Wednesday, Jan. 4: 16 Celebrities Push Themselves to the Limit in ‘Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test’

by techlowdown · 4 January 2023

ALSO SEE: Your Full 2022 NFL Regular Season TV Schedule

All Times Eastern. PBS programming varies regionally.

Wednesday, Jan. 4

Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test
FOX, 8pm
New Series!
Sixteen celebrities endure some of the harshest, most grueling challenges from the playbook of the actual Special Forces selection process. There are no votes and no eliminations — just survival. It’s the ultimate test of their physical, mental and emotional resilience, revealing the celebrities’ deepest and truest character. Who will quit and who will survive?

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Star Wars: The Bad Batch
Disney+
Season Premiere!
As this animated entry in the Star Wars franchise returns for a 16-episode second season, months have passed since the events on Kamino, and the Bad Batch continue their journey navigating the Empire after the fall of the Republic. Dee Bradley Baker and Michelle Ang lead the voice cast. The first two episodes are available today; new episodes drop Wednesdays.

Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street
Netflix
This four-part financial thriller reveals the truth behind Bernie Madoff’s infamous multibillion-dollar global Ponzi scheme and the ways in which a willfully blind financial system allowed it to flourish for decades.

The Lying Life of Adults
Netflix
New Series!
This drama adapts Italian novelist Elena Ferrante’s novel, telling a powerful story of young Giovanna’s (Giordana Marengo) transition from childhood to adolescence in 1990s Naples — a city divided between the heights, which assumes a mask of refinement, and the depths, a place of excess and vulgarity. Adrift, Giovanna vacillates between these two worlds, falling into one and then climbing back to the other.

American Pickers
History, 8pm
Season Premiere!
Season 24 kicks off with two back-to-back hourlong episodes. First, in “Ridin’ High,” it’s restoration time when two high-end cars — including a one-of-a-kind 1940 Lincoln Zephyr that Mike has his eyes on — roll into the shop, and later, the team goes on the hunt for a legendary 1929 Cadillac known as Madam X. Then, in “Picking Larry Land,” the Wolfe brothers visit Nebraska to comb through Larry Land, an epic 27,000-square-foot hangar full of choice coin-ops, carnival relics and more.

Chicago Med: “A Little Change Might Do You Some Good”
NBC, 8pm
New Episodes!
The medical drama resumes its eighth season with this episode in which Charles (Oliver Platt) and Nellie (Lilah Richcreek Estrada) help an elderly patient and her developmentally disabled grandson; Will (Nick Gehlfuss) treats a high school swimmer with a heart condition; Crockett (Dominic Rains) considers using the O.R. 2.0 for surgery; and Hannah (Jessy Schram) and Dr. Justin Lieu (Ivan Shaw) search for a patient’s missing pregnant wife in the woods.

TCM Spotlight: Car Chases
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
Turner Classic Movies is offering a wild ride each Wednesday night in January when it puts its focus on films with memorable car chases. Tonight’s lineup of titles starts in high gear with one of cinema’s most famous and exciting vehicular pursuits: the nearly 11-minute scene in Bullitt (1968) where Steve McQueen’s detective Frank Bullitt, driving a Ford Mustang, is chased across San Francisco by two hitmen in a Dodge Charger. Following close behind Bullitt is the earlier, but no less thrilling, car chase classic in 1941’s High Sierra, which sees Humphrey Bogart’s criminal character Roy “Mad Dog” Earle pursued in his Plymouth Deluxe Coupe by police along the dirt highway and treacherous switchbacks of California’s Mount Whitney. The evening finishes up in late night with the noir films Gun Crazy (1950), starring Peggy Cummins and John Dall, and The Big Steal (1949), which reunites Out of the Past costars Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer.

Abbott Elementary: “Read-a-Thon”
ABC, 9pm
New Episodes!
This hit Emmy-Award winning series returns to finish its second season with a new episode in which Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) and Janine (Quinta Brunson) compete as their classes go head-to-head in a read-a-thon.

