The Media Tourist

Feb. 10 – Feb. 16

Top picks for what to watch, read & more

Reece swaps lives, things heat up in Mexico & puppies have a super “bowl”

Reece Witherspoon (left) returns to TV in “Your Place of Mine.”

FRIDAY, Feb. 10
Your Place or Mine
Reese Witherspoon, Ashton Kutcher, Tig Notaro and Steve Zahn star in this romcom about a pair of best friends who “life swap” for a week, making some insightful discoveries about themselves and each other (Netflix).

At Midnight
Romantic rom-com film is set in an exotic hotel in Mexico, where various characters (Diego Boneta, Monica Barbaro, Anders Holm, Whitney Cummings) all converge…and sparks fly at midnight (Paramount+).

SATURDAY, Feb. 11
The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story
Katie Douglas stars in this true-crime original about an abducted teen who survived and ultimately brought down a serial killer (8 p.m., Lifetime).

Crazy Rich Asians
Michelle Yeoh is getting raves (and much-deserved movie-awards attention) for her starring role in the sci-fi mind-bender comedy Everything, Everywhere, All the Time. But see the role which officially re-launched her mainstream acting career, in this charming 2018 romcom (7;30 p.m., truTV).

SUNDAY, Feb. 12
Puppy Bowl XIX
The “super” bowl of canine cuteness returns, with more ways to watch than ever. TV personalities—including Zak Bagins of Ghost Adventures, Alex Guarnaschelli (Supermarket Stakeout) and talent from the upcoming movie Shazam! Fury of the Gods—join bona fide sports commentators to give play-by-play and other insights to the bow-wow action on the mini-gridiron (2 p.m., Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, TBS, HBO Max and discovery+).

MONDAY, Feb. 13
Bob ♥︎ Abishola
Abishola (Folake Olowofooyeku) decides to postpone taking the Medical College Admission exam, to the surprise of Bob (Billy Gardell) and nearly everyone else (8:30 p.m., CBS).

TUESDAY, Feb. 14
Next Level Chef
Superstar chef Gordon Ramsey returns to host more challenges in his unique culinary gauntlet built as a three-story structure. Which chefs can rise to the top? (8 p.m., Fox).

Love Triangle: High Drama
Happy Valentine’s Day! Celebrate with any or all these romcoms, available today—Silver Linings Playbook, Bridget Jones’ Baby, I Think I Love My Wife and My Super Ex-Girlfriend (Starz app).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

This Valentine’s Day, turn to author Aileen Barrett’s Tinder Translator (Hardie Grant), a fun and frisky guide to navigating the choppy waters in the sea of love during our modern era of dating apps.

BRING IT HOME

The Fabelmans, director Steven Spielberg’s acclaimed, award-winning semi-autobiographical film—his most “personal” film yet—tells the touching story of how a young boy with a love of movies became one of the most successful filmmakers of all time (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment).

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 15
Wu-Tang: An America Saga
Youhoo, it’s you-know-Wu-who! Tune in tonight for the third and final season of the re-enacted drama series about the Staten Island hip hop group, which rose to become one of the most influential rap acts with members including Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, RZA and U-God (Hulu)

Full Swing
Tee up for this documentary that follows a diverse group of highly competitive pro golfers on and off the course during a grueling season on the PGA tour (Netflix).

THURSDAY, Feb. 16
Picard
The third final season of the Star Trek streaming spinoff (starring Patrick Stewart reprising his iconic role as the esteemed interstellar commander Jean-Luc Picard) drops today (Paramount+).

Double Cross
The Cross siblings continue their vigilante quest to stop child trafficking, taking their fight all the way to top of a corrupt syndicate, in season four of the drama series starring Ashley Williams and Jeff Logan (streaming on ALLBLK).

Feb. 3 – Feb. 9

Top picks for what to watch, read and hear!

A salty tale, Peyton Manning gets a TV show & Pierce Brosnan breaks out

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Feb. 3
Dear Edward
Connie Britton (above left) and Taylor Schilling star in this new life-affirming drama series, based on the acclaimed novel about a young boy who somehow survives an airplane crash that kills everyone else aboard, including his parents (Apple TV+).

True Spirit
Ship ahoy! A young woman sets out to do what was thought to be impossible—become the youngest person to sail solo, nonstop and around the world. The true-story saga stars Teagan Croft (right), Cliff Curtis and Anna Paquin (Netflix).

