TV's Best Bets

Friday, Feb. 18

"Knives Out” (2019), 8-11 p.m., Syfy. In no universe would this be considered sci-fi or syfy or whatever. Still, it’s a terrific film, worth seeing. Rian Johnson’s Oscar-nominated script skillfully juggles humor, action and a murder mystery. The stars include Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Evans and — as a detective with a big Southern accent — Daniel Craig. And Ana de Armas, relatively unknown to American audiences, is terrific as an innocent, working for a scheming family.

More movies. If you insist on sci-fi, there are two well-made blockbusters. James Cameron’s “Avatar” (2009) airs 6:30 p.m. on AMC; “Black Panther” is 8 p.m. on TBS. Or if you just want some 1980s fun, IFC is alternating two films: “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” (1982), a slick blend of comedy and drama, is 4:45 and 9 p.m.; the sometimes-loopy “Weekend at Bernie’s” (1992) is at 6:45 and 11,

Olympics. It’s a big morning for the USA Network — setting up a bigger one. From 5:30 to 8:45 a.m., USA has the first round of pairs figure-skating; at 8:45, it has the men’s hockey semi-finals. Both are live, but you can also catch the skating on tape during NBC’s prime time (8-11 p.m.). On Saturday, USA has the pairs finals (6-10 a.m.) and the hockey championship (11:10 p.m.). There’s much more today on USA (all day) and NBC (2-5 p.m., 8-11 p.m., 11:35 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.).

“State of the Union,” 10 p.m., Sundance. Wrapping up the first half of this two-week series (which has ten 10-minute episodes), we get a first: We finally meet the two marriage counselors this couple has been waiting to see. There are quick surprises in another fast and funny episode.

And more. At 8 p.m., ABC has the second-to-last round of the “Jeopardy” college championship, which concludes Tuesday. From 9-11, PBS wraps up its rerun of Ken Burns’ brilliant Muhammad Ali profile. And at 10, CBS’ “Blue Bloods” is a rare scripted hour, amid a non-fiction overload. It’s a rerun, with a friend (Treat Williams) offering Frank an intriguing job.

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Friday TV's Best Bets