Tough as Nails
CBS, 9pm
Season Premiere!
Season 4 of the competition series that tests the strength, endurance, life skills and mental toughness of some of America’s best essential workers begins with a two-hour premiere tonight. The 12 contestants start their journey on Catalina Island off the coast of Los Angeles, where they face the grueling challenge of replacing old boat moorings. Phil Keoghan hosts.

NFL Tailgate Takedown
Food Network, 9pm
New Series!
Food Network and the NFL team up for an all-new six-episode primetime event hosted by Food Network’s Sunny Anderson and New England Patriots Hall-of-Famer Vince Wilfork. From New England lobster rolls to Philly cheesesteaks, each tailgate event will feature different city stadiums and have teams competing in an epic battle of hometown pride. The series also features guest appearances from NFL legends Carl Banks, Brandon Stokley, Thurman Thomas and more.

Property Brothers: Forever Home: “New Generation, New Design”
HGTV, 9pm
A couple is overjoyed with the purchase of his grandparents’ cherished family home, but the layout is choppy and the design is outdated. Jonathan and Drew Scott reimagine the main living areas to create a home that is perfect for now and generations to come.

Chicago Fire: “Something for the Pain”
NBC, 9pm
New Episodes!
As Season 11 of the hit drama returns, Detective Pryma’s (Troy Winbush) case comes to an explosive end, with Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and Carver’s (Jake Lockett) lives in danger. Meanwhile, Brett (Kara Killmer) installs an infant safe surrender box at 51, and Violet (Hanako Greensmith) is determined to take Emma (Caitlin Carver) down.

First Contact: An Alien Encounter
PBS, 9pm
Mixing a fictional narrative with documentary interviews, this program tells the dramatic story of an encounter with an extraterrestrial artifact and explores how the world responds.

Home Economics: “Gallon of Milk, $4.35”
ABC, 9:30pm
New Episodes!
After Marina (Karla Souza) begins working with a hunky new contractor, Tom’s (Topher Grace) envy causes him to overcompensate.

Big Sky: Deadly Trails
ABC, 10pm
New Episodes!
The third season of this hit show about a private detective (Kylie Bunbury) in Montana returns with new episodes airing Wednesdays.

Chicago P.D.: “This Job”
NBC, 10pm
The police drama’s 10th season returns with new episodes. Tonight, a series of brutal home invasion robberies finds the team paired with Detective Borkowski, an old friend of Ruzek’s (Patrick John Flueger), to work the case. Things get complicated for Torres (Benjamin Levy Aguilar) when it becomes clear that Borkowski has a vastly different policing style.

1,000-lb Best Friends
TLC, 10pm
Season Premiere!
Best friends Vannessa, Meghan, Tina and Ashely return with heart, humor and more waistline struggles in an all-new season. Even after losing 200 pounds, Meghan struggles with motivation and hopes planning her wedding will get her back on track, but the stress of living with Tina and her family while their house floods may derail them both. Vannessa, the most successful in her weight-loss journey, now fears for the life of her obese 19-year-old son, and Ashely must face personal setbacks that threaten her chances to qualify for gastric bypass surgery.

Thursday, Jan. 5

January 6th
discovery+
Award-winning filmmaking brothers Gédéon and Jules Naudet directed this documentary billed as the definitive account of the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The film had a festival run late last year before its streaming debut this month on discovery+. January 6th examines the event from the perspective of the heroes, first responders and survivors of the attack. It’s an apolitical story of resilience and bravery that features Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D.C. Police Chief Robert J. Contee III, Congresswoman Liz Cheney and over 50 senators, representatives, staffers from both sides of the aisle and police officers as they reveal their firsthand experience of that day. This is the only documentary for which the Capitol and Metropolitan police departments granted full access to their officers. In a statement, the Naudets explained that January 6th “is the complete story of the attack on the Capitol told by those who witnessed the chaos firsthand. From the beginning, we knew we wanted to tell the story of this unprecedented moment in history as a human event and without political bias. We believe that in moments where the worst of humanity is on display, there will always be heroes who step up as shining examples of courage and selflessness in the face of tragedy. Our hope is that people come away from this film with a deep appreciation for the countless acts of bravery on display that day, both big and small.”

