What's On Tonight (Friday): Don't Worry, Be Happy...

  

Be Happy

There are only six premieres today and no returning series.  That's pretty slow for a Friday.  Even though the choices are limited, some of them appear decent.  I wrestled a bit with what to give Top Pick, but one thing was clear from the get-go: no way in Hell was I going to give it to The Electric State.  On the surface that movie is right up my alley (sci-fi, robots, giant robots, etc), but we all know to be wary of the Russo brothers outside of the MCU and their work on Community.  I'm sure plenty of people will tune in to see Star Lord and Eleven this weekend.  I'm sure I'll hear about it if I'm wrong.

Of the other options, we have a new stand up special from Bill Burr, who is very funny but not always someone I agree with or even like.  We also have the premiere of Dope Thief, which features an almost unrecognizable Kate Mulgrew in a supporting role.  Ultimately, I went with the premiere of the Indian father-daughter dramedy, Be Happy on Amazon Prime.  

The film is about a young girl who wants to be a dancer, and her widowed father who loves his daughter but doesn't seem to know what to make of her.  It looks charming, and the actress playing the daughter is about the cutest thing ever.  It's mostly in Hindi, so you might have some reading to do (not sure if Bezos sprung for a dub).

Oh, and there's a metric shit ton of men's college basketball happening today.  You'll have plenty of chances to get to know the teams before March Madness begins.

TOP PICK

⭐🎥 Be Happy (Amazon, 3:01 AM) 'Revolves around the life of a single father whose daughter aspires to make it in the dancing industry.'

Elsewhere...

PREMIERES

🔔 Dope Thief (Apple, 12:01 AM) SERIES PRMIERE. 'Follows long-time Philly friends and delinquents who pose as DEA agents to rob an unknown house in the countryside, only to have their small-time grift become a life-and-death enterprise, as they unwittingly reveal and unravel the biggest hidden narcotics corridor on the Eastern Seaboard. Starring Brian Tyree Henry, Wagner Moura and Kate Mulgrew.'

😂 Bill Burr: Drop Dead Years (Hulu, 12:01 AM) SPECIAL PRESENTATION. 'In what might be his most personal and introspective hour yet, Bill offers hilarious takes on everything from male sadness to dating advice.'

🎥 The Electric State (Netflix, 3:01 AM) 'An orphaned teen hits the road with a mysterious robot to find her long-lost brother, teaming up with a smuggler and his wisecracking sidekick. Starring Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt.'

🎥 My Husband's Mistress (Tubi, 3:01 AM) 'A successful businesswoman uncovers her husband's affair and sets out to destroy his career and his life.'

🎥 What Would You Kill For? (LMN, 8:00 PM) 'A woman becomes the prime suspect when her ex-husband and business partner is found dead in their restaurant. Desperate to prove her innocence and protect her adopted daughter, she must figure out what really happened and who she can trust.'

STREAMING

🔔 Severance (Apple, 12:01 AM) "The After Hours" 

🔔 Surface (Apple, 12:01 AM) "Legacy" 

🔔 Newtopia (Amazon, 3:01 AM) 

🔔 Paradis City (Amazon, 3:01 AM) 

⚖️ Tribunal Justice (Amazon, 3:01 AM) 

🔔 Übel Blatt (Amazon, 3:01 AM) 

🔔 When No One Sees Us (Max, 3:01 AM) 

🍊 When Life Gives You Tangerines (Netflix, 3:01 AM) 

🐝 Yellowjackets (Paramount, 3:01 AM) "Thanksgiving (Canada)" 

🦸‍♀️ DC Studios Showcase: The Official Podcast (Max, 3:01 PM) 

👮 Cops (Fox Nation, 6:00 PM) 

🔔 The Graham Norton Show (AMC+, 11:00 PM) 

