Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Tuesday, February 16. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Limitless (CBS, 10 p.m.): We here at TV Club never know quite what to do with CBS’ non-NCIS, non-CSI procedurals. Look at Person Of Interest: We gave it a shot, found it kind of uninteresting in the early going, gave up on it, and then picked it back up again when it unexpectedly got really, really good. We skipped that first phase entirely with Limitless, and it may be time to issue a mea culpa, as we’ve heard enough good things about this spin-off of the Bradley Cooper movie to give it a shot. Good things tend to happen when Myles McNutt reviews these shows, so he’ll be following up his interview with Limitless showrunner by taking a look at tonight’s episode, and then, if all goes well, handing off the baton to a new regular reviewer. So if you want Limitless to be a thing here, stop by Myles’ review tonight.
Also Noted: Programming Notes Edition
Not Safe With Nikki Glaser (Comedy Central, 10:30 p.m.): While we’re on the subject of shows in the trial run phase of regular coverage, Emily L. Stephens will be checking in on this show’s second week. whoops, turns out we won’t actually be covering this show going forward. Still probably worth checking out! Host Nikki Glaser will be looking to help men improve their sexting skills and quizzing men coming out of strip clubs about women.
Marvel’s Agent Carter (ABC, 9 p.m.): ABC is pulling the ol’ Happy Endings by doubling up episodes for the next couple weeks, so know that you’re getting two hours’ worth of Agent Carter this week and the next. And yes, we’re aware Happy Endings is almost certainly not the first show that ABC burned off by airing two episodes at a time. As we have already made clear in previous Tuesday What’s On Tonight installments, we just really like mentioning Happy Endings.
In many ways, this show was our The Wire. Oliver Sava just shakes his head at our idiocy.
The Grinder (Fox, 9:30 p.m.): Nothing too urgent here, but we’re excited to note that we will be subbing in for Molly Eichel on tonight’s review. Sorry, sorry, forgot to shift from first person plural to third person, as What’s On Tonight style dictates. So then … we’re excited to note that Alasdair Wilkins will be bringing all The Grinder hot takes you can handle tonight. There. Much better.
Also Also Noted: Just Some Shows We Like Edition
The Flash (The CW, 8 p.m.): The Earth-2 fun continues, if by “fun” we mean “Barry being held in Zoom’s terrifying lair.” But still … retro futurism! Also, Jay Garrick is still trying to get his speed back, and any opportunity to see that awesome, wing-helmeted Earth-2 Flash outfit on our TV screens is fine by us. Scott Von Doviak just wants to take this moment to point out that, nah, please don’t call him Scott VD.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox, 9 p.m.): Some intriguing character combinations tonight, as Jake runs afoul of Hitchcock and Scully after insulting their work ethic, Amy and Gina help Rosa deal with a fear (which, sure, we’ll believe that when we see it), and Holt and Boyle doubtless bring the awkward as they work a celebrity case.
iZombie (The CW, 9 p.m.): Sure, technically we should probably actually watch this show before putting it in a sub-section entitled “Just Some Shows We Like Edition”—otherwise, we’ll completely undermine the integrity of the “Also Also Noted” section!—but we have given this show so much guff, we figure we can do it a solid and throw it in. So what’s on tap tonight, iZombie? “Liv and Babineaux investigate the murder of a well-known pathological liar, and Liv consumes his brains. Meanwhile, Ravi makes an unsettling discovery; Blaine is reunited with someone from his past; and Major gets into a precarious situation.” Oh that Major! Always getting into precarious situations! Carrie Raisler would now like to join Oliver Sava in shaking her head at our idiocy.
Regular coverage
New Girl (Fox, 8 p.m.)
Fresh Off The Boat (ABC, 8 p.m.)
Grandfathered (Fox, 8:30 p.m.)
The Muppets (ABC, 8:30 p.m.)
American Crime Story: The People Vs. O.J. Simpson (FX, 10 p.m.)
The Shannara Chronicles (MTV, 10 p.m.)
Girlfriends’ Guide To Divorce (Bravo, 10 p.m.)
Elsewhere in TV Club
Lauren Duca explores how shows like Master Of None and Broad City depict the grim reality of everyday sexual harassment and fear. Also—and sorry, there’s really no good way to segue from one thing to the other here—Noel Murray has a pre-air review of the Amazon series The New Yorker Presents.