NOW HEAR THIS

Get hip with Now That’s What I Call Music! Vol. 85 (Sony), the latest multi-artist collection including hits from Taylor Swift, Elton John & Britney Spears, Lizzo, Selena Gomez, Nicki Minaj and more. And wow: There have been 84 other CD like this since 1998! 

SATURDAY, Feb. 4
Shark Tank
Artisan charcuterie boards, car fragrances and specialty lighting for night sports are pitched to the investors (9 p.m., ABC).

SUNDAY, Feb. 5
The 65^th Annual Grammy Awards
Trevor Noah returns to host this annual ceremony honoring the best music of the year, in all formats and genres, live from Los Angeles (8 p.m., CBS).

Murf the Smurf
New true-crime docuseries (produced by Ron Howard and Ryan Grazer) is based on Jack Roland Murphy, a surfing dude, musician, author and artist…who was involved in the biggest jewel heist in American history and later convicted of murder (MGM+).

MONDAY, Feb. 6
History’s Greatest of All Time with Peyton Manning
The NFL “GOAT” hosts this eight-episode countdown series spotlighting some of the top achievements in various categories, including industry and business, sports, sweet treats and daredevil stunt performers (10 p.m., History Channel).

The Good Doctor
More doc drama! Shaun (Freddie Highmore) invites Aaron (Richard Schiff) to stay with him while exterminators work at Aaron’s house and Lea (Paige Spara) realizes both men have a lot more in common than she realized. Meanwhile, Dr. Morgan Reznick (Fiona Gubelmann) wrestles with a big decision about her career and her personal life (10:01 p.m., ABC).

TUESDAY, Feb. 7
History’s Greatest Heists with Pierce Brosnan
The former James Bond actor slips back into superspy mode to host this series about the most daring, elaborate real-life heists in history, including the notorious Lufthansa theft in New York, depicted in Goodfellas (10 p.m., History Channel).

Body Cam: On the Scene
What’s it like when police officers go on a high-speed chase, and their body cameras record it all? Or when a pursuit ends in a shoot-out? Or a reckless driver endangers everyone on the highway? Find out in tonight’s episode of this docu-series following real cops in real situations that can take turns toward deadly in a split second (Investigation Discovery).

Gina Rodriguez stars in the new comedy series “Not Dead Yet.”

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8
Not Dead Yet
A broke and newly single woman (Gina Rodriguez) works to restart her life and her career with the only job she can find—writing obituaries—while getting some guidance from an unlikely source (8:30 p.m., ABC).

BRING IT HOME

A newly enhanced home-entertainment release of the 2001 gritty police drama Training Day (Warner Bros. Discovery) reminds us why it got Denzel Washington an Oscar, and his co-star Ethan Hawke a Supporting Role nomination. Bonus content includes commentary by director Antoine Fuqua, alternative endings and deleted scenes.

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8
Bill Russell: Legend
Two-part documentary takes you inside the life and remarkable career of the hoops legend Bill Russell, who led every one of the basketball teams on which he played to championships—receiving a Gold Medal at the 1956 Olympic Games—and becoming the first Black head coach in NBA history (Netflix).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Animal House and Blues Brothers director Jon Landis provides the foreword for The Annotated Abbott and Costello (McFarland), a comprehensive chronicle of the iconic comedy duo’s movies throughout the 1940s and ‘50s. Did you know: They performed their most famous routine, “Who’s on First?” in two films, One Night in the Tropics and Naughty Nineties? And they “met” monsters—Frankenstein, the Invisible Man, the Mummy—in a series of Abbott and Costello Meet… movies.   

THURSDAY, Feb. 9
You
It’s a new year and a new country in season four, but the dangerously obsessive Joe (Penn Badgley) just can’t find anywhere he can outrun his past (Netflix).

2.9

Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence
Documentary series explores the shocking true incidents at the New York university where a father of one of the student’s fathers psychologically conditioned and later sexually exploited and abused a group of young women (Hulu).

Jan. 6 – 12

The week’s top picks for TV, books and home entertainment

Dan Rather interviews Trisha Yearwood as part of an all-day programming block about country music’s most acclaimed female artists.

FRIDAY, Jan. 6

All the Single Ladies
Taking its title from the Beyonce hit, this new unscripted reality series features Black women across the nation discussing intimacy, dating, sex and love in the modern world (9 p.m., Own).