Dope Thief

METRIC SHIT TON OF MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

🏀 Atlantic 10 Tournament: TBA vs VCU (USA, 11:30 AM)
🏀 C-USA Tournament: TBA vs Liberty (CBSSN, 12:30 PM)
🏀 SEC Tournament: TBA vs Auburn (ESPN, 1:00 PM)
🏀 AAC Tournament: TBA vs Memphis (ESPN2, 1:00 PM)
🏀 Atlantic 10 Tournament: TBA vs Loyola-Chicago (USA, 2:00 PM)
🏀 C-USA Tournament: TBA vs Jacksonville State (CBSSN, 3:00 PM)
🏀 AAC Tournament: TBA vs Tulane (ESPN2, 3:00 PM)
🏀 SEC Tournament: TBA vs Tennessee (ESPN, 3:30 PM)
🏀 MAC Tournament, First Semifinal: Teams TBA (CBSSN, 5:00 PM)
🏀 Atlantic 10 Tournament: TBA vs George Mason (USA, 5:00 PM)
🏀 Big East Tournament, First Semifinal: Teams TBA (Fox, 6:30 PM)
🏀 ACC Tournament, First Semifinal: Teams TBA (ESPN, 7:00 PM)
🏀 Big 12 Tournament, First Semifinal: Teams TBA (ESPN2, 7:00 PM)
🏀 AAC Tournament: TBA vs North Texas (ESPNU, 7:00 PM)
🏀 MAC Tournament, Second Semifinal: Teams TBA (CBSSN, 7:30 PM)
🏀 Big East Tournament, Second Semifinal: Teams TBA (Fox, 9:00 PM)
🏀 Mountain West Tournament, First Semifinal: Teams TBA (CBSSN, 9:30 PM)
🏀 ACC Tournament, Second Semifinal: Teams TBA (ESPN, 9:30 PM)
🏀 AAC Tournament: TBA vs Alabama-Birmingham (ESPN, 9:30 PM)
🏀 Big 12 Tournament, Second Semifinal: Teams TBA (ESPN2, 9:30 PM)
🏀 Big West Tournament: TBA vs UC Irvine (ESPN2, 11:30 PM)
🏀 Mountain West Tournament, Second Semifinal: Teams TBA (CBSSN, 12:00 AM); 

ALL OTHER SPORTSBALL TODAY/TONIGHT

🏌️‍♀️ 2025 Players Championship: Second Round (Golf, 1:00 PM)

🏀 Women's College Basketball: America East Tournament: Vermont at Albany (NY) (ESPNU, 5:00 PM)

⚽ NWSL Soccer: Orlando Pride vs. Chicago Stars FC (Amazon, 8:00 PM)

EARLY PRIMETIME

🧽 SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon, 7:00 PM) 'Plankton wins the cutest baby contest and becomes the face of a baby food brand; when Squidward's one-off portrait of SpongeBob takes the art world by storm, he has no choice but to produce more.'

🕗 8:00 EASTERN / 🕖 7:00 CENTRAL

🦈 Shark Tank (ABC, 8:00 PM) 'A one-of-a-kind icebreaker game; a practical hat storage solution; a no-mess chicken feeder; a construction-themed park for families.'

🦘 NCIS: Sydney (CBS, 8:00 PM) 'The suspected suicide of a former U.S. Navy SEAL leads the team to a wellness retreat to investigate a group of his fellow former SEAL buddies.'

🔔 Penn & Teller: Fool Us (CW, 8:00 PM) 'Featured magicians include Clark Payne, Zabrecky, Laser Kiwi and Peter Samelson.'

🔔 RuPaul's Drag Race (MTV, 8:00 PM) 'As a tribute to Truman Capote and his Swans, the queens must act up a storm in a high camp tale of betrayal. Cheyenne Jackson (American Horror Story) directs; singer Sam Smith guest judges.'

🔔 Power Book III: Raising Kanan (Starz, 8:00 PM) 'Fifteen-year-old Kanan Stark is eager to join his family's growing drug business in 1990s South Jamaica, Queens.'

🔔 Happy's Place (NBC, 8:00 PM) 
💀 Cold Case Files: Dead West (A&E, 8:00 PM) 

💰 Gold Rush (Discovery Channel, 8:00 PM) 
🎥 What Would You Kill For? (LMN, 8:00 PM) 
💖 Ready to Love (OWN, 8:00 PM) SEASON FINALE. 

👮 On Patrol: First Shift (Reelz, 8:00 PM) 

🤼‍♂️ WWE's Friday Night Smackdown (USA, 8:00 PM) 
💖 Love After Lockup: Crime Story (WE, 8:00 PM) SEASON FINALE. 

The Electric State

🕗 9:00 EASTERN / 🕖 8:00 CENTRAL

🔥 Fire Country (CBS, 9:00 PM) 'Bode and Jake respond to a lighthouse rescue operation that turns into a mission to prevent a ship from crashing during an intense storm; Eve investigates the origins of a flu outbreak at Three Rock.'

