Apple TV+, 3:00 a.m. ET
SEASON PREMIERE: Hailee Steinfeld returns as Emily Dickinson for Season 2 of this aggressively anachronistic period piece. It’s an examination of celebrity and ambition, artistic angst, and sexism that has fun mixing old and new: this season, when someone close to the poet begins spreading word of Emily’s literary output, that person is referred to by Emily, admirably, as “an influencer.” The first three episodes of Season 2 drop today on Apple TV+, with the remaining episodes unveiled one per week. And Emily Dickinson isn’t the only famous poet showcased this season in Dickinson. Also appearing – Nick Kroll of the hilarious Oh, Hello as Edgar Allan Poe. Quoth the raven: Gimmemore.
Netflix, 3:00 a.m. ET
SERIES PREMIERE: This nonfiction series presents a series of conversations with author and outspoken New Yorker Fran Lebowitz. Some were taped, over the years, at live pre-pandemic appearances in which she converses in front of an audience with the likes of Spike Lee and Toni Morrison. The remainder are new, presenting casual conversations in which she discusses New York, and sometimes herself, with longtime friend Martin Scorsese, who also directs. HBO showcased Lebowitz similarly in 2010’s Public Speaking, which Scorsese also directed, and which the author basically presented herself as the sit-down version of a standup comic, throwing out pithy observations and slam-dunk one-liners. It’s not as polished or focused as a full-length book – but Lebowitz hasn’t written one of those for 40 years now. So what you see is what you get…
Syndicated, 7:30 p.m. ET
Today’s episode of Jeopardy! is the final episode hosted by Alex Trebek, and is structured to include some forms of tribute to his popularity, impact and longevity. Trebek died of pancreatic cancer Nov. 8, 2020, after hosting the revival of the game show steadily since 1984. This episode was taped Oct. 29, little more than a week before his death, making this installment a poignant one not to miss. The syndicated show appears at different times and on different channels in separate local TV markets, so… Check local listings.
BBC America, 11:00 p.m. ET
The laughs reliably provided by Graham Norton’s show are sorely, sorely needed this week, so I can’t wait to see how Tom Hanks makes fellow Graham Norton Show guest Emily Blunt collapse with laughter.
TCM, 2:30 a.m. ET
Curtis Harrington directed this somewhat neglected 1967 thriller, which stars a pre-Godfather James Caan, and a just-pre-Graduate Katharine Ross, as a wealthy, somewhat twisted couple who engage in increasingly elaborate and sinister mind games. Simone Signoret co-stars as someone else drawn into the “fun,” which descends quickly into the macabre, and possibly even to murder. Games rarely is televised, so take this late-night opportunity to watch or record it.