Rose (left) is one of the “Single Ladies” in the new series taking its title from the Beyonce hit.

Boys in Blue
Docuseries follows a high school football team coached by officers in Minneapolis following the police killing of George Floyd (8 p.m., Showtime). The Pale Blue Eye
Christian Bale stars as a detective investigating a savage murder at an 1830s military academy (Netflix)

SATURDAY, Jan. 7
Svengoolie Classic Horror & Sci-Fi Movie
The classic kooky spooky-movie series expands tonight to two and a half hours, with more corny jokes, fan mail, interviews, special guests and surprises. Tonight’s film is the Vincent Price/Boris Karloff classic The Raven, which includes in its cast a very young Jack Nicholson! (8 p.m., MeTV).

The Women of Country
Shania Twain, Dolly Parton, Trisha Yearwood, Wynonna Judd, Lady A, Tanya Tucker and more are featured this all-day programming “stack” of specials, interviews and concert events from country music’s top female artists (begins 12 p.m., AXS TV).

Alert
New police procedural set in the Philadelphia PD’s Missing Persons department stars Hawaii Five-O’s Scott Caan and Diana Ramirez (right) from Devious Maids (8 p.m., Fox).

SUNDAY, Jan. 8
Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches
This new series in the “Anne Rice Immortal Universe” is based on the best-selling author’s best-selling trilogy, Lives of Mayfair Witches, focusing on a young neurosurgeon (Alexandra Daddario) who discovers she’s the unlikely heir to a supernaturally gifted family (9 p.m., AMC and AMC+).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Singing legend Roberta Flack details the beginning of her love of music (and the roots of her tremendous talent) in The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music (Anne Schwartz Books). About how she started with a beat-up piano her father found in a junkyard, it’s written and illustrated for young kids, but the testimony is ageless: Music can change lives. It certainly did for the “Killing Me Softly with His Song” superstar.

MONDAY, Jan. 9
NCIS Crossover
If you can’t get enough of crime procedurals, well, tonight’s your night. Tune for this three-hour TV event in which the casts and plotlines of NCIS, NCIS: Hawali and NCIS Los Angeles intersect and overlap (8 p.m., CBS).

I Didn’t See You There
Acclaimed documentary takes viewers inside the life of a disabled person, using only footage shot from his personal perspective in a wheelchair, often “invisible” to those around him. It’s moving and mesmerizing (10 p.m., PBS).

TUESDAY, Jan. 10
The Rookie
The search for a missing boy leads the team into the middle of a dangerous drug war between two rival gangs. With Nathan Fillion and Alyssa Diaz (8 p.m., ABC).

NEW ON DVD

Get reacquainted with country star Tanya Tucker in The Return of Tanya Tucker (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment), an insightful documentary about the “Delta Dawn” singer on her recent comeback trail, aided by Americana singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile.

Dwayne Johnson brings a new superhero to the screen in Black Adam (Warner Bros Home Entertainment), based on a character that originally appeared in the 1940s and reappeared in the 1970s as a bad guy, an archenemy to Captain Marvel and other Marvel superheroes. Pssssst: He’s still a badass, just not so bad anymore.

She Said (Universal Home Entertainment) is the riveting true-life story of two intrepid New York Times reporters (Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan) broke open the story of Hollywood’s biggest sexual abuser, Harvey Weinstein.

WEDNESDAY, June 11
Celebrity Name That Tune
Star contestants test their musical knowledge in a new season of this one-hour game show hosted by Jane Krakowski (9 p.m., Fox).

Superkitties
If your kid’s a cat person, they’ll love this new animated series about four cute and cuddly kittens—with superpowers! Mee-oww, it sounds marvelous! (10.30 a.m., Disney Channel).

The Traitors
Actor Alan Cumming hosts this new streaming competition in which a group of 20 contestants vie for a sizeable cash prize. The catch, though—three of them are “traitors” trying to devise a deceitful plan to cheat and steal their way to victory (Peacock).

THURSDAY, June 12

Vikings: Valhalla
The gritty hit series returns for a second season of 11^th century Scandinavian raids, sword-rattling and ice-covered adventure. Sam Corlett stars as legendary explore Leif Eriksson (Netflix).

How I Caught My Killer
New true-crime docuseries highlight real-life stories of unique homicides and the crucial clues that help crack each case (Hulu).