Death in the Dorms
Hulu
New Series!
This six-episode docuseries tells the tragic and true story of six college students whose lives ended in murder. Through testimony from family, friends and law enforcement, each episode focuses on the life of one young student, diving into their lost potential, their loved ones’ grief and the fight to bring their killers to justice.

Copenhagen Cowboy
Netflix
New Series!
This six-episode Danish thriller is a neon-drenched noir that follows enigmatic young heroine Miu (Angela Bundalovic). After a lifetime of servitude, and on the verge of a new beginning, she traverses the ominous landscape of Copenhagen’s criminal underworld. Searching for justice and enacting vengeance, she encounters her nemesis, Rakel (Lola Corfixen), as they embark on an odyssey through the natural and the supernatural.

Ginny & Georgia
Netflix
Season Premiere!
In the 10-episode second season of this comedy/drama, teenage Ginny (Antonia Gentry) has to figure out how to live with the knowledge that her mother, Georgia (Brianne Howey), killed Ginny’s stepdad, Kenny, in order to protect her. Georgia, on the other hand, would much prefer that the past be left in the past; after all, she has a wedding to plan. But Georgia’s past never stays buried for long.

Woman of the Dead
Netflix
New Series!
This Austrian thriller follows undertaker Brünhilde Blum (Anna Maria Mühe), who has to deal with death on a daily basis, but when her husband is murdered, she is completely thrown off and embarks on a quest for revenge. During her search for the killers, this unconditionally loving wife and mother proves to also be a ruthless hunter, but she becomes increasingly cornered herself and must face the abyss of her own harrowing past.

Young Sheldon
CBS, 8pm
New Episodes!
In the winter premiere episode “College Dropouts and the Medford Miracle,” Sheldon (Iain Armitage) considers dropping out of college to focus on building his database.

BattleBots
Discovery Channel, 8pm
Season Premiere!
The robot competition is back, with this year’s field of elite bots facing their most grueling test as, for the first time, all teams will complete a predetermined four-fight qualifying season. The field features a host of brilliant new teams eagerly attempting to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the returning legends of the sport, including fan favorites like Witch Doctor, SawBlaze, reigning world champion Tantrum and more.

Hell’s Kitchen
FOX, 8pm
New Episodes!
The competition heats back up for the remaining chefs who are chasing a life-changing grand prize that includes a head chef position at Gordon Ramsay Steak at Paris Las Vegas.

Swamp People
History, 8pm
Season Premiere!
The series returns for its 14th season with the 90-minute “Gator War,” in which the hunters battle head-to-head in a competition to win 350 new alligator tags at the end of the season. Troy aims to get an early lead, while Ronnie sets his sights on dethroning the “King of the Swamp”; Willie and Little Willie chase nothing but monsters; Ashley steps up to captain her own boat; and Leron and Porkchop go all out but struggle to put their treble hook to good use.

Law & Order: “Land of Opportunity”
NBC, 8pm
New Episodes!
Season 22 returns with new episodes. When a homeless migrant is murdered, evidence leads Cosgrove (Jeffrey Donovan) and Shaw (Mehcad Brooks) to a mysterious coverup at a construction site. Price (Hugh Dancy) and Maroun (Odelya Halevi) push a key witness to testify knowing that speaking out could lead to legal consequences.

