Screentime January 1–7, 2023

CoVer sTory

By Jay Bobbin

Television isn’t wasting any time introducing new shows for the new year, and one of the first brings a literary sleuth to life.

Premiering Tuesday, Jan, 3, ABC’s “Will Trent” is inspired by Karin Slaughter’s best sellers about a nattily dressed Atlanta man who was raised in the foster-care system and now works for the Georgia Bureau of Investigations.

Played by Ramon Rodriguez (“The Wire,” “The Affair”), Trent has a human touch, but it doesn’t keep him from trading on-the-job barbs with his sometimes girlfriend ... police detective Angie Polaski (Erika Christensen, “Parenthood”), with whom he

grew up, and who has her own dark past.

The pleasant Rodriguez surmises that for novelist Slaughter, who isn’t a constant presence on the “Will Trent” set but has visited, “It’s got to be surreal and strange” to see her creation leap from page to screen. “You’ve had something in your head for years, and now it’s coming to life. As with all things, everyone has their own interpretation, but it was wonderful to meet her and just give her thanks for creating such a compelling character.”

Rodriguez admits he didn’t know the “Will Trent” books before joining the television project, but he then “dove into them. I really fell in love with this character, how he functions with the secrets that he has, and how he

perseveres in so many ways despite everything he’s been through. There are parts of that that I definitely can relate to. He’s just trying to figure out his way in the world, like so many of us are.”

The well-groomed look, which others in the show often comment on, is a major component of the Will Trent character. “Our incredible costume designer did an amazing job with these suits, which are a lot more favorable now than in mid-summer,” Rodriguez reflects. “How Will puts himself together and presents himself is a large part of who he is. It’s a sort of armor he puts on, and every time you wear that kind of suit, it changes you. There’s no way it can’t.” The actor appreciates that the suits

also are “a little baggy, a little loose.”

Rodriguez also is an executive producer of “Will Trent” along with Slaughter, Liz Heldens (“The Dropout”) and others. Cast regulars also include Sonja Sohn — another veteran of “The Wire” — as Trent’s boss Amanda Wagner and Iantha Richardson (“This Is Us”) as his investigative partner Faith Mitchell.

“We know how many procedural cop shows there are out there,” Rodriguez reasons, “so with every aspect of this show, from the visual language to the characters to the stories, I think everyone involved is trying to elevate this into something that is unique.”

Ramon Rodriguez stars in “Will Trent,” premiering Tuesday on ABC.

The STREAM Scene

“Movie: The Black Phone”

Scott Derrickson (“Sinister,” “Deliver Us From Evil”) directed this creepy 2021 supernatural horror tale about Finney (Mason Thames, “For All Mankind”), a 13-yearold abducted by a child killer known as The Grabber (Ethan Hawke). The boy begins receiving calls on a disconnected phone while locked in his soundproof basement prison. Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies and James Ransone also star

“Fate of a Sport” Michael Doneger (“Brampton’s Own”) is director and producer of this documentary about Paul and Mike Rabil, brothers who must raise capital, fight off lawsuits, persevere through a global pandemic and poach the top players from a rival league in their quest to start the Premier Lacrosse League. (ORIGINAL)

“Kaleidoscope”

Loosely inspired by a real story, this limited anthology series spans 25 years as it follows a crew of masterful thieves and their attempt to crack a seemingly unbreakable vault for the biggest payday in history. Giancarlo Esposito, Rufus Sewell, Paz Vega, Tati Gabrielle, Peter Mark Kendall, Rosaline Elbay and Jai Courtney are in the solid cast. (ORIGINAL)

In Focus

“The Way Home” (Hallmark Channel — series premiere, Jan. 15)

More than 20 years ago, life changing events prompted Kat Landry (Chyler Leigh) to move away from her hometown. She remains estranged from her mother Del (Andie MacDowell), and Kat’s daughter Alice (Sadie Laflamme-Snow) has never met her grandmother and is unaware of the reasons for their fractured family. But with Kat’s marriage coming to an end and having just been laid off from her job, she decides to return home after receiving an unexpected letter from Del urging her to come back in this series premiere.

“Star Wars: The Bad Batch: Season 2” (Jan. 4) The 16-episode second season of this animated adventure series picks up months after the events on Kamino and finds the Bad Batch taking on a variety of mercenary missions that will take them to unexpected and dangerous places as they continue to navigate the Empire after the fall of the Republic. Dee Bradley Baker, Michelle Ang and executive producer Dave Filoni head the voice cast. (ORIGINAL)

Where all the top choices can be found in one place!

