When it comes to television, January is certainly not dry. A flood of new shows to watch this week arrive on Netflix, Peacock and other streaming services, as well as broadcast and cable TV.
This week's new TV shows include the long-awaited "True Detective" season 4, as well as the returns of "The Traitors" and "La Brea." Making their debuts are Seth MacFarlane's "Ted" series and the latest Marvel show "Echo." Here's our guide on the new TV shows to watch this week.
‘La Brea’ season 3 (NBC)
The third and final season of the mystery-box sci-fi drama will hopefully wrap up the story in a way that satisfies fans. The big bad of this chapter is clear: dinosaurs! When the Clearing is destroyed by a dino attack, the Survivors are forced to find a new home in the terrifying landscape of 10,000 B.C. Amidst the frenzy, Gavin (Eoin Macken) finds a clue about where Eve (Natalie Zea) might have been taken when she was sucked into the now-defunct portal. But tracking down the lead may have some tragic consequences.
Premieres Jan. 10 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC (via Sling or Fubo)
Streams next day on Peacock
‘Criminal Record’ (Apple TV Plus)
This British crime drama features the tried-and-true pairing of a cynical, grizzled veteran detective and a young, earnest rising cop. An anonymous phone call sends Detective Sergeant June Lenker (Cush Jumbo) digging into an old murder case that was handled by Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Hegarty (Peter Capaldi). Lenker questions whether the man who confessed and was convicted might not have been the killer. Hegarty is chilly toward her at first, determined to protect his legacy, but comes to some disturbing realizations as the investigation moves forward.
Premieres Jan. 10 at 12:01 a.m. ET on Apple TV Plus
‘The Trust: A Game of Greed’ (Netflix)
The latest Netflix reality competition puts a twist on the typical “vote out people until the last one standing wins the prize” premise you see in the likes of Survivor and Big Brother. Eleven strangers have the chance to split a quarter of a million dollars. Nobody has to be eliminated. However, they can anonymously vote each other out, which increases their individual shares of the pot but sows distrust amongst the group. A single vote can boot someone out of the luxurious villa. Over the course of eight episodes, they’ll learn more about each other through personality tests designed to expose who’s a team player and who’s out for themselves.
Premieres Jan. 10 at 3:01 a.m. ET on Netflix
‘Echo’ (Disney Plus)
This is the first show under the “Marvel Spotlight” banner, which is intended for stories that don’t have deep ties to the MCU — ironic since it’s a spinoff of Hawkeye. But you don’t necessarily need to watch that show before this one, and you don’t need to watch this one to understand what happens in upcoming Marvel movies and shows. Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) is a deaf Native American Choctaw and the former leader of the Tracksuit Mafia, a criminal gang working for Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio). After betraying him, she is now on Fisk’s hit list, so she heads to her hometown in Oklahoma to reconnect with her heritage and come to terms with the past.
Premieres Jan. 9 at 9 p.m. ET on Hulu and Disney Plus
‘Ted’ (Peacock)
Seth MacFarlane adds a third installment to his foul-mouthed teddy bear franchise nearly a decade after the second of two movies came out. This one is in series form and it’s a prequel set in 1993. Ted the bear (voiced by MacFarlane) has seen his moment of fame pass. He’s now living back at home in Framingham, Massachusetts with his best friend, 16-year-old John Bennett (Max Burkholder), along with John’s parents Matty and Susan (Scott Grimes and Alanna Ubach) and cousin Blaire (Giorgia Whigham). Ted isn’t the greatest influence on John — all that swearing and doing drugs — but he’s a loyal ride-or-die.
Premieres Jan. 11 at 3:01 a.m. ET on Peacock
‘The Traitors’ season 2 (Peacock)
My favorite new reality show of the past few years returns with more lying and backstabbing — hurray! A new cast is divided into “Traitors” and “Faithful.” The former will eliminate someone every night, while the latter group tries to figure out who the treacherous ones are before they are sent home. Whichever side prevails wins the cash prize. Host Alan Cumming presides over it all from a castle in the Scottish Highlands. Like the first season, the cast is a mix of reality TV personalities, including Sandra Diaz-Twine from Survivor, Peter Weber from The Bachelor, Phaedra Parks and Shereé Whitfield from Real Housewives of Atlanta, Maksim Chmerkovskiy from Dancing With the Stars and Peppermint from RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Premieres Jan. 12 at 3:01 a.m. ET on Peacock
‘True Detective: Night Country’ (HBO)
The crime anthology finally returns after a five-year hiatus with a fourth season that, like the ones before it, features top-tier acting talent. Jodie Foster anchors “Night Country” as a detective in the harsh and remote environs of Alaska. When the long winter night falls in the town of Ennis, the eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station vanish without a trace. Detectives Liz Danvers (Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) take the case, but as they search for truth, they are forced the confront the darkness they carry within themselves.
Premieres Jan. 14 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max
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