an ambitious brewer uses brutal tactics to build a beer hall that will dominate the city’s lucrative Oktoberfest event (Netflix).

SUNDAY, Nov. 2
Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking
Actors James and Oliver Phelps (who played Fred and George Weasley) return for season two of the six-episode competition built around the enduring fantasy franchise, with appearances by other cast members sharing their memories about working on the films (8p.m., Food Network).

Robin Hood
Welcome to Sherwood! The new reimagined 10-episode series—based on the classic tale of the roguish outlaw hero who stole from the rich and gave to the poor—stars Jack Patten, Lauren McQueen, Sean Bean and Connie Nielsen (MGM+). 

MONDAY, Nov. 3
Malice
Jack Whitehall and David Duchovny star in this new twisty psychological revenge thriller about an extended family vacation in Greece that takes a very wrong turn (Prime Video).

Life After
Film investigates assisted dying when death seems like the only option (10 p.m., PBS)

Crutch
This new comedy series set in the world of CBS’ The Neighborhood stars Tracy Morgan as a Harlem shop owner whose life gets tossed a curve ball when his son and daughter move back home (Paramount+).

TUESDAY, Nov. 4
All’s Fair
Watch the first three episodes of this new series (above) about a team of female divorce attorneys who leave their male-dominated firm to open their own powerhouse practice. Starring Kim Kardashian, Naomi Watts, Niecy Nash-Betts, Sarah Paulson and Glenn Close (Hulu).

Cat’s in the Cradle is a fine music doc about Harry Chapin’s heart-wrenching ode to parenthood and how it impacted an entire generation of music makers who heard it, including Pat Benatar, Billy Joel and Dee Snider of Twisted Sister (check streaming services).

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 5
Operation Space Station
Celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the continuous human presence in space with this doc all about the International Space Station—an object the size of a football field orbiting the Earth at 17,000 mpg—and the technology and people power that made it possible (9 p.m., PBS).

Finding Joy
An unlucky-in-love New York fashion designer (Shannon Thornton) finds her romantic life is change with some Colorado holiday magic (Prime Video).

THURSDAY, Nov. 6
Wicked: One Wonderful Night
Ahead of the much-anticipated theatrical part two of the smash film musical on Nov. 21, you can gear up with this two-hour special featuring stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, joined by their costars and other guests as they perform songs from the first movie…and throw in some bewitching surprises (8 p.m., NBC).

All Her Fault
Sarah Snook stars in this new drama (above) about a mom who experiences every parent’s worst nightmare in a play-date mix-up with her son. The ensemble cast features Jake Lacy, Dakota Fanning and Michael Peña (Peacock).

NOW HEAR THIS

It’s beginning to look—and sound—a lot like Christmas! Especially with the Classic Holiday Singles Box Set (Universal Music), which corrals 28 holiday tunes from classic crooners (Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Brenda Lee, Elvis and The Beach Boys, to cite a handful) on 14 color vinyl 7” 45s. Settle in for some spins of this retro Yule treat!

Vroom! The Cars celebrate the 40^th anniversary of one of their biggest, quadruple-platinum albums with Heartbeat City (Deluxe Edition), a 4-CD/1 LP set that contains hits like “Magic,” “Drive,” “YouMight Think” and “Hello Again,” plus rare cuts and a complete 1984 concert. As The Cars themselves once told us in song, “Let’s go!” (Rhino).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

How much do you know about the Japanese animation form known as anime? Well, you’ll know a lot more after reading Ultimate Anime: 100 Essential Films and Series (Thames & Hudson). Author Joe O’Connell breaks down the format with wide-ranging explorations on its creators, genres and cultural influence, in this visually rich spotlight.

Rock fans, you’ll dig The Royal We (Akashic Books), the memoir from Roddy Bottum—who co-founded the bands Faith No More and Imperial Teens—about his early career in the freewheeling punk scene of San Francisco to his mainstream breakthrough as an outwardly queer man in a homophobic hard rock scene. Plus, his intersections with Courtney Love and Robert Plant, and opening for Metallica. 

In The Far Edges of the Known World (W.W. Norton), author Owen Rees takes us down a time tunnel, centuries ago, to when dwellers all over the ancient world thought the edges of their cultures marked the harsh boundaries between civilization and a realm of monsters, heathens and myths. It’s a fascinating journey across the globe—and a chance to get to know the people who actually called the distant hinterlands home.

You’ll be humming “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and a lot of other tunes too, when you read The Music of Baseball (McFarland), author George Boziwick’s spritely look at how the soundtrack of “America’s Pastime” has evolved throughout a century of wars, social upheaval, racial integration and a move to the west Coast.

Dig into the history behind some of Hollywood’s most iconic horror and sci-fi classics in Creature Feature Creators (McFarland), author Tom Weaver’s wide-ranging spotlight on filmmakers, actors, special-effects artists and other who worked on all sorts of scary movies from the 1940s through the ‘70s. 

Read—or read again—the only full story of the Beatles, as told and written by the Beatles, in this splendid 25^th anniversary edition of The Beatles Anthology, which traces the lives of the lads from Liverpool through childhood through their superstar career paths. And it’s loaded with rare pics, handwritten notes, set lists and more. It’s a Beatles bonanza! (Chronicle Books).

Paul McCartney himself (and a bunch of his friends!) tell how they became one of the world’s most successful bands in Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run (Liveright, W.W. Norton). It’s a first-person record of the record-setting group, their treks across America and their success across the decades, with insights from Linda McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, producer George Martin and many more—like supermodel Twiggy, actor Dustin Hoffman and Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde.

BRING IT HOME

The critically hailed East of Wall (Sony Pictures Classic) is now available on DVD. It’s about a young, rebellious horse trader (Tabitha Zimiga) in South Dakota struggling after the death of her husband with grief and financial insecurity, all while caring for a group of wayward teens on her broken-down Badlands ranch.