What to Watch This Week: January 15 to 20

From a revival of an ’80s sitcom classic to a documentary about the dark side of beloved musical series ‘Glee,’ we round up our top 10 shows to watch this week

1. Mayor of Kingstown – Sunday, January 15, Paramount+ | Season Premiere

Paramount+Tulsa King is abdicating its throne on the Paramount+ schedule this Sunday, but right on cue, another gritty drama from producer Taylor Sheridan takes its place. When last we left for-profit prison tycoon Mike McLusky (Jeremy Renner), the so-called “Mayor” saw his empire on the brink of ruin thanks to a riot. Season two finds Mike walking a tricky tightrope as his position at the intersection of law, politics and the criminal underworld—so long the source of his power—threatens to be his undoing.  

Though Sheridan is the big name here, the initial spark for this show came from his co-creator, Canadian actor Hugh Dillon, who himself grew up in a prison town. Previewing season two to Esquire, Dillon mused: “It comes down to corruption and really shining a light on it. It’s always shocking to see how brutal life can be.”

2. The Price of Glee, Sunday, January 15, Discovery+

discovery+A three-part docuseries (all three parts of which debut Monday) reflects on the dark side of Glee. Premiering in 2009, Fox’s musical dramedy about a high school glee club putting their spin on hit pop songs while grappling with the usual adolescent angst took television by storm—instantly catapulting its young ensemble to fame… and, alas, infamy. 

Engaging with the “endless scandals, tabloid gossip and fatal tragedies” endured by the entire cast and crew, the series will really hone in on the three deaths that haunt the show’s legacy: Canadian Cory Monteith, who overdosed at age 31 in a Vancouver hotel; Mark Salling, who committed suicide at 35 after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography; and Naya Rivera, who drowned at age 33, leaving behind a young son. 

“Glee was a once-in-a-generation cultural phenomenon that bravely pushed up against social norms and generated groundbreaking discussions around sexuality, race, disability and family,” said Jason Sarlanis, Investigation Discovery’s president of crime & investigative content, in a press release. “Each music-filled week brought joy to so many people, but sadly, even one of the happiest shows on television couldn’t escape the dark underbelly of Hollywood and the frenzy of burgeoning social media.” 

3. MILF Manor – Sunday, January 15, TLC | Series Premiere

TLCYou’ve got to hand it to TLC: they do know how to come up with catchy yet utterly apt titles for their ludicrous reality experiments. The latest takes eight thirsty older women and eight ripped young men to a mansion in Mexico and lets nature take its course. The sun is hot but the sexual tension is hotter, as the boys compete in challenges to prove they’re here for more than just a fling. (If you ever saw the “MILF Island” episode of 30 Rock, you have a pretty good idea of what to expect.) Your season-one MILFs include, among others: “a competitive 47-year-old fitness studio owner from Mexico currently living in Miami; a spontaneous 50-year-old ‘disco mommy’ from Orange County; a 44-year-old Jersey girl currently living in Los Angeles; a 59-year-old fitness instructor and singer from Los Angeles; and a 50-year-old event planner who used to be a B-Girl back in the day.” 

4. Miracle Workers – Monday, January 16, CTV Comedy | Season Premiere

CTV ComedyA former writer on SNL, prolific author of novels and short stories, and contributor to The New Yorker, Simon Rich is among the most gifted, singular minds working in comedy today. Which is why news that the 38-year-old wunderkind’s Miracle Workers is coming back for another season is always cause for anticipation. Over its first three instalments, the satirical anthology has explored various time periods/planes of existence, starting out in heaven, then jumping to the Dark Ages, before hitting the Oregon Trail. Now, Rich et al. will plunge us into a Mad Max-esque future, rife with “radioactive mutants, killer robots and a tyrannical homeowner’s association with outrageous annual fees.” As ever, the cast is headlined by Daniel Radcliffe, now playing a wasteland warrior, Steve Buscemi as a junk trader, Geraldine Viswanathan as a Tina Turner-esque warlord and Karan Soni as a party-loving cyborg—all of whom, as we meet them, must adjust to settling down in the dystopian suburbs. 

5. The Calling – Monday, January 16, Showcase | Series Premiere

ShowcaseFrom Big Little Lies to The Undoing to Mr. Mercedes to The Lincoln Lawyer, David E. Kelley is the pen behind some of the most obsessed-over crime thrillers of the past decade (to say nothing of his iconic courtroom dramas before that). For his latest, the Emmy winner adapts Dror A. Mishani’s novels about Avraham Avraham (Jeff Wilbusch), an NYPD detective whose approach to cracking cases is informed by his deep-seated spirituality and sense of empathy. 

6. Night Court – Tuesday, January 17, NBC | Series Premiere

NBCIt might seem a little odd to refer to a sitcom that ran for nine seasons on NBC’s primetime lineup, alongside the legendary likes of Cheers no less, as a “cult favourite.” But Night Court was always a little quirkier than your average TV comedy. Created by the late Reinhold Weege, the series revolved around Harry T. Stone (Harry Anderson), a Mel Tormé-loving judge who held court in Manhattan after-hours—doling out his unconventional, quippy brand of justice to an array of defendants who truly embodied the old saw: “They only come out at night.” 

