FRIDAY’S BEST PICKS
7:30 PM ( DISN) Bunk’d The hit Disney Channel series opens Season 5 with a premiere called “Lou’s Still the Boss, but Now There’s a Ross,” which features a surprise visit from a familiar face: Emma (former series regular Peyton List, guest starring), who stops in at Camp Kikiwaka on her return from a glamorous career as a Milan fashion designer. The occasion sparks much excitement from Lou (Miranda May), counselors Ava and Noah (Shelby Simmons, Israel Johnson), and campers Destiny, Matteo and Finn (Mallory James Mahoney, Raphael Alejandro, Will Buie Jr.).
8 PM & Figure Skating U.S. Figure Skating marks its 100th anniversary this year with its marquee event as top American skaters vie in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which take place at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. In tonight’s Ladies Free Skate, all eyes will be on 15-year-old Alysa Liu, who hopes to become the first woman to win three straight national titles since Michelle Kwan. Coverage of the competitions continues through Jan. 21 on NBC, NBC Sports Network and Peacock.
8 PM ( TNT) MOVIE Ocean’s Eleven George Clooney and company put a modern sheen on the original Rat Pack gathering in director Steven Soderbergh’s (“Traffic”) flashy 2001 update. Clooney plays Danny Ocean, a just-paroled thief who wastes no time organizing a Las Vegas heist — which happens to target his ex-wife’s (Julia Roberts) casino-owning beau (Andy Garcia). Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac and Carl Reiner play other members of the robbery team. Two sequels and the femalecentric “Ocean’s 8” were made later.
8 PM ( DISN) Secrets of Sulphur Springs This new family series stars Preston Oliver (“This Is Us”) as Griffin Campbell, whose family has uprooted their lives and moved to a new town to assume ownership of a run-down hotel, which they hope to restore to its former status as a popular vacation destination. On his first day at his new school, though, Griffin is shaken up by classmates who advise him the hotel is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of a young girl who disappeared decades ago. Josh Braaten, Kelly Frye, Kyliegh Curran and Madeleine McGraw co-star.
9 PM ( OXY) Framed By the Killer Ice-T (“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”) is an executive producer on this new true-crime series, which untangles complicated murder mysteries involving cases in which police felt confident they had the right prime suspect, only to discover that individual had been framed by the true killer. In the premiere, the body of a successful entrepreneur is found on the side of the road. The ensuing investigation leads detectives to a sex cult and, subsequently, into the dark religion of Santeria. 10 PM ^ Great Performances The new episode “The Magic of Callas” revisits superstar soprano Maria Callas’s 1964 return to the opera stage in London, reprising one of her signature roles: the fiery heroine of Puccini’s “Tosca.” Callas hadn’t performed in public for more than two years due to a turbulent social life, and fans feared that jet-set lifestyle had damaged her voice. This London performance, seen via filmed excerpts from the opera’s second act, cemented her stature as a true legend. Interviewees include baritone Thomas Hampson, soprano Kristine Opolais and singersongwriter Rufus Wainwright.
10 PM ( HBO) Real Time With Bill Maher Bill Maher was among the first TV talk show hosts to suggest that if Donald Trump lost his presidential bid for re-election, he would refuse to leave office, and during Maher’s recent holiday hiatus, his speculation proved to be alarmingly prescient. It seems a safe bet that, as this provocative and caustically funny show returns to open Season 19 mere days before President-Elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, the transfer of power will be a main topic of discussion for his panel.
10 PM ( OWN) Belle Collective This new unscripted series from the producers behind “Love & Marriage: Huntsville” charts the professional and personal lives of five glamorous female executives who are taking bold strides to redefine what it means to be a “Southern belle” in Jackson, Miss. These diverse women have teamed up on a common project: rebuilding Farish Street, Jackson’s historic district that once was known as the local hub for Blackowned businesses.