KEEP WARM IN THE GLOW OF YOUR TELEVISION
New shows will have you riding out winter on your couch
Let’s face it, hibernation has never been easier. These new television shows are worth checking out between now and the first signs of spring.
THE CHI
Première is now available on ■ CraveTV; second episode streams Jan. 14, with subsequent episodes streaming weekly Emmy winner Lena Waithe (Master of None) takes a nuanced approach to this drama about kids and young adults living on Chicago’s crime-ridden South Side. There’s a focus on two specific murders, sure, but what’s more striking is how deftly Waithe and her actors create a strong sense of empathy for the characters’ everyday lives. They are more than just bystanders; if one has to compare The Chi to other works in this genre, let’s just say it’s less The Wire and more Treme.
BLACK LIGHTNING
Jan. 16, The CW ■ Whatever happened to Black Lightning, the energy-controlling DC Comics superhero who first appeared in 1977? In this imaginative reboot, Black Lightning retired and, as Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams), became a much-admired high school principal. But with his city terrorized by a violent gang called the One Hundred, Jefferson starts to reconsider. Of course, there are consequences to superhero-ing while black. It’s a thoughtful approach to the genre’s usual tropes, and Williams excels as a conflicted good guy.
THE ASSASSINATION OF GIANNI VERSACE: AMERICAN CRIME STORY
Jan. 17, FX ■ Having ignited a non-fiction re-enactment craze with The People v. O.J. Simpson, Ryan Murphy and company return with this less-remembered tale of the psychopathic serial killer (Andrew Cunanan, played by Darren Criss) who murdered Versace (Edgar Ramirez) on the steps of the fashion mogul’s Miami mansion in 1997. The first episode hits a hoped-for sweet spot between fact and sensation — especially when Donatella Versace (Penélope Cruz) arrives to take over her brother’s empire.
COUNTERPART
Jan. 21, CraveTV ■ Oscar winner J.K. Simmons gets dual roles in this dark mind-bender. In one dimension, Howard Silk is a longtime shmo who labours at a desk job in a Berlin-based UN intelligence office; but in another dimension, he’s a ruthless agent who must cross over to this dimension to take care of some deadly business. Bullets fly, but it’s more interesting to watch Simmons in scenes where Howards No. 1 and 2 realize how different — yet still alike — they are.
ALTERED CARBON
Feb. 2, Netflix ■ This series adaptation of Richard K. Morgan’s 2002 cyberpunk novel certainly looks like a million bucks, based on a quick preview of the pilot episode. It’s set in the 2400s, where consciousness is digitized and transferable on vertebrae-like hard drives.
RISE
March 13, NBC ■ Loosely based on journalist Michael Sokolove’s book Drama High, this engaging series from Jason Katims (Friday Night Lights) takes some of Glee’s exuberance and mixes it with a This Is Us-style feel.