What’s on TV This Week: Britney Spears, Whitney Houston

By Matt CooperListings Coordinator

Jan. 29, 2021 10:20 AM PT

SUNDAY

A two-film salute to the late Cicely Tyson gets underway with the actress opposite Paul Winfield and Kevin Hooks in director Martin Ritt’s 1972 period drama “Sounder” about a family of Black sharecroppers in 1930s Louisiana. 5 p.m. Turner Classic Movies

The four-part docuseries “The Lady and the Dale” probes the curious case of an eccentric con artist and the three-wheeled vehicle she helped promote in the 1970s. 9 and 9:55 p.m. HBO

An enslaved Black woman in 19th century Jamaica shares her struggles and triumphs in a miniseries adaptation of the Andrea Levy novel “The Long Song” on “Masterpiece.” With Tamara Lawrance and Hayley Atwell. 10 p.m. KOCE

The boys from the Bronx are back with a third season of their topical late-night talk show “Desus & Mero.” 11 p.m. Showtime

MONDAY

Crossover alert! Firefighters from the L.A.-set “9-1-1” travel to Austin, Texas, to help locals battle a devastating wildfire on the spinoff “9-1-1: Lone Star.” 9 p.m. Fox

What a way to make a livin’! Secretaries in 1970s Boston take a stand against workplace discrimination in “9to5: The Story of a Movement” on “Independent Lens.” 10 p.m. KOCE

“The Investigation” into the mysterious 2017 death of a female journalist from Sweden aboard a Danish inventor’s homemade submarine is dramatized in this imported six-part true-crime tale. 10 p.m. HBO

TUESDAY

“Kid Cosmic” assembles a squad of unlikely superheroes to defend their hometown against all enemies extraterrestrial in this animated series from the creator of “The Powerpuff Girls.” Anytime, Netflix

The jokes are on them as the stand-up comedy showcase “Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready” serves up its sophomore season. Anytime, Netflix

Kiss them, they’re Irish American! “Glee’s” Jane Lynch and comic Jim Gaffigan research their heritage on “Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.” 8 p.m. KOCE

In the future, everyone will be “Fake Famous” for 15 minutes as detailed in this documentary about the rise of the social-media influencer. 9 p.m. HBO

A Pittsburgh couple renovates fixer-uppers for fellow Yinzers in the new series “Home Again With the Fords.” 9 p.m. HGTV

“Frontline” revisits the early days of the pandemic in the episode “China’s COVID Secrets.” 10 p.m. KOCE

WEDNESDAY

Take a stroll down “Firefly Lane” with Katherine Heigl and “Scrubs’” Sarah Chalke in this decades-spanning dramedy about lifelong BFFs. Based on the Kristin Hannah novel. Anytime, Netflix

Press the “Reset” button with this docuseries that explores the origins of blockbuster video games like “Super Mario Brothers” and “Fortnite.” 7 and 7:30 p.m. Vice

OK, Boomer Esiason. The ex-quarterback turned broadcaster joins cohost Daniela Ruah for the special “Super Bowl Greatest Commercials 2021.” 8 p.m. CBS

There are pumas in the crevices — pumas in the crevices! — of the Patagonia region of Chile on a new “Nature.” Uma Thurman narrates. 8 p.m. KOCE

“Chasing the Elements” host David Pogue thinks outside the periodic table in his three-part follow-up “Beyond the Elements” on “Nova.” 9 p.m. KOCE

Here, kitty kitty! “The Missing Lynx” is sought in this debut installment of the nature series “Europe’s New Wild.” 10 p.m. KOCE

THURSDAY

Just win, baby! Former Raiders owner Al Davis goes head to head with the league’s one-time head honcho Pete Rozelle in “Al Davis vs. the NFL” on “30 for 30.” 6 p.m. ESPN

Chill out in the beach town of Montauk, N.Y., with a new season of the reality series “Summer House.” 9 p.m. Bravo

“Fast Foodies” turn guilty pleasures into gourmet dishes for celebrity guests in this culinary competition featuring past winners from “Top Chef” and “Iron Chef.” 10:30 p.m. truTV

FRIDAY

In a world where nothing is as it seems, Salma Hayek and Owen Wilson are about to discover ... nothing is as it seems in the 2021 sci-fi thriller “Bliss.” Anytime, Amazon Prime

An orphan girl gets schooled in the magical arts in “Earwig and the Witch,” the first-ever computer-animated film from the Japanese studio behind the anime classics “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Spirited Away.” Anytime, HBO Max

Rosario Dawson and Meghan Trainor are among the celebs getting readings from psychic Theresa Caputo in her new series “Long Island Medium: There in Spirit.” Anytime, Discovery+

Cute couple: John David Washington and Zendaya are “Malcolm & Marie” in this B&W 2021 romantic drama from “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson. Anytime, Netflix

The beagle gets top billing in the animated series “The Snoopy Show” based on the “Peanuts” characters created by Charles Schulz. Anytime, Apple TV+

Pole dancing: It’s not just for strippers anymore in filmmaker Michèle Ohayon’s revealing 2021 female-empowerment doc “Strip Down, Rise Up.” Anytime, Netflix

L.A.’s own Misty Copeland twinkles her toes in scenes from Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” on “In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl.” A second new episode featuring Katy Perry and Nile Rodgers follows. 9 and 10 p.m. KOCE

The documentary “Framing Britney Spears” from “The New York Times Presents” tracks the troubled pop star’s legal fight to wrest control over her life and career from her father’s conservatorship. 10 p.m. FX

By any means necessary: Soldiers from an all-Black regiment take a stand against racism in 1917 Houston in the 2020 historical drama “The 24th.” With Trai Byers (“Empire”). 8 p.m. Starz

Liam Neeson plays an artist and widower with a particular set of skills renovating an old villa with his estranged son (real-life offspring Micheál Richardson) in the 2020 drama “Made in Italy.” 9 p.m. Showtime

SATURDAY

Everyday people share what they were up to last July 25 in “Life in a Day 2020,” a sequel to the globally crowdsourced 2011 documentary. Anytime, YouTube Originals

The late Chadwick Boseman is honored for his turn in the 2020 drama “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” at the “Third Annual Celebration of Black Cinema.” 8 p.m. KTLA

All politics is local for rival campaign consultants (Steve Carell, Rose Byrne) in Jon Stewart’s 2020 satire “Irresistible.” With Chris Cooper, Topher Grace, Natasha Lyonne and Mackenzie Davis. 8 p.m. HBO

The documentary “Whitney Houston & Bobbi Kristina: Didn’t We Almost Have It All” remembers the pop music diva and her daughter, who each died tragically just three years apart. 8 p.m. Lifetime

Dan Levy of “Schitt’s Creek” hosts and singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers performs on a new “Saturday Night Live.” 8:29 and 11:29 p.m. NBC

’Tis the night before the Super Bowl and pro football’s finest will be feted at the 10th edition of the “NFL Honors.” 9 p.m. CBS

9021-oh my! The sister of the bride hooks up with a former beau at a “Beverly Hills Wedding” in this TV movie. With Brooke D’Orsay and Brendan Penny. 9 p.m. Hallmark Channel

Crikey! “1917’s” George MacKay portrays legendary Aussie outlaw Ned Kelly in 2019’s “True History of the Kelly Gang.” With Russell Crowe. 9 p.m. Showtime

Outlaw country! Texas singer-songwriters Billy Joe Shaver and Jerry Jeff Walker, who both died in 2020, are saluted on “Austin City Limits.” 11:30 p.m. KOCE