The Contractor, on Showtime
Chris Pine stars as Special Forces Sgt. James Harper, a man involuntarily discharged from the army in this new film. When he lands a new job in an underground organization and his first project goes awry, Harper goes on the run. Gillian Jacobs also stars.
Q: I recently saw a documentary on TV called "The Kings," about Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns, but wasn't there already one with that title about Muhammad Ali? Was it a series or something?
A sport with a history as long as boxing should be able to come up with more metaphors — you're actually thinking of two different documentaries with very similar titles.
Dateline NBC, on NBC
NBC news anchor Lester Holt and a team of journalists present the news of the week along with fascinating human interest stories, ground-breaking interviews and hard-hitting investigations in this long-running, prime-time news magazine staple.
Restaurant: Impossible, on Food Network
Chef Robert Irvine meets with restaurant owners who need a bit of a push in a new episode of this series. Upon meeting the owner and visiting the restaurant, Irvine assesses what needs to be done in order for the business to survive before taking action.
Chasing a dream: 'Me or the Menu' shows reality of couple-preneurs
James Martin and Jessica Neal from "Me or the Menu"
According to a recent LendingTree study, military and health-care support are the only two fields of work that had higher incidences of divorce than the food service industry.
Down 'to Earth': Ejiofor-led sci-fi series wraps premiere season
Chiwetel Ejiofor in "The Man Who Fell to Earth"
My Feet Are Killing Me, on TLC
Dr. Ebonie Vincent, Dr. Brad Schaeffer and Dr. Sarah Haller take on the sometimes fungal — and often funky — foot problems of their patients. Shining a light on podiatric conditions, the doctors show how these can be treated and prevented.
Q: They used some outdoor scenes in the original "Perry Mason" series, but the overwhelming majority of those scenes appear to be in near-darkness. Why?
Short answer: Because of the "noir" in film noir.
"Perry Mason" is widely seen as an attempt to translate the film-noir style of big-screen crime dramas (think 1944's "Double Indemnity" or 1941's "The Maltese Falcon") to the small screen.
According to film blogger and critic Terence Towles Canote, "Perry Mason" often used "the same techniques as film noir, including harsh lighting, extensive use of shadows and even low angles."
Welcome to Plathville, on TLC
The Plaths of South Georgia are a staunch Christian family of technophobes with nine children who have never heard of Spider-Man, watched television or tasted soda. The series follows how this sheltered family changes as the kids grow older.
Q: Sometimes on "The Golden Girls," Dorothy says she's from Queens, but sometimes she's from Brooklyn. Which one is it and why does it vary?
"The Golden Girls" has been rerun so often on so many channels that the chronology is a little foggy, to say the least, and so it's easy not to notice the fact that it's only in the show's pilot that she says she's from Queens. (The pilot episode is the one produced for the network as proof of a concept. If the network likes it, it typically orders a whole season.)