New tonight: ‘Victoria’ on PBS, ‘Homeland’ season 6, and HBO’s ‘The Young Pope’ premiere
To say that tonight is an extremely busy one for television viewers everywhere is somewhat of an understatement. You’ve got ambitious shows starting across the board, and to go along with that, there’s also a key NFL playoffs game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs that is starting up right in the middle of primetime. You’re going to have to pick and choose your programming carefully, and that is true even if you’ve got a DVR.
In terms of regularly-scheduled programming, CBS is going to have their lineup of “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “Madam Secretary,’ and “Elementary” intact. Beyond that, there are many other programs of course to be aware of on other networks. What’s also interesting about the three series below is that they’re all premiering at the same exact time in 9:00 p.m. Eastern. To help you make your viewing decision a little bit easier, we’ve got sneak peeks for you of many of these shows below to check out.
“Victoria” – The series starring Jenna Coleman has already built up a great following in the UK, and there are people of course calling it the next “Downton Abbey” … mostly because it’s fun for the internet to call almost everything British and set in the past that. The show is visually striking, it has a great cast, and it’s already been renewed for a second season on ITV across the pond. If you’re looking for some escapism from the NFL or from programming that is dark or profane, this may be for you.
“Homeland” – Season 6 of the Showtime drama begins in New York City, with Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) having a new lease on life working to help Muslim men and women take on discrimination and other hardships with a firm. Meanwhile, many other characters will be in New York City attempting to brief a particularly challenging President-elect who may have qualities of both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump (check out a sneak peek below for more information on her). Home-grown terrorism is one of the key subjects this time around; if you love “Homeland,” odds are that you’ll probably love this season.
“The Young Pope” – We’ve seen reviews all across the board for this HBO series, which already has aired in various places overseas. If you do love to look at some of the intricacies of the Catholic Church, this could be the show for you — also, you’re going to get a chance to see Jude Law in a prominent television role, and that is also not something that you get an opportunity to behold on a regular basis.
What are you planning on watch on TV Sunday night? Let us know some of your thoughts now in the comments! (Photo: PBS.)
Namnoot
January 16, 2017 @ 1:11 am
I appreciate the fact that Victoria is looked upon as a bit of an oasis. I’ve already seen enough of Young Pope to know it’s going to fall victim to the same excesses that make most HBO shows uncomfortable for many people to watch (which of course means it’ll generate lots of clickbait headlines and bring in curious viewers, so it’s success is assured). Homeland is fine but it’s quite dark. And the NFL is, well, NFL. Victoria is an old-fashioned show (despite what you may have read in some promotional stories, the show never goes beyond PG in its content unless PBS surprises us by adding material censored from the UK version, which is unlikely), and it’s coming along at a time when growing numbers of viewers are wanting more old-school shows that aren’t just made for kids, but can be viewed by most of the family, hence the popularity of the new Series of Unfortunate Events series, Stranger Things, and even to a degree (the occasional bared rear end notwithstanding and swear word) The Crown. The makers of Victoria made a conscious decision not to go the TV-MA route – and they could easily have done so. I think it will pay off in the long run.