What to Watch This Weekend: Helix, Black Sails' Season 2 Premiere, and Galavant's Finale
What to watch on Friday, January 23...
NEXT: Saturday, January 24 | Sunday, January 25
8pm, NBC
Constantine
What's this? A mysterious malady rendering thousands of Brooklynites comatose—including Chas's daughter? Could sinister sorcerer Felix Faust (Mark Margolis) be behind the mystical malfeaseance? Can Constantine contravene the contagious conjuring? Tune in to "Quid Pro Quo" to find out—same Constan-time, same Constan-channel!
8pm, The CW
Hart of Dixie
Zoe and Wade's rekindled romance seems to be progressing smoothly, which can only mean that catastrophe is just around the corner. Meanwhile in "The Very Good Bagel," Lemon throws a lakehouse party to recapture her youth, and George and Lavon each contemplate their romantic futures.
SEASON 28 PREMIERE, 9pm, PBS
American Masters
"Ricky Jay: Deceptive Practice" chronicles the career of the prolific magician, actor, author, and historian. The documentary includes clips from his many TV appearances, a history of his prestidigitator predecessors, and insights into the art of card trickery.
SEASON 3 PREMIERE, 9pm, TBS
King of the Nerds
Steampunk and anime are on the agenda as 12 contestants begin their quest for the crown. Guest stars include Danica McKellar.
9pm, NBC
Grimm
With Monroe in the Wesenrein's clutches, Nick assembles all his allies for a rescue mission in "Tribunal." Elsewhere, Juliette learns more about her new life as Hexenbiest, thanks to the helpful tome What to Expect When You're a Hexenbiest.
9pm, Fox
Glee
Rachel plots with Will to give her glee club an edge at the invitational in "The Hurt Locker, Part One." Sue is busy with some scheming of her own, and it involves Sam, hypnosis, and a phony come-on.
9pm, Syfy
12 Monkeys
In "Mentally Divergent," Cole tries to get a bead on the Army of the 12 Monkeys, and I suspect he'll be pretty disappointed to learn that's just a subreddit for hardcore Terry Gilliam fans. His search leads him to a mental institution, where one patient holds the key to the apocalyptic plague.
9pm, Syfy
Helix
The CDC team scours the island in "Reunion," in search of any mysterious hatches or Arctic fauna or gaseous beasties that may be hanging around. In the future, Walker and Caleb make a shocking discovery in the course of digging up a compatriot's grave.
10pm, Cinemax
Banshee
An FBI agent threatens to drag Lucas's secret into the light, but that threat is soon superseded by an even bigger one from a mob boss, because Banshee. Meanwhile in "A Fixer of Sorts," Tommy Littlestone orchestrates another strike against Proctor, and Nola Longshadow takes vengeance against Burton.
LATE-NITE:
– Ryan Seacrest, Taraji P. Henson, and Maddie & Tae on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, 11:35pm, NBC
– Jeff Goldblum, Garry Shandling, Ryan Adams, and guest host Judd Apatow on The Late Late Show, 12:37am, CBS
WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING TONIGHT?
And now, let's all vote to crown the What to Watch Tonight Episode Title of the Week!
NEXT: Saturday, January 24 | Sunday, January 25
What to watch on Saturday, January 24...
PREVIOUSLY: Friday, January 23 | NEXT: Sunday, January 25
12:01am Eastern through 11:59pm Pacific, Amazon
Transparent
Amazon will make all 10 episodes of its Golden Globe-winning original series—normally only available to Prime subscribers—free to stream all day today.
7pm, VH1
VH1 Storytellers
The venerable performance series tries its first live broadcast with Ed Sheeran's concert in Dublin.
SEASON 2 PREMIERE, 9pm, Starz
Black Sails
Flint and Silver must face the judgment of the crew, and in the end only one of them can be crowned the Caribbean's Next Top Pirate. Elsewhere, Max confronts Bonny, Eleanor deals with a new threat, and Vane tackles his new position with gusto.
9pm, BBC America
The Musketeers
In the grand tradition of Augustus Caesar, The Prince and the Pauper, and Undercover Boss, King Louis goes incognito to experience the carefree life of a commoner in "An Ordinary Man." (Hey, who ever knew "carefree" better than a peasant in ancien regime France?) But his plan hits a tiny snag when he and d'Artagnan are abducted by a notorious slaver.
9pm, Discovery
Mythbusters
Adam and Jamie examine the exploits of The A-Team. Could a crack commando unit really be sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit? Could they subsequently escape from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground? Would they still be wanted by the government while surviving as soldiers of fortune?
10pm, TNT
Transporter: The Series
Frank is framed for the disappearance of a former client in "Trust," a woman whom he once helped escape from her abusive relationship with a tech company CEO. Can he track her down, bring the true culprit to justice, and clear his name? Well the show isn't called The Duplicitous Jerk Who Framed the Transporter and Got Away With It, now is it?
11:30pm, NBC
Saturday Night Live
Blake Shelton pulls double duty as host and musical guest, and just for good measure he'll be ushering the studio audience to their seats before the show and tidying up the green room afterwards. He really got boned in his last contract with NBC, is my point here.
WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING TONIGHT?
And now, let's all vote to crown the What to Watch Tonight Episode Title of the Week!
