Various Networks, 1:00 p.m. ET
In some ways, the start of America’s second televised Presidential impeachment trial is designed to mirror the first one, when President Bill Clinton was judged by the U.S. Senate. Twenty-hours are set aside, at the beginning, for the two sides to present their opening arguments. The difference is that, this time, the party in power in the Senate has mandated that those 24-hour periods be confined to two days – today and tomorrow, split basically into 12-hour blocks. And because U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has other duties each morning, the impeachment hearings over which he presides don’t begin until 1 p.m. ET, when all news operations will be providing live coverage. This pushes some of the arguments and facts to the other side of midnight – and, for two days, has the added benefit (in some partisan political quarters) of effectively silencing or overriding both the evening newscasts and the prime-time cable public affairs shows. For clear summaries of today’s events, watch your favorite news outlet tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, it’s Tuesday Politics Live! – an amazing, historic TV offering.
NBC, 9:00 p.m. ET
Sometimes, all you need to know about an episode of This Is Us, regarding how emotionally packed it will be, is revealed by its title. Tonight’s title is “A Hell of a Week, Part 1,” which suggests a doozy tonight. And next week, with “Part 2,” it hints at an emotional episode that’s even doozier.