Operation Varsity Blues Unveils the College Admission Scandal

Here’s what’s going on in the television world on Wednesday, March 17th. All times are from the east.

Best Choices

Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admission Scandal (Netflix, 3:01): “Chris Smith’s Netflix Documentary Operation Varsity Blues: the college admissions scandal reframes the story in unexpected ways. While not letting the Huffmans and Loughlins in all of this sordid saga get off the hook, the film suggests that there is more reason to be upset here than just pampering some unworthy rich kids. ” Read Noel Murray’s full review of the documentary.

The pole (Syfy, 23:16, season premiere): The new animated comedy Syfy The pole takes us right in the middle of Santa Claus’s family drama. Santa Claus (Bobby Moynihan) – or Santy, as he is affectionately called – is pulled into a power struggle by his red suit by his kind of evil son, Jack (Timothy Simons), as he struggles with an ancient moral dilemma from which children they are naughty or cool. His gift-giving priorities and other technological issues expose secrets and put him in dire straits with the press, his employees and his girlfriend, Helenor (Sasheer Zamata). Meanwhile, his wife, Gretchen (Jillian Bell), struggles to keep the machinations of the toy industry afloat. The voice cast is solid, adding nuances to your presentation, even when the comedy is not strong. Simons is a standout, as is Colin Jost, who plays a penguin named Cocoa, an astute presenter of a morning talk show. Created by Matthew Bass and Theodore Bressman, The pole you could benefit from exploring your unique setting further, but in 10 to 12 minutes, the short episodes ensure that the program doesn’t get off track with its concept, keeping the stories short and fun as it evolves. [Saloni Gajjar]

Regular coverage

Riverdale (CW, 8 pm)

Wild cards

The summoner (Syfy, 11:33 pm, season premiere in two episodes): If The pole by itself does not quench your appetite for quirky comedies, Syfy is here to offer more with The summoner, which expands the late-night block of animated series TZGZ from the cable channel. The show, which comes from cartoonist Charlie Hankin, includes just 10 three-minute episodes. It follows Rory, who is in his 20s and lives alone for the first time with a magical alien who can summon any object to his current location. The footprint? The Summoner only summons the most useless shit.

Under suspicion: discovering the Wesphael case (Netflix, 3:01): Produced by Georges Huercano, Pascal Vrebos and Alain Brunard, this investigative documentary follows the sensational story of Belgian politician Bernard Wesphael, accused of murdering his wife, Véronique Pirotton, who was found dead in a hotel room in 2013. Under Suspect documents the mysterious circumstances of his death, as well as Wesphael’s trial, presenting unseen images from his interviews.