🔔 Masters of Illusion (CW, 9:00 PM) 'Featured magicians include Trino, Ed Alonzo, Eric Jones, Joel Meyers, Jeki Yoo, Joshua Jay, My Uyen, Nathaniel Segal, Dan Sperry and Farrell Dillon.'

💀 Dateline NBC (NBC, 9:00 PM) 
💀 Cold Case Files: Dead West (A&E, 9:00 PM) 
🐟 Harpoon Hunters (Discovery Channel, 9:00 PM) 
🍴 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives (Food, 9:00 PM) 
🏠 My Lottery Dream House (HGTV, 9:00 PM) 
👽 Ancient Aliens (History, 9:00 PM) 
👮 On Patrol: Live (Reelz, 9:00 PM) 
🔔 Toya & Reginae (WE, 9:00 PM) SEASON FINALE. 
🔔 20/20 (ABC, 9:01 PM) 
🔔 RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked (MTV, 9:30 PM) 

🕗 10:00 EASTERN / 🕖 9:00 CENTRAL

👮‍♂️ S.W.A.T. (CBS, 10:00 PM) 'S.W.A.T.'s anti-terror sting operation at a bus station is thrown into chaos when felons, fleeing the police, burst in and take the bus station hostage; Bennett redoubles her efforts to force Hicks out as S.W.A.T.'s commander.'

🔔 Mysteries from Above (History, 10:03 PM) 'Strange markings in the remote reaches of Northern Finland; drones find a Manhattan-sized mystery in the depths of a Vietnamese cave; secrets are no longer hidden in the Antarctic; a lost sky-high world in Mozambique gets a visit from above.'

💰 Outback Opal Hunters (Discovery, 10:00 PM) 
🔔 Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO, 10:00 PM) 
💀 Cold Case Files: Dead West (A&E, 10:01 PM) SEASON FINALE. 

LATE NIGHT

🔔 The Graham Norton Show (BBC America, 11:00 PM) SEASON FINALE. 'Guest host Claudia Winkleman welcomes Chris Pratt, Toby Jones, Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Rob Beckett to the red sofa. Plus music from singer-songwriter Rachel Chinouriri.'

🔔 After Midnight (CBS, 12:37 AM) 'Actor Drew Tarver; actress Melanie Lynskey; actress Mary Holland; special appearance by actor Morris Chestnut.'

🔔 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC, 11:34 PM) 
🔔 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS, 11:35 PM) 
🔔 Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC, 12:05 PM) 
🔔 Late Night with Seth Myers (NBC, 12:37 AM) 
🔔 Nightline (ABC, 1:07 AM)

📺Broadcast/Cable/Satellite - RETRO BINGE📺

Law & Order (Pop, 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM); The Andy Griffith Show (Sundance, 6:00 AM - 1:00 PM); Futurama (Comedy Central, 7:00 AM - 10:00 AM); Roseanne (CMT, 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM); Living Single (TV One, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM); M*A*S*H* (TVLand, 9:00 AM - 10:45 AM); South Park (Comedy Central, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM); Gunsmoke (TVLand, 11:50 AM - 4:00 PM); Seinfeld (Comedy Central, 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM); The Andy Griffith Show (TVLand, 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM); Family Ties (Antenna, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM); The Office (Comedy Central, 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM); The Drew Carey Show (Antenna, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM); Three's Company (Antenna, 7:00 PM); Everybody Loves Raymond (TVLand, 7:00 PM - 11:05 PM); The Ropers (Antenna, 7:30 PM); The Jeffersons (Antenna, 8:00 PM -9:00 PM); Barney Miller (Antennae, 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM); Becker (Antenna, 10:00 PM - 11:00 PM); The King of Queens (TVLand, 11:05 PM - 2:00 AM); Wings (12:30 AM); Designing Women (Antenna, 1:00 AM - 2:00 AM)

📺 Johnny Carson (Antenna, 11:00 PM) 'Actor Richard Harris; actress Ann Turkel; actor Buck Henry; David Horowitz.'

Bill Burr: The Drop Dead Years

Key Sources: The Futon Critic; Zap2it; Netflix; Wikipedia; Horrornews.net; Sysfy.com; hollywoodreporter.com

⭐: Top Pick
💲: Game show
🎥: Movie
📺: Throwback
✔️: Video/gif/photo included