HGTV gets back to the garden
Winter may seem pretty while watching the Olympics, but for those of us still shoveling snow, it’s getting decidedly old.
So it’s smart of HGTV to schedule a “Fixer-Upper” (9 p.m., TV-G) in mid-February dedicated to planning an expansive garden. But since this is the province of the camera-friendly Chip and Joanna Gaines, it won’t be just any pea patch.
Look for a perfectly constructed garden big enough to contain fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers, as well as a chicken coop, a chicken run and a garden shed as big as a cottage.
Beyond mere function, the shed will feature a combination of antique doors, cedar shingles and a stone fireplace in order to keep the look in sync with an older home.
Look for shenanigans from Chip and flirtatious glances from Joanna and more proof that networks like HGTV have moved beyond instructional howto series to present documentary-style variations on family sitcoms, complete with product placements.
‘BACHELOR’ GAMES
ABC counters the Olympic Games with the two-hour special “The Bachelor Winter Games” (8 p.m., TV-14). It features a reunion of 25 contestants from past installments of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette.” Trista and Ryan Sutter are treated like franchise royalty, Chris Harrison hosts and country singer Ruthie Collins performs. This all takes place over four episodes in Manchester, Vermont. Help yourself.
FINANCIAL ANARCHY
Fear of terrorism and the demonization of immigrant groups are just some of the themes from nearly a century ago explored on the “American Experience” (9 p.m., PBS, TV-PG) installment “The Bombing of Wall Street.”
On Sept. 16, 1920, dynamite exploded outside the offices of J.P. Morgan, killing 38 people and turning the financial district into a war zone. While the crime was never solved, it helped galvanize federal efforts to systematize files on dangerous radicals, an effort undertaken by an ambitious young man named J. Edgar Hoover.
“Bombing” explores the fears of foreign extremists, communists and anarchists stemming from World War I and the Russian Revolution and the deep suspicions of foreign-born Russian and Italian immigrants.
For reasons unknown, earlier acts of terror, including the assassinations of the president of France in 1894 and U.S. President William McKinley in 1901 are ignored, even though both were killed by anarchists. But “Bombing” clocks in at less than an hour, so there’s only so much history you can include.
ROM-COM REUNION
On the eve of Valentine’s Day, “20/20” (10 p.m., ABC) celebrates romantic films and interviews stars who appeared in some memorable scenes, including Katherine Heigl, from “27 Dresses”; Nia Vardalos and Andrea Martin from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”; and Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan from the “Fifty Shades” films. Not sure if I’d file “Fifty Shades” under romance, though.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
› 2018 Winter Olympics coverage (8 p.m., NBC) includes figure skating, alpine skiing and snowboarding, as well as more figure skating (7 p.m., NBCSN).
› A man searches for a stranger who came to his aid on the streets of New York on 9/11 on “We’ll Meet Again” (8 p.m., PBS, TV-PG).
› A celebrity client seeks redress on “Bull” (9 p.m., CBS, repeat, TV-14).
› Pride’s team pulls an end-run on “NCIS: New Orleans” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
› “Frontline” (10 p.m., PBS) looks at the crackdown on gangs, particularly MS-13, often cited by the president in his remarks about the dangers of unsecured borders.
› Annie remains doubtful as clues about Jesse emerge on “Bellevue” (10 p.m., WGN, TV-MA).
› Snow daze on “NCIS” (8 p.m., CBS, repeat, TV-PG).
› Hospitals can be murder on “Lethal Weapon” (8 p.m., Fox, repeat, TV-14).
› Katie Sackhoff gueststars on “The Flash” (8 p.m., CW, repeat, TV-PG).
› Adultery at 20,000 feet on “LA to Vegas” (9 p.m., Fox, repeat, TV-14).