The Climb
Actor Jason Momoa and legendary rock climber Chris Sharma host this new climbing competition series, as contestants scale some of the most daunting summits in the world in hopes of clinching a $100,000 prize (HBO and HBO Max).

—Neil Pond

Jan. 6 – 12

The week’s top picks for TV, books and home entertainment

Dan Rather interviews Trisha Yearwood as part of an all-day programming block about country music’s most acclaimed female artists.

FRIDAY, Jan. 6

All the Single Ladies
Taking its title from the Beyonce hit, this new unscripted reality series features Black women across the nation discussing intimacy, dating, sex and love in the modern world (9 p.m., Own).

Rose (left) is one of the “Single Ladies” in the new series taking its title from the Beyonce hit.

Boys in Blue
Docuseries follows a high school football team coached by officers in Minneapolis following the police killing of George Floyd (8 p.m., Showtime). The Pale Blue Eye
Christian Bale stars as a detective investigating a savage murder at an 1830s military academy (Netflix)

SATURDAY, Jan. 7
Svengoolie Classic Horror & Sci-Fi Movie
The classic kooky spooky-movie series expands tonight to two and a half hours, with more corny jokes, fan mail, interviews, special guests and surprises. Tonight’s film is the Vincent Price/Boris Karloff classic The Raven, which includes in its cast a very young Jack Nicholson! (8 p.m., MeTV).

The Women of Country
Shania Twain, Dolly Parton, Trisha Yearwood, Wynonna Judd, Lady A, Tanya Tucker and more are featured this all-day programming “stack” of specials, interviews and concert events from country music’s top female artists (begins 12 p.m., AXS TV).

Alert
New police procedural set in the Philadelphia PD’s Missing Persons department stars Hawaii Five-O’s Scott Caan and Diana Ramirez (right) from Devious Maids (8 p.m., Fox).

SUNDAY, Jan. 8
Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches
This new series in the “Anne Rice Immortal Universe” is based on the best-selling author’s best-selling trilogy, Lives of Mayfair Witches, focusing on a young neurosurgeon (Alexandra Daddario) who discovers she’s the unlikely heir to a supernaturally gifted family (9 p.m., AMC and AMC+).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Singing legend Roberta Flack details the beginning of her love of music (and the roots of her tremendous talent) in The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music (Anne Schwartz Books). About how she started with a beat-up piano her father found in a junkyard, it’s written and illustrated for young kids, but the testimony is ageless: Music can change lives. It certainly did for the “Killing Me Softly with His Song” superstar.

MONDAY, Jan. 9
NCIS Crossover
If you can’t get enough of crime procedurals, well, tonight’s your night. Tune for this three-hour TV event in which the casts and plotlines of NCIS, NCIS: Hawali and NCIS Los Angeles intersect and overlap (8 p.m., CBS).

I Didn’t See You There
Acclaimed documentary takes viewers inside the life of a disabled person, using only footage shot from his personal perspective in a wheelchair, often “invisible” to those around him. It’s moving and mesmerizing (10 p.m., PBS).

TUESDAY, Jan. 10
The Rookie
The search for a missing boy leads the team into the middle of a dangerous drug war between two rival gangs. With Nathan Fillion and Alyssa Diaz (8 p.m., ABC).

NEW ON DVD

Get reacquainted with country star Tanya Tucker in The Return of Tanya Tucker (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment), an insightful documentary about the “Delta Dawn” singer on her recent comeback trail, aided by Americana singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile.

Dwayne Johnson brings a new superhero to the screen in Black Adam (Warner Bros Home Entertainment), based on a character that originally appeared in the 1940s and reappeared in the 1970s as a bad guy, an archenemy to Captain Marvel and other Marvel superheroes. Pssssst: He’s still a badass, just not so bad anymore.

WEDNESDAY, June 11
Celebrity Name That Tune
Star contestants test their musical knowledge in a new season of this one-hour game show hosted by Jane Krakowski (9 p.m., Fox).

Superkitties
If your kid’s a cat person, they’ll love this new animated series about four cute and cuddly kittens—with superpowers! Mee-oww, it sounds marvelous! (10.30 a.m., Disney Channel).

The Traitors
Actor Alan Cumming hosts this new streaming competition in which a group of 20 contestants vie for a sizeable cash prize. The catch, though—three of them are “traitors” trying to devise a deceitful plan to cheat and steal their way to victory (Peacock).

