Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Tuesday, January 14th, 2025

I have a viewing suggestion you might not want to hear.

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Tuesday, January 14th, 2025:

PRODUCTION NOTES
Just as an FYI, through the end of January, I'm matching all new paid subscriptions with a donation to the Entertainment Community Fund, which was formerly the Actor's Fund.

IDENTIFY THESE ZOMBIE NETWORKS BY THEIR PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
I've written a lot about cable television's "zombie" networks: formerly vibrant homes for original programming that now only exist to air random reruns in hopes of snagging a few viewers. The monthly carriage fees for these networks can often only be a few cents per subscriber. But millions of subscriber fees every month plus some money from ads is enough to make them worthwhile to the big media companies who own them.

However, with the elimination of any new programming, the problem becomes that the networks begin to lose their brand identity. Ten years ago, you could almost always identify the network by the programming it aired in primetime.

Which brings me to a challenge I'd like to throw out to all of you you. Without looking at a channel listings page, can you correctly identify the zombie network based on the programming it is airing tonight in primetime? I randomly chose ten networks, but unfortunately there were many more I could have included. The answers are listed at the bottom of this newsletter:

1) Two And A Half Men marathon
2) BBQ Pitmasters marathon
3) NCIS New Orleans marathon
4) The Office marathon
5) The Nanny marathon
6) My 600-lb Life marathon
7) Coming To America/Billy Madison
8) Divorce Court marathon
9) Tiny House Nation marathon
10) NCIS marathon

A VIEWING SUGGESTION YOU MIGHT NOT WANT TO HEAR
Given everything that is happening in the LA area right now, I'm not sure that anyone living around Hollywood has any interest in watching a docuseries about firefighters battling California wildfires.

But for those of you living in other areas, if you are curious about how these fires are battled, the 2017 Netflix documentary series Fire Chasers is a compelling and informative watch.

The four episodes recount some of the events of the 2016 California wildfire season, which at the time was the worst in recent memory. Camera crews embedded with the fire fighters and there is just some staggering footage of the fires, including a scene where a crew is driving down a narrow country road, with flames shooting up on both sides.

But the documentary also recounts the story of some California inmates who volunteer to help fight the fires. And that story seems timely, given that firefighting inmates have also played a role in the 2025 wildfire battles. For some of the inmates, its just a way to get outside. But several of the inmates really take to the job. Which is bittersweet, since their prison records would likely be enough to prevent them from being accepted by a fire department after they are released from incarceration.

One of the things that jumped out me as I rewatched Fire Chasers this week is the talk from several officials who warned that the climate was changing and that moving forward, the fires were likely to be bigger and cause more damage each year. And as it turned out, they knew what they were talking about.

WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14TH, 2025:
A French Village Series Premiere (MHz Choice)
Ari Shaffir: America's Sweetheart (Netflix)
Cassandra Series Premiere (MHz Choice)
FBI True Season Six Premiere (Paramount+)
Night Court Spring Premiere (NBC)
Singles Inferno Season Four Premiere (Netflix)
St. Denis Medical Spring Premiere (NBC)
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Season One Finale (Disney+)
The Last Party: Death On Tresco (Discovery+)

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15TH:
An Update On Our Family (HBO)
A Real Bug's Life Season Two Premiere (Disney+)
Cristóbal Balenciaga (Hulu)
Public Disorder Series Premiere (Netflix)
Scam Goddess Series Premiere (Freeform)
Unmasked Series Premiere (Hulu)

IDENTIFY THE ZOMBIE NETWORK ANSWERS

1) Two And A Half Men marathon (IFC)
2) BBQ Pitmasters marathon (Destination America)
3) NCIS New Orleans marathon (Pop TV)
4) The Office marathon (E!)
5) The Nanny marathon (Logo)
6) My 600-lb Life marathon (Discovery Life)
7) Coming To America/Billy Madison (VH1)
8) Divorce Court marathon (Fox Soul)
9) Tiny House Nation marathon (fyi)
10) NCIS marathon (Sundance TV)

SEE YOU ON WEDNESDAY!