Here’s what’s going on in the television world on Tuesday, February 16th. All times are from the east.
Best Choices
Young Rock (NBC, 8pm) and Kenan (NBC, 8:30 pm): NBC adds some laughs to its Tuesday schedule, combining the premiere of two comedies with the drama of crying confidently These are U.S.
The first is Young Rock, which was created by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson along with Nahnatchka Khan. The comedy “will follow The Rock from pebble to fighter to presidential candidate. (The latter is just inside the show world, for now.) Johnson and Khan assembled an entire team of personal actors to portray The Rock at 10, 15 and 20: Adrian Groulx, Bradley Constant and Uli Latukefu, respectively. This maturing sitcom is a little more engaging than most; the framing device shows Randall Park (like himself, now a journalist) interviewing the presidential candidate, which will trigger all kinds of flashbacks of his teenagers full of pets and mustaches. But with Khan, cool Fresh off the boat, helping to lead the way, Young Rock it should offer more than just more humor based on 80s fashion ”. (See the rest of our February preview on TV here.)
As for Kenan, this sitcom follows Saturday Night Live veteran Kenan Thompson, who, as Sam Barsanti describes, “plays a widowed father who hosts a morning talk show, with the stress of his life forcing him to reluctantly accept the help of his sax-loving father-in-law (Don Johnson), who is desperate to spend time with her granddaughters. SNLChris Redd also appears as Thompson’s brother, probably offering the same kind of chaotic energy that Thompson played so well in his days at Nickelodeon. It’s hard to get a good read on the show with this short clip, but come on, Kenan Thompson is finally making a sitcom again – and it was about time. ”Read Saloni Gajjar’s thoughts on these freshman series later this week.
Regular coverage
These are U.S (NBC, 9:00 pm)
Big sky (ABC, 10 pm)
Wild card
Bad habits, sacred orders (Hulu, first season): The latest in a series of programs that appear to have stolen the premise of a 30 Rock bit, this four-part reality show follows a group of party girls trying to live in a convent in rural Norfolk, England. It’s not exactly a Sister Act riff, as these noisy youngsters don’t seem to be hiding from any mobster. But if you are expecting a simple confrontation between strained nuns and some libertines, you may be disappointed – the two groups remain quite friendly in this negotiation for an evening out.