Special Theme: The Jewish Experience
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
Each Thursday night this month, Turner Classic Movies is showcasing films that have touched on the Jewish experience in various ways, and across a number of themes. Up first is the beloved and acclaimed movie that is one of the most recognizable of such productions: Fiddler on the Roof (1971), the Best Picture Oscar-nominated adaptation of the stage musical, with Best Actor Oscar nominee Topol as a Jewish peasant with traditional values who wrestles with marrying off his choosy daughter in pre-revolutionary Russia. John Williams won an Oscar for his music as well as his arrangement of the classic tunes brought from the stage to the film, including “If I Were a Rich Man,” “To Life” and “Sunrise, Sunset.” Next is a drama made in 1947, but with a theme that is as timely as ever: the Best Picture Oscar-winning Gentleman’s Agreement, helmed by Best Director winner Elia Kazan. Best Actor nominee Gregory Peck stars as a journalist who poses as a Jewish man to research an exposé on widespread antisemitism in New York City and affluent surrounding communities. Another early film dealing with antisemitism rounds out tonight’s lineup, and is also from 1947: the film noir Crossfire, whose promotional poster featured the tag line “Hate Is like a Loaded Gun!” In the movie, police investigate the beating death of a Jewish man (Sam Levene) and suspect the murderer may be among a group of demobilized soldiers who had earlier been with the man at a bar. Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan and Gloria Grahame also star.

Ghosts
CBS, 8:30pm
New Episodes!
Season 2 of Ghosts resumes with the new episode “The Perfect Assistant.” Sam and Jay (Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambudkar) find a highly qualified assistant for their B&B, but their new employee comes with some surprising baggage.

Welcome to Flatch
FOX, 9pm
New Episodes!
In the winter premiere episode “Flatch or (Butter) Bust,” Barb (Jaime Pressly) isn’t happy about her birthday, so Kelly (Holmes) and Nadine (Taylor Ortega) try to cheer her up.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: “Jumped In”
NBC, 9pm
New Episodes!
The crime drama’s 24th season picks up again with new episodes starting tonight. When Benson (Mariska Hargitay) becomes the target of a ruthless gang leader, Duarte (Maurice Compte) takes the case. Meanwhile, Fin (Ice-T) works with the Bronx SVU to help clear their case backlog, and Dixon (Camryn Manheim) offers to translate when a deaf student is raped.

Call Me Kat
FOX, 9:30pm
New Episodes!
Phil’s mother (guest star Vicki Lawrence) shows up at the cafe to fill in as a baker in the winter premiere episode “Call Me Philliam.”

Swamp People: Serpent Invasion
History, 9:30pm
Season Premiere!
In “New Blood,” the Season 3 premiere of this Swamp People spinoff, Troy teaches longtime alligator-hunting partner Pickle the ins and outs of python hunting, but sometimes even the most experienced hunters walk away with scars. Meanwhile, veteran snake hunter Bill Booth and Florida hunter Tes Lee must learn to work as a team if they hope to put a dent in the growing python population, and Zak and newcomer Aaron almost get in over their heads when they hunt pythons in an ancient canal system.

Law & Order: Organized Crime: “Trap”
NBC, 10pm
New Episodes!
This latest Law & Order spinoff returns with new Season 3 episodes. When an informant comes to Stabler (Christopher Meloni) desperate for help, the task force sets their sights on a dangerous gang making their mark on New York. Meanwhile, Jamie (Brent Antonello) goes undercover, but soon realizes he may be in over his head, and Bell (Danielle Moné Truitt) meets her new boss.

Friday, Jan. 6

The Pale Blue Eye
Netflix
Feature Film Exclusive!
This Gothic horror/mystery takes place in 1830, where, at West Point, a cadet is found dead, with his heart skillfully removed. The leaders of the fledgling military academy turn to a local detective, Augustus Landor (Christian Bale), to solve the murder. Stymied by the cadets’ code of silence, Landor enlists the help of one of their own to pursue the case, an eccentric cadet with a disdain for the rigors of the military and a penchant for poetry — a young man named Edgar Allan Poe (Harry Melling). Gillian Anderson, Toby Jones and Robert Duvall costar.

