WEDNESDAY’S BEST PICKS
1 PM ( CNN) Presidential Inauguration The inauguration of Joseph R. Biden
Jr. as the 46th president of the United States promises to be an event unlike any previous such occasion, with some familiar traditions eschewed in light of health concerns vis-a-vis the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, Biden’s transition team has been actively urging the American public to stay home and share in the ceremonies either via the massive coverage from the broadcast networks and major cable news outlets or several streaming options. Public safety, not pomp, is the prime consideration for these ceremonies.
8 PM G Riverdale Like so many other shows, this teen soap was forced to shut down production last spring before the main characters — most of them high school seniors — got closure with such rites of passage as senior prom and graduation, but no worries: Season 5 will tie up those big events in the first few episodes. Then, buckle up for a sevenyear time jump that will find Archie, Betty, Jughead and Veronica (KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Cole Sprouse, Camila Mendes) struggling with young adulthood.
8 PM ( LIFE) Married at First Sight Ten fearless if nervous singles take what make be the ultimate leap of faith as they meet a complete stranger at the altar and tie the marital knot in the new episode “Hello, Stranger.” They have no way of knowing what the immediate future may hold for them, yet for some, from that first meeting they sense their union is a match made in heaven. One picky groom, however, isn’t shy about betraying the fact that his new wife isn’t what he expected or hoped for.
9 PM G Nancy Drew This audacious new reboot of the vintage Carolyn Keene literary mysteries served ample notice in Season 1 that this is not your grandmother’s “Nancy Drew,” as Kennedy McMann’s resourceful female sleuth is played as a very modern young woman with a mind — and occasionally a libido — of her own. As the series opens Season 2, watch for those supernatural elements like sea spirits and curses to become even more prominent. Scott Wolf, Maddison Jaizani and Alex Saxon are among the returning series veterans.
10 PM ^ When Disaster Strikes This three-part docuseries about valiant human responses to devastating natural disasters concludes with “Paradise Lost: Bahamas,” which recalls the almost incalculable loss exacted by Hurricane Dorian in its August 2019 strike on two of the largest and most populated islands, more than earning its malevolent status as the strongest storm in Bahamas history. In the aftermath, government ministers, international aid workers and survivors struggle to contain the rampant chaos. 10 PM ( HBO) C.B. Strike Based on the fourth literary mystery by Robert Galbraith (“Harry Potter” creator J.K. Rowling, writing under a pseudonym), the 2020 sequel “Lethal White: Part 1” opens with a chill in the air between British sleuth Cormoran Strike (Tom Burke) and his partner, Robin Ellacott (Holliday Grainger), following her recent marriage to controlling husband Matthew Cunliffe (Kerr Logan). Distractions arrive in two cases, one involving a strangled child, the other a blackmailed government minister.