What else is on?
NCIS (CBS, 8 p.m.): This week, let’s evaluate how worthwhile the two NCIS shows are by asking a simple question about their storylines: How Navy is this? Let’s start with the flagship: “NCIS and the FBI join forces when the daughter of Sarah Porter, the Secretary of the Navy, is kidnapped. McGee’s childhood friend, NCIS Special Agent Valerie Page, assists the team with advance tactics training.” The Secretary of the Navy, you say? Doesn’t get much more Navy than that!
NCIS: New Orleans (CBS, 9 p.m.): Now how about NCIS: Big Easy Nights? “A mysterious man saves a lieutenant’s life and disappears from the scene, but the NCIS team soon discover forensic evidence that suggests he’s a soldier who was captured in Afghanistan and never found.” Hmm, we’ll admit this sounds more like “vaguely repurposing the premise of Homeland” that straight-up “being something to do with the U.S. Navy,” but yeah, we’ll let this slide. It’s a surprisingly naval night on the NCISes!
Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates Jr. (PBS, 8 p.m.): The genealogical exploration continue with Sean Combs and LL Cool J. While we’re sure looking at Diddy’s past will be of interest, his most fascinating family-related thing actually involves his son, a UCLA strength coach, and a kettlebell. We fear all that will be overlooked.
Independent Lens – The Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution (PBS, 9 p.m.): This two-hour documentary examines the Black Panther Party and its birth in the social and economic turmoil of 1960s Oakland. The special features interviews with Black Panthers and FBI informants, not to mention a bunch of white people with every possible opinion. So yeah, there might be some controversial thoughts to be found here.
Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show (USA, 8 p.m.): We don’t get the appeal of this at all, but then we’re just not dog people. (Had some moderately traumatic experiences with them as a kid. We weren’t born as horrible unfeeling monsters, for the record.) Anyway, tonight is the closing night, so it’s all leading up to this, we assume.
Rizzoli & Isles (TNT, 9 p.m.): We’re in the home stretch of this procedural that was sort of the representative for all blandly competent basic cable police procedurals a few years ago but is now mostly forgotten. So, hey, let’s all take a moment and remember Rizzoli & Isles, okay? No, wait, crossover?
Forged In Fire (History, 10 p.m.): “In the Season 2 premiere, the bladesmiths must dumpster dive to find the right steel to be used to create the blade of their choosing, with only two moving on to forge a War Hammer.” We’re assuming this is a goofy reality show, but we really wish this was an even goofier medieval drama, or whatever.
Point Break (Encore, 8 p.m.): We appreciate that in naming Johnny Utah, Keanu Reeves’ star quarterback turned FBI agent, it’s pretty clear the Point Break team just looked up the name of what was then the world’s most famous quarterback, found out it was Joe Montana, and then did the absolute bare minimum to change it. Very fun movie, though.
Runaway Train (Cinemax, 8:05 p.m.): Jon Voight and Eric Roberts are escaped convicts on a … eh, just go take a look at the title. Also, the movie is based on an Akira Kurosawa-written screenplay.
Snatch (MovieMax, 9 p.m.): This movie is going to suffer in comparison to, well, pretty much anything you want to compare it to—Guy Ritchie’s previous effort Lock, Stock, And Two Smoking Barrels, not to mention all the Tarantino movies both films are derivative of—but Brad Pitt is a hoot as an Irish Traveler, and it’s fun to see the now deadly serious Jason Statham be funny and do things other than punch stuff.
Furious 7 (HBO 2, 8 p.m.): Speaking of Jason Statham being deadly serious, here comes his entry in the now eternal Fast And Furious franchise, and this has got to be the most somber entry, even it weren’t necessarily reworked around Paul Walker’s death.
The Waterboy (CMT, 9 p.m.): Of all the dumb, kind of lazy Adam Sandler comedies out there … this is certainly one of them.
NHL Hockey: Dallas Stars at St. Louis Blues (NBC Sports, 8 p.m.): Please, go watch some hockey. The one hockey super-fan among the What’s On Tonight commentariat will thank you for it. Maybe personally, depending on said fan’s schedule!
In case you missed it
Gravity Falls: We’ll pause on wrestling for at least a week to mark the end of one our favorite shows. Go read the review if you want, and definitely go check out this show’s series finale, because it was really something special.