On the eve of the Winter Olympics, Lifetime dramatizes one of the greatest stories from the 2012 summer games. Gabby Douglas (Sydney Mikayla, Imani Hakim) became the first African American to win the individual all-around gold medal in artistic gymnastics, while her mother, Natalie (Regina King), offered conspicuous emotional support
Read More →Everyone without HBO keeps asking me: Is the third season of “Girls” any good? Does the series hold up as a satire of post-collegiate millennials grasping for meaning in New York City? Is creator-writer-star Lena Dunham really the voice of her generation? Yes, yes and yes. Take this week’s episode
Read More →When last we saw Sherlock Holmes on “Masterpiece” two years ago, he had seemingly jumped to his death as a way of saving his friends. Since then fans have speculated on how he might have survived, and the long-awaited new season of “Sherlock” takes pleasure in teasing us about our
Read More →Matthew McConaughey turned in a performance for the ages in “Dallas Buyers Club,” and damned if he doesn’t turn in another in “True Detective” (Sunday, 8 p.m., HBO). He plays Rust Cohle, a one-of-a-kind Louisiana detective investigating a murder with occult overtones. We watch Rust and his partner, Martin Hart
Read More →You might not think you want to watch a two-hour documentary about chemicals. But “The Poisoner’s Handbook” tells a fascinating tale about pioneers in the use of toxicology for criminal investigations and public health (Tuesday, 7 p.m., PBS). Charles Norris and Alexander Gettler began working in the New York City
Read More →This year’s “Kennedy Center Honors” (Sunday, 8 p.m., CBS) celebrates jazz innovator Herbie Hancock, guitarist Carlos Santana, movie star Shirley MacLaine, opera singer Martina Arroyo and pianist Billy Joel for their contributions to American culture. I was going to maintain a discreet silence about the choice of honorees, having tired
Read More →What are the odds of a black-and-white 1950s sitcom being funny in 2013? Extremely low — unless the sitcom is “I Love Lucy.” In the “I Love Lucy Christmas Special” (Friday, 7 p.m.), CBS offers us a holiday gift by airing two 1956 episodes, “The Christmas Episode” and “Lucy’s Italian
Read More →Creator Steve Franks has made a success out of “Psych,” the comedy-drama about a private investigator who fakes psychic powers but now faces the challenge of freshening things up after seven seasons. Franks goes for broke with “Psych: The Musical,” a two-hour, over-the-top Broadway-style episode (Sunday, 8 p.m., USA). That’s
Read More →The real Bonnie and Clyde were grotesque killers with no redeeming qualities. But the new TV movie “Bonnie and Clyde” (Sunday and Monday, 8 p.m., A&E, Lifetime and History) swathes them in glamour. As played by Emile Hirsch and Holliday Grainger, they’re Depression-era hotties who look fabulous while robbing banks
Read More →The final run of “Treme” (Sunday, 8 p.m., HBO) begins with Barack Obama’s election in 2008. We see a clip of Obama alluding to Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” in his acceptance speech, and that song becomes a leitmotif in the episode. The New Orleans neighborhood of Treme
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