ESPN Goodyear

1:10 p.m.

Sports Zone

s unday

1:00 p.m. WIVB-4 NFL Football Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs. (N) (Live) Å

WSEE-35 WUTV-29 NFL Football (N) (Live) Å

ESPN2 Women’s College Basketball Nebraska at Indiana. (N) (Live) Å

2:30 p.m. FS1 College Basketball Providence at DePaul. (N) (Live) Å

3:00 p.m. ESPN2 College Basketball Teams TBA. (N) (Live) Å

4:00 p.m. WNYW-5 NFL Football New York Jets at Seattle Seahawks. (N) (Live) Å

4:25 p.m. WIVB-4 WSEE-35 NFL Football Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers. (N) (Live) Å

4:30 p.m. FS1 College Basketball Maryland at Michigan. (N) (Live) Å

6:30 p.m. FS1 College Basketball Butler at Georgetown. (N) (Live) Å

7:00 p.m. MSG NHL Hockey Buffalo Sabres at Ottawa Senators. (N) (Live)

8:00 p.m. ESPN NHL Hockey New York Islanders at Seattle Kraken. (N) (Live) Å

8:15 p.m. WGRZ-2 WICU-12 NFL Football Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Chargers. (N) (Live) Å M onday

12:00 p.m. ESPN2 College Football ReliaQuest Bowl: Mississippi State vs Illinois. (N) (Live)

Cotton Bowl Classic Tulane vs USC. (N) (Live)

Å

2:00 p.m. TNT NHL Hockey Pittsburgh Penguins vs Boston Bruins. (N Subject to Blackout) (Live) Å

3:00 p.m. MSG NBA Basketball Phoenix Suns at New York Knicks. (N) (Live)

5:10 p.m. ESPN Rose Bowl Penn State vs Utah. The No. 11 Nittany Lions (10-2) inherit a trip to the Rose Bowl and a date with the Pac-12 champion No. 8 Utes (10-3). Penn State is 3-4 in the postseason under head coach James Franklin. Utah lost to Ohio State 48-45 in last year’s Rose Bowl. (N) (Live) Å

7:00 p.m. MSG NBA G League Basketball Cleveland Charge at Westchester Knicks. (N) (Live)

8:30 p.m. WKBW-7 ESPN NFL Football Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals. (N) (Live) Å

T uesday

2:45 p.m. USA Premier League Soccer Arsenal vs Newcastle United. (N) (Live) Å

5:00 p.m. ESPN High School Football Under Armour Next All-America Game. (N) (Live) Å

6:30 p.m. FS1 College Basketball Marquette at St. John’s. (N) (Live) Å 7:00 p.m. ESPN2 College Basketball Mississippi State at Tennessee. (N) (Live) Å MSG NHL Hockey Carolina Hurricanes at New York Rangers. (N) (Live)

SNY Women’s College Basketball Connecticut at Butler. (N) (Live) 8:00 p.m. ESPN College Basketball LSU at Kentucky. (N) (Live) Å

8:30 p.m. FS1 College

Basketball Seton Hall at Creighton. (N) (Live) Å

9:00 p.m. ESPN2 College Basketball Kansas at Texas Tech. (N) (Live) Å 10:00 p.m. ESPN NHL Hockey Dallas Stars at Los Angeles Kings. (N) (Live) Å

W ednesday

12:00 p.m. SNY Women’s College Basketball VCU at Fordham. (N) (Live)

3:00 p.m. USA Premier League Soccer Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur. (N) (Live) Å

6:30 p.m. FS1 College Basketball Villanova at Georgetown. (N) (Live) Å

7:00 p.m. ESPN2 College Basketball Teams TBA. (N) (Live) Å TNT NHL Hockey New Jersey Devils at Detroit Red Wings. (N Subject to Blackout) (Live) Å

7:30 p.m. ESPN NBA Basketball Milwaukee Bucks at Toronto Raptors. (N) (Live) Å MSG NBA Basketball San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks. (N) (Live)

8:30 p.m. FS1 College Basketball Connecticut at Providence. (N) (Live) Å

9:00 p.m. ESPN2 College Basketball Teams TBA. (N) (Live) Å

9:30 p.m. TNT NHL Hockey Tampa Bay Lightning at Minnesota Wild. (N Subject to Blackout) (Live) Å

10:00 p.m. ESPN NBA Basketball Miami Heat at Los Angeles Lakers. (N) (Live) Å 10:30 p.m. FS1 College Basketball Colorado State at Nevada. (N) (Live) Å

T hursday

6:00 p.m. GOLF PGA Tour Golf Sentry Tournament of Champions, First Round. (N) (Live) Å

BY GEORGE DICKIE

Burrow gets hot as Bengals drive for playoffs

In the conversation for 2022 NFL MVP, we present for your consideration Joe Burrow Indeed, in their third year quarterback, the Cincinnati Bengals have a field general with a rifle arm, uncanny instincts and the ability to lead a team to a Super Bowl berth, as he did last season. And with the Bengals on a roll and headed for the postseason once again, he may get that chance to avenge the team’s 23-20 loss to the Rams in Super Bowl LVI.

