Tuesday, March 17, 2020

What's On Tonight (Wednesday): Witches? In the military?! Witches. In the military!

Motherland: Fort Salem (via Giphy)
Good health to you all! Tonight, Freeform debuts its latest young adult-looking venture: Motherland: Fort Salem, which is about three young witches who go to work for the U.S. military, fighting bad guys with their powers. Not a bad sounding premise, but the melodrama has turned off critics. I'll still give it a shot! Elsewhere, Richardson family has their tidy-looking lives upended, army members in Afghanistan head into Taliban territory, Robert Englund tells true stories of terror, Jim Brockmire is back on the air, the Ottos are now on Wednesdays, and Nora has an app to launch. To the fire station, here's what's on television for tonight, Wednesday, March 18!

STREAMING / EARLY PRIMETIME

Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu, now): SERIES PREMIERE. This limited series, which boasts a cast of Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Joshua Jackson, follows "the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and an enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. The story explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, the ferocious pull of motherhood — and the danger in believing that following the rules can avert disaster." Instead of waiting for 3 a.m., Hulu dropped the first three episodes Tuesday night, so it is available right now.✔️



FOR THE RECORD: The Circle (Netflix, 3 a.m.); Fundamental. Gender Justice. No Exceptions. (YouTube, 3 a.m.); Married at First Sight: Unfiltered (Lifetime, 7:30 p.m.)

🕗 EASTERN / 🕖 CENTRAL

Chicago Med (NBC, 8 p.m.): Drs. Manning and Charles assist in a complicated case helping a child who is no stranger to the ED. Drs. Marcel and Choi tend to a police officer with a mysterious gunshot wound. I hope he's okay. Chicago loves its public servants! [*holds bloody hands in heart shape*] Relationships are put to the test as secrets are revealed.... someone has Corona!

The Goldbergs (ABC, 8 p.m.): Adam and Murray don't want to go on a camping trip, so father and son create a film faking it. Erica joins an all-girl a cappella group and learns an important lesson after taking over the group.

Schooled (ABC, 8:30 p.m.): While preparing students for the school's show choir, Lainey realizes Wilma might be a better singer than her and gets competitive. Coach Mellor and Aunt Julie fight over how to parent Toby.✔️

Survivor (CBS, 8 p.m.): "The immunity challenge weighs heavily on castaways when two tribes are sent to tribal council." Duh.

FOR THE RECORDAEW: Dynamite (TNT); Big Cat Country (Smithsonian Channel, finale); Black Ink Crew (VH1); Expedition Unknown (Discovery Channel); Live PD Presents: PD Cam (A&E, finale); Married at First Sight (Lifetime); The Masked Singer (Fox); My 600-Lb Life (TLC); Random Acts (BYUtv); The Real Housewives of New Jersey (Bravo); WWE NXT (USA)
Schooled (via Giphy)

🕘 EASTERN / 🕗 CENTRAL

American Housewife (ABC, 9:30 p.m.): The Otto family is back on Wednesdays! Against Greg's wishes, Katie sets out to play matchmaker for British Greg. Oliver goes along with a rumor at school about his sexual identity to help a classmate feel accepted. It's a real Alex P. Keaton-esque storyline.

Chicago Fire (NBC, 9 p.m.): Things get personal for Casey and Gallo in the aftermath of a suburban house fire involving a mother and her young son. Herrmann campaigns for more respect. Respect needs to take over the fire station!

Lego Masters (Fox, 9 p.m.): Nicole Byer assists as the contestants must interpret a story that is read aloud from a book selected just for this competition.

Modern Family (ABC, 9 p.m.): Claire lands an interview for her dream job but is thwarted on her way to the interview by Phil's tricky staircase. Cam and Mitch debate the pros and cons of adopting another baby. One. Month. Left.

⭐ Motherland: Fort Salem (Freeform, 9 p.m.): SERIES PREMIERE. Three centuries after an agreement between the U.S. government and witches ended the Salem witch trials over, three new witch recruits (Taylor Hickson, Jessica Sutton, Ashley Nicole Williams) join basic training at Fort Salem where they'll prepare for the front lines, fighting looming terrorist threats with supernatural tactics and weapons alongside others like them. I picture their team captain is Tabitha Stephens. Will Salem make an appearance?✔️

SEAL Team (CBS, 9 p.m.): Bravo Team must protect a group of American engineers and the dam they are constructing from a terrorist attack. The rules of engagement demand that the team must not use their weapons unless the enemy fires first. I bet they have to eventually use their weapons.

Sistas (BET, 9 p.m.): Gary's insecurities come to light... Karen and Zac find themselves in a familiar place... Danni finds herself the mediator between friends.

