TV this week: Will Jane Austen fans embrace ‘Sanditon’?
Also, college football's title game, and 'This Is Us' and 'Grace and Frankie' return
Chuck Barney’s TV and streaming picks for Jan. 12-18
DON’T MISS: “Sanditon on Masterpiece” — TV’s love affair with Jane Austen continues with this eight-part romantic drama based on her final — and unfinished — novel about a restless farmer’s daughter (Rose Williams) who experiences more adventures than she ever imagined when she visits a picturesque, but struggling, seaside resort. It’s a place where entrepreneurs, love interests, legacy hunters, hypochondriacs and medical mountebanks have come together with the aim of making it the next fashionable playground in early 1800s England. Screenwriter Andrew Davies adapted the novel, which contained 11 chapters when Austen died. (9 p.m., PBS).
Other bets:
SUNDAY: Based on Stephen King’s 2018 supernatural crime thriller, “The Outsider” is a new drama series that explores the investigation into the gruesome murder of a small-town boy and the mysterious force surrounding the case. The cast includes Ben Mendelsohn, Jason Bateman and Cynthia Erivo. (9 p.m., HBO).
MONDAY: Gridiron supremacy — and a pretty trophy — will be on the line when LSU meets Clemson in the College Football Playoff National Championship. Clemson is the defending champ, but LSU is the top-ranked favorite. (5 p.m. PT; 8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
MONDAY: “The New Pope” is the follow-up to 2017’s “The Young Pope.” In the nine-part drama series, John Malkovich succeeds Jude Law as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. He plays a charming and sophisticated moderate English aristocrat with some secrets to hide. (9 p.m., HBO).
TUESDAY: It’s time for more angst-filled drama with the Pearsons as “This Is Us” returns from its hiatus. In tonight’s episode, Kevin searches for romance, while Kate meets Toby’s Crossfit friends and Randall travels to LA to be with Rebecca. (9 p.m., NBC).
WEDNESDAY: Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin return for what should be a hilarious sixth season of “Grace and Frankie.” Much of the storyline figures to focus on Grace’s surprise marriage to Nick (Peter Gallagher), which has Frankie convinced that her pal made a huge mistake. (Netflix).
WEDNESDAY: As a new season of “The Magicians” begins, Julia, Alice, Eliot, Margo, Penny and their friends must learn to navigate a world without Quentin Coldwater. Unfortunately, an apocalypse looms. (10 p.m., Syfy).
WEDNESDAY: “68 Whiskey” is a new comedic drama that follows the lives of a group of Army medics stationed at a base in Afghanistan nicknamed “The Orphanage.” The medics rely on friendship, vices and a shared sense of purpose to carry them through a dangerous (and sometimes absurd) world. (10 p.m., Paramount Network).
THURSDAY: The final season of “Supernatural” continues as Sam and Eileen face the brutal truth. Meanwhile Dean and Cass work together in the hopes of getting a step ahead of Chuck (8 p.m., The CW).
FRIDAY: In the new series “Diary of a Future President,” Elena (Tess Romero) an ultra-observant 12-year-old Cuban-American girl, navigates the ups and downs of middle school and begins her journey to become the future president of the United States. (Disney+).
SATURDAY: The epic new nature series “Seven Worlds, One Planet” tells the story of earth’s seven continents and how each shapes the unique animal life and biodiversity found there. Sir David Attenborough narrates. (9 p.m., BBC America, AMC, IFC and SundanceTV).
Contact Chuck Barney at cbarney@bayareanewsgroup.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/chuckbarney and Facebook.com/bayareanewsgroup.chuckbarney.