Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Monday, January 5. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
The Bachelor (ABC, 8 p.m.): Iowa farmer Chris Soules claims his biggest goal in life right now is to find a wife. And apparently Tinder wasn’t working out in those rural Iowan farmlands, so Soules has traded in swiping right for handing off roses, as he embarks on the oozy journey of The Bachelor season 19. Nineteen seasons. Nineteen seasons of fabricated, juiced-up drama and competing for “love.” Tonight, eight of the 30 competing women will be eliminated by the end of the night, and Soules will receive a surprise of some sort. Nineteen seasons.
Also noted
Sleepy Hollow (Fox, 9 p.m.): In the dark aftermath of the showdown with Moloch, Abbie and Ichabod meet an angel who might be able to help. We’re just happy for Abbie and Ichabod to be back on our screens after many Mondays of darkness and holiday specials.
Regular coverage
Gotham (Fox, 8 p.m.)
Elsewhere in TV Club
TV Club did not initially cover Jane The Virgin when it first began, but it stole our hearts so quickly that we soon added it to the weekly rotation. Today, Oliver Sava begins his Jane The Virgin rewind, revisiting the chapters that aired before he began covering the show. The A.V. Club also looks ahead to 2015 in this Inventory about the year’s most anticipated entertainments, which includes the second season of Broad City and the final season of Parks And Recreation. And in honor of Friends being added to Netflix, check out the latest 5 To Watch, in which five writers tell you which five episodes should be at the top of your rewatch list. Finally, Noel Murray makes the case for “mid-reputable” television, in his For Our Consideration on the TV landscape that exists between trash and prestige.
What else is on?
Celebrity Apprentice (NBC, 8 p.m.): According to Donald Trump, the new season of Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice is bound to be the best season of the reality competition series yet. But take most things Donald Trump says with a grain of salt. In the season premiere, celebrity contestants—including Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson—write, produce, and direct professional commercials.
State Of Affairs (NBC, 10 p.m.): After the two-hour (why) premiere of Celebrity Apprentice, catch the latest episode of State Of Affairs, which places Charlie in Yemen to make contact with her asset.
Scorpion (CBS, 9 p.m.): State Of Affairs might be a derivative mess but at least it’s not boring, the primary offense committed by CBS’s Scorpion, which returns tonight after a largely unnoticed break. Tonight, Team Scorpion has to deal with the aftermath of a security breach leading to the death of CIA operatives. They will probably use computers at some point.
NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS, 10 p.m.): Meanwhile in Los Angeles: Terrorists! Okay, if it’s not painfully clear from this bleak What Else Is On? lineup of mediocre series vaguely about politics, intelligence, and large-scale crime, Jane The Virgin just really, really needs to come back and make Mondays a happy time again.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (ABC Family, 5 p.m.): We can’t think of a more solid reason for including this movie recommendation on this list other than the fact that your faithful Monday night What’s On Tonight correspondent just always jumps at the opportunity to write words about Kristen Stewart, especially when it’s in an attempt to get others to think about Kristen Stewart. So just settle in and let yourself float away to the confusing world of Twilight—if only for Kristen Stewart.
The Covenant (Starz, 10:55 p.m.): The Covenant might be one of the worst supernatural thrillers ever made, but at least it has Taylor Kitsch? Who are we kidding, not even Tim Riggins can save this disaster, but you have to see it to understand just how bad we’re talking. It’s the perfect late-night indulgence.
College Basketball: Notre Dame at North Carolina (ESPN, 7 p.m.): Last season, UNC beat Notre Dame twice, so the Irish are looking for revenge in tonight’s dfaceoff.
In case you missed it
Galavant: Dan Caffrey was not a big fan of the divisive new musical comedy Galavant, which he argues fails to really take advantage of its innovative format.