What's On Tonight (Friday): This Man Called Chuck...

The Life of Chuck

Most of the good stuff premiered earlier this week.  I don't even get the Pluribus season finale.  It's not all bad though.  Today's Top Pick is the Mike Flannigan directed The Life of Chuck.  This is based on a Stephen King short story that is fantastical but has nothing to do with horror.  I was surprised when I read this was being made as the story is very high concept and couldn't have been easy to adapt.  Reactions have been mixed with some people connecting with and loving the film while others very much do not.  

⭐🎥 The Life of Chuck (Hulu, 12:01 AM) STREAMING PREMIERE. 'From childhood to adulthood, Charles "Chuck" Krantz experiences the wonder of love, the heartbreak of loss, and the multitudes contained in all of us.'

Elsewhere...  

 PREMIERES

Bugonia

🎥 Jester 2 (AMC+/Shudder, 3:01 AM) 'On Halloween night, teen magician Max finds herself locked in a brutal showdown with the Jester, a nightmarish and supernatural trickster with real dark magic and a killer act.'

🔔 Cashero (Netflix, 3:01 AM) LIMITED SERIES. 'The ability to draw power from cash turns a salaryman into a hero. With quirky allies facing waves of villains, can he defeat evil on a tight budget?'

🎥 Cover-up (Netflix, 3:01 AM) 'Cover-Up is a political thriller that traces the explosive career of Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Seymour Hersh. Urgent and deeply reported, Cover-Up is both a portrait of a relentless journalist and an indictment of institutional violence and the cycles of impunity in the U.S. military and intelligence agencies.'

🎥 Bugonia (Peacock, 3:01 AM) STREAMING PREMIERE. 'Two conspiracy obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.'

🎥 The Child They Hid (LMN, 8:00 PM) 'After a young woman gifts DNA test kits to her family, she discovers she's at the heart of a family secret that leads to murder.'

🎵 Popstar: Best of 2025 (CW, 8:00 PM) SPECIAL PRESENTATION. 'Ring in the New Year by celebrating the biggest moments of 2025! Host Elizabeth Stanton will count down the greatest moments of 2025 from Popstar! Magazine.'

🔔 Junk or Jackpot? (HGTV, 9:30 PM) SERIES PREMIERE. 'Design expert, television host and Emmy Award winner Bobby Berk (Queer Eye) will help collectors turn chaos into dream spaces that honor their prized possessions.'

STREAMING

🔔 Jasmine (HBO Max, 12:01 AM) 

👰‍♀️ Bridezillas (All Reality, 3:01 AM) 'Cryzilla & D.I.Y.zilla' 

🏒 Heated Rivalry (HBO Max, 3:01 AM) SEASON FINALE. 

🔔 The Nightclub: Stories from Turkish Nightlife (HBO Max, 3:01 AM) 

🔔 Tougen Anki (Netflix, 11:31 AM) 

Jester 2

LIVE SPORTSBALL TODAY/TONIGHT

🏈 College Football: GameAbove Sports Bowl: Central Michigan Chippewas vs Northwestern Wildcats (ESPN, 1:00 PM)

🏈 College Football: Rate Bowl: New Mexico Lobos vs Minnesota Golden Gophers (ESPN, 4:30 PM)

🏀 NBA Basketball: Boston Celtics at Indiana Pacers (Amazon, 7:30 PM)

🏈 College Football: First Responder Bowl: Florida International Panthers vs UTSA Roadrunners Gophers (ESPN, 8:00 PM)

🏀 NBA Basketball: LA Clippers at Portland Trailblazers (Amazon, 10:00 PM)

🕖 8:00 EASTERN / 🕖 7:00 CENTRAL

🌊 Inside the Enchanted Waterways (Nat Geo Wild, 8:00 PM) 'Uncover the profound significance and uncertain future of our rivers.'

🔔 Power Book IV: Force (Starz, 8:00 PM) 'After a major shakeup, Tommy moves fast to rebuild, and the stakes are higher than ever.'

🎵 Popstar: Best of 2025 (CW, 8:00 PM) 
💰 Gold Rush (Discovery, 8:00 PM) 
🎥 The Child They Hid (LMN, 8:00 PM) 
💖 Ready to Love (OWN, 8:00 PM) 

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

🤼‍♂️ WWE's Friday Night Smackdown (USA, 8:00 PM) 

🕗 9:00 EASTERN / 🕖 8:00 CENTRAL

👽 The Unbelievable with Dan Ackroyd (History, 9:00 PM) 'These are the stories of history's most unusual pastimes, some fascinating, some dangerous, but each of them completely unbelievable.'

🌊 Inside the Enchanted Waterways (Nat Geo Wild, 8:00 PM) 'Our planet's freshwater lakes are cradles of life.'

⚔️ Spartacus: House of Ashur (Starz, 9:00 PM) 'Ashur presents Achillia to the public, where she faces her first battle in the arena.'

🔔 20/20 (ABC, 9:00 PM) 
🏠 My Lottery Dream Home (HGTV, 9:00 PM) 
👮 On Patrol: Live (Reelz, 9:00 PM) 
💀 Dateline NBC (NBC, 9:01 PM) 
🪓 The Last Woodsman (Discovery Channel, 9:08 PM) 
🔔 Junk or Jackpot? (HGTV, 9:30 PM) 

Cashero

🕗 10:00 EASTERN / 🕖 9:00 CENTRAL

🔔 It's Florida, Man (HBO, 10:00 PM) 'In rural central Florida, an opportunist taps into his connections with local moonshiners to make a quick buck, but things take a turn when his crew stumbles upon another illegal operation.'

LATE NIGHT

🔔 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS, 11:35 PM) 'Actress Laura Dern; author Andrew Ross Sorkin; holiday "First Drafts" with Evie McGee Colbert.'

🔔 Late Night with Seth Myers (NBC, 12:37 AM) 'Actress Rose Byrne; sports analysts Sean Casey and Mark DeRosa; comic Caleb Hearon.'

🔔 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC, 11:34 PM) 
🔔 Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC, 11:35 PM) 
🔔 Nightline (ABC, 12:37 AM)

📺Broadcast/Cable/Satellite - RETRO BINGE📺

The Andy Griffiths Show (Sundance, 5:30 AM - 1:00 PM); Law & Order (Pop, 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM); Friends (TBS, 6:00 AM - 4:30 AM); South Park (Comedy Central, 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM); Living Single (TV One, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM); M*A*S*H* (TVLand, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM); Gunsmoke (TVLand, 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM); The Andy Griffith Show (TVLand, 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM); Family Ties (Antenna, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM); 227 (Antenna, 6:30 PM - 7:00 PM); The Jeffersons (Antenna, 7:00 PM -9:00 PM); Everybody Loves Raymond (TVLand, 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM); Barney Miller (Antennae, 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM); Becker (Antenna, 10:00 PM - 11:00 PM); The Golden Girls (Hallmark, 10:00 PM - 1:00 AM); The King of Queens (TVLand, 11:00 PM - 2:00 AM); Wings (Antenna, 12:30 - 1:00 AM); The Drew Carey Show (Antenna, 1:00 AM - 2:00 AM)

📺 Johnny Carson (Antenna, 11:00 PM) 'Actress Diane Keaton; actor Gene Hackman; Mike Preminger; Patrick McGrady.'

Cover-up

\Key Sources: The Futon Critic; Rotten Tomatoes; YouTube; TV Guide; TV Passport

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