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What to Watch This Week: Relax With Our Top 8 TV and Movie Picks (January 6–12)

Entertainment writer Randy Harward recommends the best shows, movies, and more on TV this week, including The Pitt, American Primeval, three medical dramas, and the NFL playoffs wild-card round.

A collage of images from American Primeval, Gabriel Iglesias: The Legend of Fluffy, On Call, and Brilliant Minds.
Clockwise from upper left: American Primeval (Netflix), Gabriel Iglesias (Netflix), On Call (Amazon/MGM Studios), and Brilliant Minds (NBCU).

New on TV this week

This week’s What To Watch picks include a new Dick “Law & Order” Wolf cop show (On Call) on Prime Video, a new western drama on Netflix (American Primeval), a new Netflix stand-up special from Gabriel Iglesias, NFL Wild Card Weekend on various channels and streamers, and three medical dramas (Brilliant Minds, Doc, The Pitt) because couch potatoes can’t get enough of ‘em. Now let’s hit the couch—stat!

Night owl? Peep what’s on late-night TV this week.

New on NBC this week

Brilliant Minds | NBC, Peacock | Drama

Series returns, Monday, January 6, 10 p.m. ET: NBC’s medical drama based on the case histories of neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks (played by Zachary Quinto as “Dr. Oliver Wolf”) returns tonight with a two-episode season finale. Coming nearly a month after a cliffhanger found Dr. Erica Kinney (Ashleigh LaThrop) trapped in the elevator of her collapsed apartment building, the two eps air live tonight and stream on Peacock tomorrow. Bonus: The finale features the long-teased guest appearance by Mandy Patinkin (The Princess Bride).

New on FOX this week

Doc | FOX, Hulu | Drama

Series premiere, Tuesday, January 7, 9:00 p.m. ET: Hey, another medical drama! Based on the Italian series Doc—Nelle tue mani, it stars Molly Parker (Deadwood, Dexter, House of Cards) as Dr. Amy Larsen, who’s trying to sort her life out following a traumatic brain injury. How traumatic? Well, Dr. Larsen can’t recall the last eight years of her life, including patients she’s treated and the man she doesn’t recall divorcing. If you miss the series premiere on FOX, don’t fret: You can stream it on Hulu the following day (January 8).

Click on your favorite streaming service below to see new releases and classic recommendations from our TV critics.

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New on Netflix this week

Gabriel Iglesias: Legend of Fluffy | Netflix | Stand-up comedy

Special, Tuesday, January 7: In his eighth stand-up special (his fourth for Netflix), the famously fluffy (not fat) Latino comedian serves his cheerfully self-deprecating humor. In the trailer, Iglesias recounts a burglary at his home. “[The police said], ‘They were looking for a safe.’ I said, ‘A safe?! Did they check under the mattress?’ I grabbed the edge of the bed and lifted it up [revealing valuables] and went, ‘Ahhhhh! Stupid!’ These guys had no idea they were robbing someone more ghetto than them.”

New on Netflix this week

American Primeval | Netflix | Western drama

Limited series, Thursday, January 9: Have you already watched all the Yellowstone prequels? Deadwood? Hell on Wheels? Well, if you hanker for another western drama, saddle up for this limited series, “a fictionalized dramatization and examination of the violent collision of culture, religion, and community.” Directed by Peter Berg (The Rundown, Friday Night Lights) and written by Mark L. Smith (The Revenant), the series stars Taylor Kitsch (True Detective, Friday Night Lights), Betty Gilpin (GLOW), and Kim Coates (Sons of Anarchy) as Mormon leader Brigham Young.

New on Prime Video this week

On Call | Prime Video | Crime drama

Series premiere, Thursday, January 9: Dick “Law & Order” Wolf, the king of police procedurals, is changing things up by going with a cinema verité approach to filming—shooting with handheld cameras, bodycams, and dashcams—and a shorter run time (24 minutes). The cinematographic choices should enhance the fly-on-the-wall realness of a Dick Wolf production to the point where On Call could feel like a found-footage film crossed with a YouTube bodycam video. We’re here for that, and since the series’ trailer already has 14 million views, the substantial Wolf/L&O fan base is too.

New on Max this week

The Pitt | Max | Drama

Series premiere, Thursday, January 9: So many medical dramas! I blame vaccines. Anyway, this one’s set at a hospital in Pittsburgh (hence, the title) and stars Noah Wyle from the hit ‘90s med-drama E.R. Billed as “a realistic examination of the challenges facing healthcare workers in today’s America as seen through the lens of the frontline heroes working in a modern-day hospital,” The Pitt sounds a lot like the show that made Wyle famous. Where it differs: Each episode follows one hour of Wyle’s character’s 15-hour shift in near-real time. After tonight’s two-episode debut, new eps arrive weekly on Thursdays until April 10.

New on CBS this week

NFL Playoffs | CBS, FOX, NBC, Paramount+, Peacock, Prime Video | Live sports

Football, Saturday–Monday, January 11–13 (see times below): The Super Bowl is close. Can you smell the pizza, wings, and beer? How ‘bout the disappointment of the team opposing your pick? This week kicks off the NFL playoffs (yup, that was too easy) with a super Wild Card Weekend,” where 16 teams vie for a chance to advance to divisional rounds and maybe run all the way downfield to the Super Bowl. Here’s the schedule, along with the networks and streaming services carrying each game.

Saturday, January 11 – AFC Wild Card Round

  • Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans @ 4:30 p.m. ET (CBS/Paramount+)
  • Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens @ 8:00 p.m. ET (Prime Video)

Sunday, January 12 – AFC Wild Card Round

  • Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills @ 1:00 p.m. ET (CBS/Paramount+)

Sunday, January 12 – NFC Wild Card Round

  • Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles @ 4:30 p.m. ET (FOX)
  • Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ 8:00 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)

Monday, January 13 – NFC Wild Card Round

  • Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams @ 8:00 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC/ESPN+)

  TV Tan Podcast

Bill Frost and Tommy Milagro serve up TV news, reviews, and cocktails every week—at 500+ episodes over 10 years, it’s the longest-running television podcast ever (confirmation pending). Subscribe to TV Tan Podcast now on SpotifyApple PodcastsYouTube MusicYouTubeAmazon PodcastsAudible, or your favorite podcast app. [NFSW]

New movie releases available to rent/buy on VOD this week

George Romero’s Resident Evil (2025)

Like Jodorowsky’s Dune explored Chilean filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky’s never-realized adaptation of Frank Herbert’s cult sci-fi novel Dune, this documentary examines what happened to horror auteur George A. Romero’s planned adaptation of the Resident Evil video game. Had the film materialized, we never would’ve had the critically derided six-flick franchise written and (mostly) directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. But what did Romero have planned, and how did it compare with Anderson’s original Resident Evil? And what would Milla Jovovich have done instead of playing Alice in those films? Hmmm . . .

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