What's on TV this week—The Last Of Us, Night Court, That '90s Show
Plus, a British drama starring Succession's Matthew Macfayden, new docuseries, and more
Welcome to What’s On, our weekly picks of must-watch shows. Here’s what you need to watch from Sunday, January 15, to Thursday, January 19. All times are Eastern. [Note: The weekend edition of What’s On drops on Fridays.]
The biggies
The Last Of Us (HBO, Sunday, 9 p.m.)
At long last, HBO’s The Last Of Us adaptation is here. Created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, the series stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay as Joel and Ellie, who form an unlikely bond while trying to survive in the post-apocalyptic United States. The cast is stacked with the likes of Melanie Lynskey, Gabriel Luna, Anna Torv, Merle Dandridge, Murray Bartlett, Nick Offerman, and Storm Reid. The A.V. Club will recap the show weekly.
Night Court (NBC, Tuesday, 8 p.m.)
NBC is hoping to relive some of its Must-See TV glory days by bringing back Night Court. John Laroquette, who played Dan Fielding in the original sitcom from 1984 to 1992, reprises his role, and The Big Bang Theory’s Melissa Rauch joins him as Abby Stone, the daughter of Judge Harry Stone (who was played by the late Harry Anderson in the original series). The cast also includes India de Beaufort and Kapil Talwalkar. Here’s a bit from The A.V. Club’s review:
The main draws of Night Court, unsurprisingly, are Rauch and Larroquette, both of whom are capable of that sitcom superstar’s trick of playing their characters simultaneously as real people and cartoons.
That ’90s Show (Netflix, Thursday, 3:01 a.m.)
Speaking of reboots and the ’90s, Netflix is rolling out That ’90s Show, an update of ABC’s hit sitcom That ’70s Show. The new edition follows Eric (Topher Grace) and Donna’s (Laura Preppon) daughter, Leia (Callie Haverda), who spends the summer of 1995 with her grandparents, Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp), in Wisconsin and bonds with fellow teenagers along the way. Along with Grace and Preppon, Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Wilmer Valderrama, and Tommy Chong will also reprise their roles from the original as guest stars. Check out The A.V. Club’s review on Thursday.
Hidden gems
The Price Of Glee (ID, Monday, 9 p.m.)
Who would’ve thought when Glee premiered in 2009 that years later we’d be getting a docuseries about the harsh reality of filming the Fox drama? The three-part The Price Of Glee celebrates Ryan Murphy’s musical drama but also examines the intense pressure faced by the cast as they catapulted to fame and the tragedies that befell them.
Stonehouse (Britbox, Tuesday, 3:01 a.m.)
In this historical drama, Succession star Matthew Macfayden plays disgraced Labour minister John Stonehouse, a once vital member of Harold Wilson’s government. However, he vanished from a luxury Florida hotel in 1974, leaving a neatly folded pile of clothes as he swam into the sea to fake his disappearance. The three-part show also stars Keeley Hawes and Kevin McNally. Here’s an excerpt from The A.V. Club’s review:
Creator John Preston and director Jon S. Baird keep the action light, stylish, and dryly humorous. From title credits on down, there’s a Catch Me If You Can and Mad Men spirit of jazzy cool: groovy period details (unironic plaid! vintage trimphones!) and clipped dialogue.
Women At War (Netflix, Thursday, 3:01 a.m.)
Let’s keep the ball rolling on historical dramas. In this one, as German troops advance during World War I, four women grapple with the devastating consequences at home in France.
More good stuff
The Critics Choice Awards (The CW, Sunday, 7 p.m.)
Get ready to cheer for more celebrities with the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards. Hosted by Chelsea Handler, the three-hour ceremony will honor the best of film and TV. Top nominees include Better Call Saul, Abbott Elementary, The Fabelmans, and Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Amber: The Girl Behind The Alert (Peacock, Tuesday, 3:01 a.m.)
The documentary Amber: The Girl Behind The Alert delves into the kidnapping of 9-year-old Amber Rene Hagerman in Texas in 1996 and how the aftermath led to the Amber Alert emergency alert system.
Web Of Death (Hulu, Thursday, 12:01 a.m.)
Six-part docuseries Web Of Death follows online sleuths as they use digital footprints, DNA databases, and social media to delve into mysterious and bizarre murder cases. Each episode focuses on one amateur detective and the death they’re investigating.
Can’t miss recaps
RuPaul’s Drag Race (MTV, Friday, 8 p.m.)
Arriving now
Mayor Of Kingstown (Paramount+, Sunday, 3:01 a.m., season two premiere)
Godfather Of Harlem (MGM+, Sunday, 9 p.m., season three premiere)
Your Honor (Showtime, Sunday, 9 p.m., season two premiere)
The Neighborhood season five, Bob Hearts Abishola season four, NCIS season 20, NCIS: Hawai’i season two (CBS, Monday, 8-11 p.m., winter premieres)
Grown-ish season five (Freeform, Wednesday, 10:30 p.m., season five winter premiere)
Ending soon
The Resident (FOX, Tuesday, 8 p.m., season six finale)
New Amsterdam (NBC, Tuesday, 10 p.m., series finale)
The Circle (Netflix, Wednesday, 3:01 a.m., season five finale)
Home Economics season three, Big Sky season three (ABC, Wednesday, 9:30-11 p.m, season finales)