Although the show ended in 1992, it remained part of the pop-cultural discourse thanks to syndication, before gaining an unexpected boost in 2008 when fellow NBC sitcom 30 Rock did an episode wherein Tracy and Kenneth reunited the Night Court cast to give Harry et al. the happy ending they were denied the first time around, when the series was cancelled without a proper finale.  

Sadly, many of the original stars have since passed away, including Anderson, Markie Post and Charles Robinson), which would seem to make any Night Court revival a dubious proposition. NBC is giving it a shot, however… this time with Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s Dan Rubin leading the writers’ room.  

The new version stars Melissa Rauch (The Big Bang Theory) as Abby Stone, Harry’s daughter, who has just taken over the night court bench. After realizing she needs a bit of assistance, Abby drafts her father’s former colleague, Dan Fielding (John Larroquette), to return as the court’s public defender. Joining them are Olivia (India de Beaufort) as the new assistant D.A.; Neil (Kapil Talwalkar) as the court clerk; and Donna “Gurgs” Gurganous (Lacretta) as Judge Stone’s bailiff.  

The legally sanctioned absurdity commences Tuesday night with back-to-back debut episodes.

7. Are You the One? – Wednesday, January 18, Paramount+ | Series Premiere

Paramount+From the time we’re young, all of us are primed to seek out the love of our lives. Whether that’s human nature, societal pressure or something else entirely is up for debate. But one thing’s for sure: as people everywhere pine for “the one,” reality television cashes in.  

Predating such tech-savvy dating series as Love Is Blind, Are You the One? first hit MTV in 2014, sending single men and women off on a tropical getaway for a romantic competition that paired them up via a dating algorithm to see if technology might hold the key to happily ever after. At the time, it was also hailed as one of the first series to embrace sexually fluid dating, with plenty of coming-out moments and discoveries about gender identity.  

This year, producers are hoping to take those groundbreaking moments to the next level, as the show has gone global with its season-nine casting call, scouring the whole world for contestants with the most heartwarming (and, of course, titillating) life stories.  

Making the jump to MTV’s sister streamer Paramount+ after three years off the air, this new international version is hosted by relationship guru Kamie Crawford (Catfish: The TV Show). She’ll oversee 22 newly single men and women, who were put through an extensive profiling process to determine who among the other 21 is their “perfect match.” The results, however, have been kept hidden.  

Now, they’ll gather under one roof in Gran Canaria, Spain—flirting, chatting and dating up a storm. The goal: for every last contestant to identify their data-certified true love. If they achieve a perfect score, the gang will split $1 million… not to mention the priceless reward of domestic bliss. 

8. One of Us is Lying – Thursday, January 19, W Network | Season Premiere

W NetworkThe addictive teen thriller returns for season two. After unmasking Simon’s killer last year, only to be forced to kill that killer and cover it up, our “Murder Club” now find themselves terrorized by a malevolent texter who knows what they did and sets out to blackmail Addy, Cooper, Bronwyn, Nate and Janae. All told, per creator Erica Saleh, expect “a darker, scarier, more mysterious” second season that tosses a little bit of Scream into the mix alongside its other classic high-school movie influences.

9. Bling Empire: New York – Friday, January 20, Netflix | Series Premiere

NetflixIf you’ve been gobsmacked by the decadent lifestyles of the “wildly wealthy Asian and Asian-American fun-seekers” on the L.A. version of Bling Empire, just wait until you see what the New York cast has in store when this spinoff debuts.  

Though it’s a mostly fresh ensemble, our entry point to this glam world is a familiar face: season-two Bling Empire cast member (and billionaire heiress) Dorothy Wang, who’s since moved to the Big Apple. There, she hangs out with another group of wealthy and sophisticated Asian-Americans, who count the quality of real estate by address, not acreage.  

According to Netflix’s press release, we can expect more direct conversations, intense competition for everything (love, money, power), and plenty of billionaires, CEOS and fashion icons to rub elbows with. “It’s a city where you can be anything you want to be,” the show promises. (Well, if you have money, that is.)  

Joining Dorothy in the lap of luxury are stylist/blogger Tina Leung; jewelry designer Lynn Ban; magazine editor Blake Abbie; investment banking/real estate tycoon Stephen Hung and his wife, former model turned modelling agent Deborah Hung; and medical company exec Richard Chang. Big egos and petty feuds abound with this group, but so too do heartwarming friendships.  

10. Truth Be Told – Friday, January 20, Apple TV+ | Season Premiere

Apple TV+Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer is back on the case for a third season as investigative reporter turned true crime podcaster Poppy Parnell, who will once again risk her reputation and her life to expose injustice.  

This year’s mystery centres on a slew of missing girls—but more than just hunting down the culprits, Poppy will battle a mainstream media that’s all too eager to turn a blind eye to the problem on account of the victims’ skin colour. 

Across seasons one and two, the producers have shown a knack for recruiting top-shelf guest stars for Ms. Spencer to spar with, in the form of Aaron Paul and Kate Hudson. That trend continues with the arrival of Gabrielle Union (late of L.A.’s Finest). She’ll play Eva, an outspoken high school principal who teams with Poppy to advocate for the victims, while also helping her unravel the sex-trafficking ring that may just be responsible for the disappearances.