What's on TV this week—Mayfair Witches, The Golden Globe Awards, Velma

Welcome to What’s On, our weekly picks of must-watch shows. Here’s what you need to watch from Sunday, January 8, to Thursday, January 12. All times are Eastern. [Note: The weekend edition of What’s On drops on Fridays.]

The biggies

Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches (AMC, Sunday, 9 p.m.)

It’s witchin’ time. After last year’s charming Interview With The Vampire, AMC expands (not entirely successfully) its Anne Rice Universe with Mayfair Witches. The show is based on Rice’s complex trilogy about the Mayfair family. Alexandra Daddario plays Dr. Rowan Fielding, a neurosurgeon who discovers she has latent powers, so she ventures to New Orleans to learn more about her ancestry, and her mysterious connection with an ageless spirit named Lasher (Jack Huston). You can read The A.V. Club’s review here.

In a surprisingly successful “it’s as if nothing bad happened” maneuver, the Golden Globes are back. Sigh. The awards ceremony run by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association faced its fair share of scandal, in part for its lack of diversity (and for reaping the benefits of Emily In Paris’ budget). After a Hollywood boycott in 2022, the Globes return for a live show hosted by Jerrod Carmichael. And if you thought the stars wouldn’t participate, think again. They’ve already lined up presenters like Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Colman Domingo, Natasha Lyonne, and Quentin Tarantino. Here’s the complete list of this year’s nominations.

After serving as a creator on her last two shows, Never Have I Ever and The Sex Lives Of College Girls, Mindy Kaling returns to onscreen work (sort of) for the HBO Max animated dramedy Velma. Kaling voices the iconic Scooby-Doo character Velma Dinkley in the show, which follows Velma, Daphne (Constance Wu), Shaggy (Sam Richardson), and Fred (Glenn Howerton) as teens before they formed Mystery Inc. and added a lovable dog to the crew. They inevitably team up when a killer begins attacking their school. Look out for The A.V. Club’s review this week.

Hidden gems

All Creatures Great And Small (PBS, Sunday, 8 p.m.)

The comforting British drama All Creatures Great And Small returns for a six-episode third season in the U.S., after previously airing in the U.K. Based on the James Herriot books, the show is set in England’s Yorkshire Dales in the late 1930s. The series follows a trio of veterinary surgeons at Skeldale House, including the eccentric Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West), who runs the practice, and young vet James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph).

Created by Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japanese series The Makanai is based on Koyama Aiko’s manga, Maiko In Kyoto: From The Maiko House. Set in Kyoto, the show follows Kiyo, who becomes a Makanai (a person who cooks meals) at a house where apprentice geishas live together. Kiyo and her childhood friend join forces hoping to build a life, but end up pursuing different passions.

Jason Momoa and rock climber Chris Sharma host the adventure reality series The Climb. In this competition, amateur climbers are put through a rigorous series of challenges to brave intimidating ascents. The winner will score a $100,000 cash prize.

More good stuff

Alert: Missing Persons Unit (FOX, Sunday, 8 p.m.)

Another year, another police procedural. Alert: Missing Persons Unit is a cop drama set in Philadelphia. When officer Nikki’s (Dania Ramirez) son goes missing, she joins a special unit to help others in a similarly tragic situation. Nikki also teams up with her ex, Devon (Scott Caan), to find her long-lost son. The show also follows a “case-of-the-week” story. Look out for The A.V. Club’s interview with Caan this week.

Created by Michael Cusack, Koala Man is an animated comedy about middle-aged dad Kevin and his titular not-so-secret identity. His superpower is a burning passion for following rules and snuffing out petty crime in the Australian town of Dapto. Though it may seem like any other suburb, Dapto is full of cosmic and man-made evil that Koala Man is here to clean up. The voice cast includes Hugh Jackman, Sarah Snook, Jemaine Clement, and Miranda Otto.

The true-crime docuseries How I Caught My Killer highlights the real-life stories behind unique homicide cases with interviews, archival material, and cinematic recreations. Each case provides a complex portrait of the person who lost their lives, and how the victims left behind case-breaking clues that helped solve their crimes.

Can’t miss recaps

Willow (Disney+, Wednesday, 3:01 a.m., season one finale)

RuPaul’s Drag Race (MTV, Tuesday and Friday, 8 p.m.)

Arriving now

East New York season one, NCIS: Los Angeles season 14 (CBS, Sunday, 8:30-10:30 p.m., winter premieres)

Bob’s Burgers season 13, Family Guy season 21 (FOX, Sunday, 9-10 p.m., winter premieres)

The Resident season six (FOX, Tuesday, 8 p.m., winter premiere)

The Conners season five, The Goldbergs season 10 (ABC, Wednesday, 8-9 p.m., winter premieres)

Vikings: Valhalla (Netflix, Thursday, 3:01 a.m., season two premiere)

Walker season four, Walker: Independence season one (The CW, Thursday, 8-10 p.m., winter premieres)

Ending soon

Alchemy Of Souls (Netflix, Sunday, 3:01 a.m., season one finale)

George & Tammy (Showtime, Sunday, 9 p.m., series finale)

Baking It (Peacock, Monday, 3:01 a.m., season two finale)

Single’s Inferno (Netflix, Tuesday, 3:01 a.m., season two finale)