Between network, cable and streaming, the modern television landscape is a vast one. Here are some of the shows, specials and movies coming to TV this week, Feb. 19 – 25. Details and times are subject to change.
Monday
THE PROPOSAL (2009) 5:30 p.m. on FX. Though this movie starring Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock is marketed as a romantic comedy, it really could be a horror movie. Imagine your mean boss has proposed that you commit a crime for her — the penalties of which are a potential fine of $250,00 and five years in prison. Scary, right? The rom-com follows the book editor Margaret Tate (Bullock), who convinces her assistant Andrew (Reynolds) to marry her so that she can get a fiancé visa and avoid being deported to Canada. While Bullock’s character lacks a certain friendly, polite Canadian charm, Reynolds (like me, a real-life Canadian) is oozing with it as the accommodating assistant whose family lives in Alaska.
Tuesday
CRIME NATION 8 p.m. on The CW. This new anthology series is the first original true crime series from the CW. Each two-hour episode focuses on a crime that was widely covered on social and traditional media, including the death of Gabby Petito, and the Gilgo Beach and Delphi murders; armchair experts, podcast hosts and true crime followers discuss the cases.
THE GOOD DOCTOR 10 p.m. on ABC. This is the seventh and final season of the medical show starring Freddie Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy, a brilliant surgeon who has autism. Because Dr. Murphy just became a father, it is likely that this last season will focus on his new role as a dad as well as his sometimes complicated relationship with his patients and hospital colleagues.
Wednesday
DOLLY PARTON’S PET GALA 9 p.m. on CBS. Dolly Parton hosts a two-hour special devoted to dogs featuring performances by country singers like Lainey Wilson, Carly Pearce and Chris Janson, as well as KC of KC and the Sunshine Band — all singing classic Dolly songs. In a preview, the country legend explains that she loves dogs and wanted to show all the things they can do, from fun to more serious work. Puppies are set to walk a runway while modeling the latest styles in doggy-fashion and accompanying special guests include Kristen Bell, Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Simpson and more.
Thursday
SUMMER HOUSE 9 p.m. on Bravo. If you’re a Bravo fan juggling multiple reality shows right now — “Below Deck,” “Vanderpump Rules,” “Housewives” — it may seem as if it’s Andy Cohen’s world and we’re just living in it. This week another series returns: The “Summer House” crew is back, including franchise favorites Kyle Cooke, Amanda Batula, Carl Radke and Lindsay Hubbard. Jesse Solomon and West Wilson are the new cast members joining the house in the Hamptons. It seems likely that much of the season — filmed last summer — will focus on Radke and Hubbard, who ended their engagement just months later.
Friday
NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (2004) 7:45 p.m. on IFC. Close your eyes and picture this: Motorola had just released the Razr, Jude Law was People’s Sexiest Man Alive and every other person on the street was wearing a Livestrong bracelet, a pair of Uggs and a “Vote for Pedro” T-shirt, inspired by this very movie. The story follows Napoleon Dynamite, who in an attempt to get out the house after his weird uncle, Rico, moves in, befriends the new kid at his high school, Pedro. Together they launch a campaign for Pedro to become class president.
PRISCILLA (2023) 8 p.m. on HBO. The years 2022 and 2023 gave us two different Elvises in two different stories. The first, Austin Butler’s portrayal in the Baz Luhrmann film “Elvis,” tells the story of the “king of rock ’n’ roll,” his rise to fame and his subsequent spiral. In the other, directed by Sofia Coppola, Elvis’s roller-coaster of a career is in the background (here he’s portrayed by Jacob Elordi), as the story focuses on the life of his former wife Priscilla, played by Cailee Spaeny. “Die-hard Elvis fans will no doubt call some of the characterization in ‘Priscilla’ slander, but part of the achievement here is that Elvis is not simply a monster,” Manohla Dargis wrote in her review for The New York Times. “Fame has merely given him the superpower of not having to pay attention to anyone else.”
Sunday
THE WALKING DEAD: THE ONES WHO LIVE 9 p.m. on AMC. For anyone keeping track, in addition to the original show in this zombie franchise, there have been six spinoff shows. At the end of season 10 of the original “Walking Dead,” Michonne (Danai Gurira) left the group to find her husband, Rick (Andrew Lincoln), who was presumed dead. This brand-new spinoff is a bit of a romance, as Michonne reconnects with Rick, and will feature other familiar faces.
VEGAS: THE STORY OF SIN CITY 10 p.m. on CNN. After Las Vegas hosted the biggest night in entertainment, the Super Bowl, for the first time last weekend, viewers may be wondering how the distinctive city we know today became what it is. This CNN original series dives into the city’s history with interviews from Vegas mainstays like Wayne Newton and Paul Anka, as well as showgirls, historians and journalists.