PREVIOUSLY: Friday, January 23 | NEXT: Sunday, January 25
What to watch on Sunday, January 25...
PREVIOUSLY: Friday, January 23 | Saturday, January 24
SEASON 1 FINALE, 8pm, ABC
Galavant
Galavant must impress Isabella's parents in "My Cousin Izzy," a crucial moment in any budding romance/rescue mission. Then "It's All in the Executions" gives Galavant the chance to fulfill his heroic destiny, assuming the impending duel between Richard and Kingsley doesn't bollix everything up.
8pm, TNT & TBS
21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
SAG-AFTRA crowns its favorite performers and casts from the year in movies and television, and Debbie Reynolds is on hand to receive the organization's 51st Life Achievement Award.
8pm, NBC
The 63rd Annual Miss Universe Pageant
Natalie Morales and Thomas Roberts host this year's pageant, with Nick Jonas among the scheduled performers.
8pm, Fox
The Simpsons
Inventor Elon Musk teams up with Homer to jazz up the nuclear plant with gizmos and doohickeys and whatnot (yes, those are official Science Words) in "The Musk Who Fell to Earth." Naturally, this puts him at odds with Mr. Burns, which leaves Homer stuck in the middle.
8:30pm, Fox
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
In "Defense Rests," Jake appeals directly to Sophia's boss (Chris Parnell) when her job begins to put a crimp on their relationship. In other career travails, Wuntch turns to Holt for a job recommendation.
SEASON 2 FINALE, 9pm, ABC
Resurrection
Preacher James and his congregation are determined to prevent Rachael from giving birth in "Loved in Return." Can Bellamy, Henry, and Fred defend the Langston homestead against the assault?
MINISERIES PREMIERE, 9pm, History
Sons of Liberty
Dean Norris, Michael Raymond-James, Jason O'Mara, and Henry Thomas lead the cast of this three-part, six-hour miniseries dramatizing the early throes of the American Revolution. "A Dangerous Game" kicks it off with Samuel Adams and John Hancock setting up a smuggling operation. Parts 2 and 3 premiere Monday night and Tuesday night, respectively.
9pm, Showtime
Shameless
Frank tries to scare off the women who are buying up property in the neighborhood, presumably just by introducing himself to them. Meanwhile in "The Two Lisas," Fiona joins Davis at a concert, Debbie throws a rager, Ian and Lip try to help Mandy out of a rough situation, and Carl discovers a (sure to be horrifying) hidden talent.
9pm, HBO
Girls
Hannah has too much time on her hands in "Female Author," while social butterfly Elijah is busy rockin' the paradise. In New York, Shoshanna hopes to no longer be a poor soul in the unemployment line, Jessa welcomes Adam to the grand illusion of her life, and Ray warns Marnie that Desi may be a renegade who had it made.
9pm, PBS
Downton Abbey
The police investigation proceeds apace, though I honestly think they're stalling until they can get everyone together in a drawing room for a theatrical rundown of all the suspects capped by a dramatic reveal. Meanwhile, Edith loses access to Marigold, Lord Merton shocks Isobel, Thomas returns a bit the worse for wear, and Mary finds a worthy sparring partner.
9pm & 10pm, CBS
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
"Merchants of Menace" sends the team to a murder memorabilia convention, where someone has taken an interest in homicide a bit too far. Then in "Hero to Zero," the squad investigates the death of a young person dressed in superhero attire, though if superhero logic holds up, the victim should be back alive and good as new in six to eight months, tops.
9pm, Fox
Family Guy
Meg lands a modeling gig in "This Little Piggy," but it's not quite what she expected. On the road, Brian and Stewie set off for yet another adventure.
9:30pm, Fox
Bob's Burgers
Bob has designs on joining the Community Garden in "Late Afternoon in the Garden of Bob and Louise." But his membership depends on giving a job to Louise's rival, pitting father and daughter against one another.
9:30pm, HBO
Togetherness
Brett is invited to a movie premiere in "Insanity," offering him a chance to patch up a relationship. In less glitzy affairs, Tina and Alex embark upon a quest and Michelle meets a divorced dad who wants to establish a charter school.
10pm, HBO
Looking
Patrick gets ready for a relationship milestone with Kevin in "Looking Top to Bottom," while Agustín conveys gratitude to Richie and Dom doubts the extent of Lynn's support for his restaurateur ambitions.
10pm, ABC
Revenge
Victoria goes toe-to-toe with a formidable new arrival on the Hamptons scene (Gina Torres) in "Kindred." Meanwhile, Emily helps Nolan's squeeze clear the browser history of her life.
10pm, Showtime
House of Lies
Marty and Jeannie pitch competing strategies to a skincare company, though I'm not sure either "tastes great" or "less filling" is quite the right tack for that particular product line. Elsewhere in "Entropy is Contagious," Doug hopes to put the kibosh on Sarah's shenanigans, while Clyde talks turkey with an unlikely business partner.
10:30pm, Showtime
Episodes
The return of Sean's former writing partner proves disruptive, much like spilling hot coffee on yourself, which is definitely something that I did not do while writing this blurb. In happier developments, Merc's career gets a shot in the arm and romantic fortune smiles upon both Matt and Carol.
WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING TONIGHT?
And now, let's all vote to crown the What to Watch Tonight Episode Title of the Week!
PREVIOUSLY: Friday, January 23 | Saturday, January 24
