Black Lightning strikes on The CW
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Tuesday, January 16. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Black Lightning (The CW, 9 p.m.): Jefferson Pierce is the first black superhero to headline their own show on The CW, and he’s doing it without backup from the rest of the Arrowverse. (Though, let’s be realistic here: How long can the producers’ of the network’s DC shows deny the temptation to cross Black Lightning over with The Flash, probably by getting some of Jefferson’s bolts tangled up in the speed force.) This version of Black Lightning has hung up his vigilante hat in favor of working as a school administrator, but circumstances soon conspire to get him back in costume. Our own Danette Chavez says the first two episodes are “crackling with conflict and potential”; check back tonight for Kyle Fowle’s take on the premiere.
Regular coverage
The Flash (The CW, 8 p.m.)
This Is Us (NBC, 9 p.m.)
Wild card
LA To Vegas (Fox, 9 p.m.): The face-off of the century is upon us: McDermott versus Mulroney. Dylan versus Dermot. McRoney versus Muldermott. Dylmot Mulromott. Two similarly named actors, alike in age and handsomeness, cast opposite one another in McDermott’s new “Cheers-in-the-sky” comedy. What looks like an inside joke at first glance is actually some canny maneuvering on the part of LA To Vegas, exposing vulnerabilities and extending the expected useful life of the cocky cockpit jockey played by Dylan McDermott. Or is it the cocky cockpit jockey played by Dermot Mulroney? Okay, everybody, back to the top…