The Rig
Prime Video
New Series!
This mystery/thriller follows the crew working on an oil rig off the coast of Scotland. When the time comes for them to return to land, the rig becomes engulfed by a supernatural mist, cutting off all communication with the shore and leaving them stranded in the fierce waves of the North Sea. Rig boss Magnus (Iain Glen) tries to guide his already fractured crew through the evolving crisis, but his increasingly desperate efforts to restore contact with the mainland are repeatedly shattered as tensions and paranoia rise, the rig’s systems fail and a devastating accident brings them all face-to-face with the deadly dangers of one of the most extreme working environments on the planet. Emily Hampshire and Martin Compston also star.

Lopez vs. Lopez: “Lopez vs. Ghosts”
NBC, 8pm
New Episodes!
The freshman sitcom led by George and Mayan Lopez returns from winter hiatus to resume its first season. In early December, NBC picked the series up for a full season by ordering nine additional episodes, bringing the Season 1 total to 22 installments. In tonight’s episode, when the Lopez home is disturbed by an evil spirit, the family enlists a curandero (Cheech Marin), who tells them the house isn’t haunted — it’s George (George Lopez). The ghost of George’s grandmother (Rita Moreno) is hellbent on righting a past wrong and will keep throwing chanclas at his big head until he does it.

Ready to Love
OWN, 8pm
Season Premiere!
The dating series returns to Miami for its seventh season, during which it will celebrate its 100th episode. Sixteen sexy Black men and women are looking for lasting relationships, and sparks fly from the very start as the singles learn that, before the first night is over, two of them will be going home. A special guest couple who found love on the show returns to coach the singles and makes a startling announcement that brings the first evening to a standstill and has everyone rethinking their dating strategy.

Boys in Blue
Showtime, 8pm
New Series!
This four-part docuseries focuses on Minneapolis high school football players who were coached and mentored by police officers in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder.

Female Detectives — Part 1: Is That You, Nancy Drew?
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
Starting tonight, and continuing the next two Fridays, Turner Classic Movies spotlights movies depicting famous fictional female sleuths on the case and solving mysteries. The focus this evening is on one of the most famous of these characters: Nancy Drew, who first appeared in books in 1930. Four movies featuring Drew were made in the late ’30s, with teenage actress Bonita Granville playing the detective and Frankie Thomas costarring as her boyfriend, Ted Nickerson (this character’s name was changed from the books’ “Ned Nickerson,” for some reason). All four of these comedy/mysteries are airing tonight, beginning with 1938’s first installment, Nancy Drew… Detective, and continuing with the three follow-ups, all released in 1939: Nancy Drew… Reporter, Nancy Drew… Trouble Shooter and Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase.

Young Rock: “World Pacific Wrestling”
NBC, 8:30pm
New Episodes!
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s semiautobiographical sitcom returns from winter hiatus to finish out its third season. Tonight’s installment goes back to 1985 Hawaii, where Ata (Stacey Leilua) and Rocky (Joseph Lee Anderson) try to outmatch Lia’s (Ana Tuisila) promotion with a stable of new big-name wrestlers. Meanwhile, left behind at the after-school program, Dewey (Adrian Groulx) falls in with a crowd of latchkey kids.

Fire Country
CBS, 9pm
New Episodes!
An internal investigation is launched after a difficult rescue went awry and a life was lost in the winter premiere episode “No Good Deed.”

Ugliest House in America: “Ugly No More”
HGTV, 9pm
Retta announces which house is the ugliest and crowns the winner of Ugliest House in America. Then it’s goodbye ugly, as the winning house is transformed with a $150,000 home makeover from HGTV designer Alison Victoria.

All the Single Ladies
OWN, 9pm
New Series!
This unscripted series offers a provocative view of intimacy and dating from the perspectives of Black women across the nation. Each episode features four Black women of various ages and relationship statuses sitting down to explore a different topic in real, authentic and heartfelt conversations. The topic of tonight’s premiere episode is “Side Chicks,” in which, after learning their partners have been unfaithful, four women must make painful choices about their relationships.

