Thursday 19“Return to Downton Abbey: A Grand Event” (KOB-4 7pm) The premiere of the Downton Abbey movie is so hot, it’s busting out of PBS totebags and heading straight for NBC. The cast joins Derek Hough (uh, why?) at the historic Highclere Castle in England to speak about the series and the upcoming theatrical feature.“The Last Days of Phil Hartman” (KOAT-7 8pm) ABC looks at the life and death of funnyman Phil Hartman. In case you forgot, he was shot to death by his drug-addled wife, Brynn, while he was asleep in bed. Yeesh.“The Paley Center Salutes The Good Place” (KOB-4 8pm) The Paley Center for Media chats with the cast and creators of TV’s best comedy, “The Good Place,” ahead of its third (and final) season.Friday 20“Criminal” (Netflix streaming anytime) Netflix’s new crime series (from the makers of “Killing Eve”) spreads over 12 episodes and four countries (The UK, France, Spain, Germany). David Tennant, Hayley Atwell, Nathalie Baye and Jérémie Renier are among the international cast. Minimalist and laser-focused, the series keeps all its action confined to interrogation rooms where cops shake down a string of criminals.“The Family Man” (Amazon streaming anytime) Amazon follows Netflix’s lead and gets into the Hindi-language TV series biz. Manoj Bajpayee (Satya, Shool, Aligarh, Baaghi 2) stars as a middle-class family guy secretly working as a superspy for the National Investigation Agency, protecting India from terrorists.Saturday 21“Power Players” (Cartoon Network 1:30pm) CGI and live-action blend in this French kids series about a secret team of superheroes—who happen to be a bunch of toys brought to life by an imaginative little boy.“Beyond the Headlines: Escaping the NXIVM Cult with Gretchen Carlson” (Lifetime 8:02pm) Gretchen Carlson goes behind the scenes of the professional development seminars/celebrity sex cult. … That is, if you consider the gal who played Chloe on “Smallville” a celebrity. Sunday 22“The 71st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards” (KRQEDT-2 6:30pm) The Emmys go without a host this year. Possibly because there is no Emmy award for Best Award Show Host? Just a thought, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.Monday 23“Bob (Hearts) Abishola” (KRQE-13 7:30pm) Sitcom king Chuck Lorre (“Cybill,” “Dharma & Greg,” “Two and a Half Men,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Mike & Molly”) makes more funny for CBS. Billy Gardell (from “Mike & Molly”) plays a sock company salesman who ends up in the hospital and falls in love with a hardworking Nigerian nurse (Folake Olowofoyeku).“All Rise” (KRQE-13 8pm) Simone Missick (Misty Knight from Netflix’s “Luke Cage” and “Iron Fist”) stars as a black female judge in Los Angeles. While it’s true that women and minorities have been historically underrepresented in the judicial system, courtroom dramas are anything but underrepresented in the primetime TV schedule. “Bluff City Law” (KOB-4 9pm) Why, look, here’s a courtroom drama set in Memphis. Jimmy Smits (who played a lawyer on “L.A. Law”) stars.Tuesday 24“Mixed-ish” (KOAT-7 8pm) This spin-off of “Black-ish” travels back to the ’80s to find out how teenager Rainbow Johnson (played as an adult on “Black-ish” by Tracee Ellis Ross) went from the home schooled daughter of mixed race hippies to a suburban doctor.Wednesday 25Buzz (HBO 7pm) This “revealing and personal” documentary follows Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and author Buzz Bissinger as he experiences a sexual awakening while collaborating with Caitlyn Jenner on her tell-all memoir.“Cake” (FXX 8:30pm) FXX goes all “YouTube” on viewers, offering a “handcrafted assortment of bite-sized content served up to viewers as a tasty treat for the mind.” This half-hour showcase of live-action and animated comedy promises to be “thought-provoking, laugh-inducing, artistic, authentic and raw. (Not to mention, totally gif-able!)” Well, there you go. Feel free to gif.
Week In Sloth
Alibi
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4 min read