FOR THE RECORDAmerica's Top Dog (A&E, finale); Expedition X (Discovery Channel); Forged in Fire (History); Guy's Grocery Games (Food Network); Iron Resurrection (Motor Trend); La Doña (Telemundo); Locked Up Abroad (National Geographic); Mega Machines (Science); The Murder Tapes (Investigation Discovery); Paranormal Caught on Camera (Travel Channel); Property Brothers: Forever Home (HGTV); Summer House (Bravo)

🕙 EASTERN / 🕘 CENTRAL

68 Whiskey (Paramount Network, 10 p.m.): FINALE. Roback, Davis, Alvarez, Petrocelli head deep into Taliban country to find the $250 million that they lost and Durkin has to cover for their absence. Col. Austin makes a final push against SecCorp, which is trying to run locals out of their village or a rare earth material below.

Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens (Comedy Central, 10:30 p.m.): Edmund and Nora prepare to launch their app and Wally's dinner date goes terribly awry.

Boomerang (BET, 10:30 p.m.): Going back to the moment of Simon and Bryson's breakup, the gang tells their versions of what happened, revealing what they think of their pals and testing loyalties.

Brockmire (IFC, 10 p.m.): PREMIERE. Back for the fourth and final season! In the year 2030, the world is in chaos but at least Jim broadcasts his favorite sport and has the love of his daughter; Jim then learns baseball is worse off than he thinks and his daughter is moving to New York for college.

Chicago PD (NBC, 10 p.m.): Voight enlists the help of a reformed gang member to get a key witness' testimony in a murder case. More lives are put on the line as a gang war brews. Where is Capt. Furillo when you need him? Let's be careful out there!

Dave (FXX, 10 p.m.): Exhausted from his soul crushing job, Mike takes a special interest in Dave's creative process. With nothing to lose, Dave adopts an extreme approach to gaining fame and recognition.

The Magicians (Syfy, 10 p.m.): "Slap fight. Josh eats a pickle. Dreams are weird." They are, aren't they.

S.W.A.T. (CBS, 10 p.m.): The team's search for an abducted teen leads them to a member of the witness protection program and a decades-old political extremist group, like there's any other kind of decades-old group. Hondo and his girlfriend disagree over a guest speaker at her community center.

Stumptown (ABC, 10 p.m.): Dex's former client introduces her to Maj. Elders, who has information about Benny's death. She also investigates a potential cover-up involving Benny's unit in Afghanistan. Homeland crossover to come?! Hoffman and his partner work on a sting operation.

True Terror with Robert Englund (Travel Channel, 10 p.m.): SERIES PREMIERE. Horror legend Robert Englund hosts this docu-drama series about twisted tales ripped straight from the headlines from yesteryear.✔️

Twenties (BET, 10 p.m.): Time is against Hattie as she dashes through Hollywood on various assignments from Ida B while Nia struggles in an audition.

Vintage Voltage (Motor Trend, 10 p.m.): SERIES PREMIERE. I think this is a full TV version of the YouTube channel Vintage Voltage Conversions. In it, vintage cars and converted to electric vehicles.

Year of the Rabbit (IFC, 10:30 p.m.): When a seemingly mad poisoner takes a group of young women hostage and threatens to release deadly gas, Rabbit must handle the crisis. Stop looking at his missing eyebrow! The dog ate it off last Christmas.

FOR THE RECORDBizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations (Cooking Channel); Borderforce USA (National Geographic); Bride & Prejudice (Lifetime); The Deed: Chicago (CNBC); Expedition Unknown: After the Hunt (Discovery Channel); The Funny Dance Show (E!, 10:30 p.m.); House Hunters International/House Hunters (HGTV); In Pursuit with John Walsh (Investigation Discovery); Richard Hammond's Big (Science); Tournament of Champions (Food Network)

🕚 EASTERN / 🕙 CENTRAL

FOR THE RECORDBlind Date (Bravo, 11:30 p.m.)

Late-Night Talk & Satire

The Dick Cavett Show ðŸ“º (Decades, 9 p.m.): Shirley Temple Black, Mabel Mercer, Rod Gilbert, and Robert Theobold (19 Oct 1972)
Johnny Carson ðŸ“º (Antenna TV, 10 p.m.): Louis Gossett Jr., Argus Hamilton, and Richard Kline (18 Mar 1983)

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Note: All times are Eastern.
Key SourcesThe Futon Critic (outline); Zap2it (descriptions); TV Passport (throwbacks)
⭐: Top pick(s)
💲: Game show
📺: Throwback
✔️: Midlevel video/gif

Happy watching, everyone!

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