Blue Bloods
CBS, 10pm
New Episodes!
Series star Bridget Moynahan directs the winter premiere episode “Nothing Sacred.” Tensions run high in the Reagan family as Frank (Tom Selleck) and his grandson, Joe (Will Hochman), deal with an insult to the memory of Joe’s father.

Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom: “Sea Turtle SOS”
Nat Geo, 10pm
Season 2 of the series moves to its regular time slot starting tonight with this episode in which a group of rescued sea turtles arrives at EPCOT in need of urgent medical care before being released back into the ocean; a young rhino receives special treatment backstage after he cracks his horn; the Disney team creates a new chew toy to entertain the lion pride; and Heidi the Hartmann’s mountain zebra gives birth.

Saturday, Jan. 7

NFL Football
ABC & ESPN, beginning at 4:30pm Live
The NFL is keeping its schedule flexible for the final week of the regular season. While tonight’s two matchups simulcast on ABC and ESPN aren’t announced until after Week 17, expect to see games that impact playoff scenarios.

Bad Day at Black Rock
TCM, 6:30pm
Catch a Classic!
This terrific and suspenseful 1955 drama from Best Director Oscar nominee John Sturges was one of the earliest “Revisionist Westerns,” tweaking elements of the traditional Western genre and even adding in compelling elements of film noir, to boot. Taking place shortly after World War II in the isolated Southwest town of its title, the film finds Black Rock receiving its first outside visitor in many years when one-armed veteran John Macreedy (Best Actor Oscar nominee Spencer Tracy) arrives and tries to visit an Asian American war hero’s family. Quiet about his agenda, Macreedy is received with suspicion by the unusually jumpy locals, and when his few innocuous questions begin to scrape away at the town’s shared, dark secret, he may not live to catch the train out. Robert Ryan, Anne Francis, Dean Jagger, Walter Brennan, Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine also star.

The Wedding Veil Expectations
Hallmark Channel, 8pm
Original Film!
In the first of three sequel films to the Hallmark original Wedding Veil trilogy, based on a book series by Lori Wilde, Avery (Lacey Chabert) has some exciting news to share with her husband Peter (Kevin McGarry), and when newlywed Tracy (Alison Sweeney) returns the antique wedding veil to their mutual friend Emma (Autumn Reeser), the three women may find that they haven’t seen the last of its magic.

Reba McEntire’s The Hammer
Lifetime, 8pm
Original Film!
Reba McEntire returns to Lifetime in a film inspired by the life of traveling circuit judge Kim Wanker. McEntire stars as Kim Wheeler, an outspoken, firecracker lawyer who is one of the few traveling judges left in America. After the reigning judge passes away under suspicious circumstances, Kim finds herself covering a circuit that stretches between Las Vegas and Reno — a rugged, often desolate area where anything and everything can happen. With gavel in hand, she lays down the law with a no-nonsense brand of justice.

Svengoolie: “The Raven”
MeTV, 8pm
Beginning tonight with the premiere of the much-requested 1963 Roger Corman film The Raven, starring Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and a very young Jack Nicholson, Svengoolie is expanding into a two-and-a-half-hour show, allowing the run of longer titles or returning favorites with less editing needed. It also gives Sven more time for his original host content, more on-location interviews, more visits for guests and the chance to bring back vintage hits that haven’t been seen in a while. The companion show Sventoonie continues its second season with new episodes immediately following Svengoolie.

Rico to the Rescue: “Carpenter Chaos”
HGTV, 9pm
Builder Rico León will meet a distressed couple who are more than a year into their unfinished renovations with a contractor and the relationship has turned nasty. Upset by the builder’s poor communication and subpar project management, Rico will attempt to mediate the situation — but with no success. He’ll bring in his expert team, including designer Poonam Moore and chief estimator Matt Plowman, to get the project back on track, mitigate timely issues and deliver a stunning basement overhaul which includes a nursery, main bedroom and bathroom. In addition, Poonam will rally support from her local suppliers and surprise the family with an unexpected kitchen remodel.