THURSDAY, June 12

Vikings: Valhalla
The gritty hit series returns for a second season of 11^th century Scandinavian raids, sword-rattling and ice-covered adventure. Sam Corlett stars as legendary explore Leif Eriksson (Netflix).

How I Caught My Killer
New true-crime docuseries highlight real-life stories of unique homicides and the crucial clues that help crack each case (Hulu).

The Climb
Actor Jason Momoa and legendary rock climber Chris Sharma host this new climbing competition series, as contestants scale some of the most daunting summits in the world in hopes of clinching a $100,000 prize (HBO and HBO Max).

—Neil Pond

Dec. 16 -22

A new ‘Yellowstone’ prequel, Metallica rocks for charity & Mariah Carey at Madison Square Garden

Harrison Ford saddles up as Jacob Dutton for ‘1923,’ the new installment in the ‘Yellowstone’ franchise

FRIDAY, Nov. 16
Love after Lockup
Is there romance after time behind bars? This reality series, headed tonight into its new season, explores couples who met when they were doing time, and what happens now that they’re free (9 p.m., WEtv).

Metallica Presents: The Helping Hands Concert
The iconic, hard-rocking metalheads join with the young Zep-inspired band Greta van Fleet for this charity show to raise funds fighting hunger around the globe (Paramount+).

Litvinenko
If you think being an international spy is all glamorous, James Bond stuff, watch this true-story documentary about the 2006 poisoning of Russian agent and the 10-year hunt for his murderer (AMC+ and Sundance Now).

SUNDAY, Dec. 18
The Sound of Music
Lift your holiday spirits with this classic song-filled, Oscar-winning 1965 movie (which has become a Christmas-time TV staple) based on the Rogers & Hammerstein Broadway musical. Sing along with Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer and the rest of the cast to “Edelweiss,” “Climb Every Mountain,” “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi” and other soundtrack favorites. Fun fact: Plummer intensely detested working on the film, cynically referring to it as “The Sound of Mucus” and describing acting alongside Andrews, his sweet costar, as “like behind hit over the head with a big Valentine’s card, every day” (7 p.m., ABC).

1923
Yellowstone fans, rejoice. Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren star in this new series, the next in the popular franchise, about the origins of the Dutton ranching family in the early 20th Century—an era of the Great Depression, the end of Prohibition and historic drought (Paramount+)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SIXEy4cwiw

TUESDAY, Nov. 20
Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All!
The best-selling female superstar with the five-octave vocal range hosts this concert special from Madison Square Garden, performing festive holiday hits—including, of course, her chart-topping seasonal favorite “All I Want for Christmas is You” (8 p.m., CBS).

NEW ON DVD

Looking for a last-minute Christmas gift for that special Game of Thrones fan? Then hie thee to House of the Dragon: The Complete First Season (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment). The bloody-good sequel to the groundbreaking HBO series gets the royal treatment in this 8-disc box set loaded with nine bonus features and all 10 epic episodes.

The family friendly adventure romp Secret Headquarters (Paramount Home Entertainment) stars Owen Wilson as the world’s most awesome superhero, forced back into action when kids discover his lair.

Get on The Staircase (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), the new DVD and Blu-ray release of the hit HBO Max series about a real-life murder mystery that turned into a media circus. Starring Collin Firth and Toni Collette.

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 21
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan
The dang-near-indestructible espionage all-star is back for season as John Krasinski returns to the role in an action-packed race against time—and on the run from both the CIA and an underground criminal faction chasing him across Europe (Prime Video).

The Letter: A Message for Our Earth
Based on a controversial 2015 letter from Pope Francis reflecting on the precarious state of our planet, this documentary explores how global warming continues to affect people around the world (8 p.m., PBS).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

A perfect Christmas gift for all rock fans, Shot! By Rock: The Photography of Mick Rock (Weldon Owen) is a picture-packed coffee-table chronicle showcasing the wide work of the acclaimed London-based photog who “shot the Seventies” in all its rock ‘n’ roll glory.

THURSDAY, Dec. 22
The Best Man: The Final Chapters
Series based on the Universal film-comedy franchise picks up the lives of its character as midlife crisis meets later-life renaissance, relationships evolve and past grievances re-emerge. Starring Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Taye Diggs and Terrence Howard (Peacock).

Top Gun: Maverick
Hit the holidays on a high note with this summer’s megahit Tom Cruise flick—a long-awaited follow-up to the 1986 big-screen smash—as it soars into streaming (Paramount+).