Through the first 12 games of 2022, Burrow’s numbers have been stellar, as he hit on 304 of 440 passes (a 69.1 completion percentage) for 3,446 yards (second in the NFL) and 25 touchdowns (tied for second) against only eight interceptions (tied for second-fewest among starters). His 103.7 quarterback rating ranks him fifth in the league.

But beyond the stats, he’s also proven himself a clutch performer as he did in Week 13 against the Kansas Chiefs. With the Bengals down 24-17 entering the fourth quarter, Burrow hit on nine of 11 passes for 80 yards, including an eight-yard strike to Chris Evans with 3:19 to play that proved to be the game winner. And when the engals got the ball back leading 27-24, he engineered a clock-killing drive in which he went three for three and converted two third downs.

That effort won Burrow his fourth career AFC Offensive Player of the Week award. And if his play continues at such a high level in the closing weeks of the 2022 season, more laurels are certain to come.

7:00 p.m. ESPN NHL Hockey Washington Capitals at Columbus Blue Jackets. (N) (Live) Å

ESPN2 College Basketball SMU at Houston. (N) (Live) Å

FS1 College Basketball Purdue at Ohio State. (N) (Live) Å MSG NHL Hockey New York Rangers at Montreal Canadiens. (N) (Live)

SNY Women’s College Basketball Connecticut at Xavier. (N) (Live)

7:30 p.m. TNT NBA Basketball Boston Celtics at Dallas Mavericks. (N Subject to Blackout) (Live) Å

9:00 p.m. ESPN2 College Basketball Teams TBA. (N) (Live) Å

FS1 College Basketball Indiana at Iowa. (N) (Live) Å

9:30 p.m. ESPN College Basketball USC at UCLA. (N) (Live) Å

10:00 p.m. ROOT NHL Hockey Pittsburgh Penguins at Vegas Golden Knights. (N) (Live)

TNT NBA Basketball Los Angeles Clippers at Denver Nuggets. (N Subject to Blackout) (Live) Å 11:00 p.m. ESPN2 College Basketball Gonzaga at San Francisco. (N) (Live) Å

FS1 College Basketball Washington at Arizona. (N) (Live) Å

F riday

5:00 p.m. ESPN2 Boy’s High School Basketball Cathedral (Ind.) at Simeon (Ill.). (N) (Live) Å

6:00 p.m. GOLF PGA Tour Golf Sentry Tournament of Champions, Second Round. (N) (Live) Å

6:30 p.m. SNY Women’s College Basketball UNC-

Wilmington at Stony Brook. (N) (Live)

7:00 p.m. ESPN2 College Basketball Teams TBA. (N) (Live) Å 7:30 p.m. ESPN NBA Basketball Chicago Bulls at Philadelphia 76ers. (N) (Live) Å MSG NBA Basketball New York Knicks at Toronto Raptors. (N) (Live)

9:00 p.m. ESPN2 Women’s College Gymnastics LSU at Utah. (N) (Live) Å 10:00 p.m. ESPN NBA Basketball Miami Heat at Phoenix Suns. (N) (Live) Å s a T urday

12:00 p.m. WIVB-4 WSEE35 College Basketball Vanderbilt at Missouri. (N) (Live) Å WNYW-5 WUTV-29 College Basketball Creighton at Connecticut. (N) (Live) Å

WPIX-11 College Basketball Johnson C. Smith at Elizabeth City State. (N) (Live)

FS1 College Basketball St. John’s at Providence. (N) (Live) Å USA College Basketball Davidson at VCU. (N) (Live) Å

1:00 p.m. WGRZ-2 WICU-12 High School Football AllAmerican Bowl. (N) (Live) Å

ESPN College Basketball Kentucky at Alabama. (N) (Live) Å MSG NHL Hockey New York Rangers at New Jersey Devils. (N) (Live)

1:30 p.m. ESPN2 College Basketball Wisconsin at Illinois. (N) (Live) Å 2:00 p.m. WIVB-4 WSEE-35 College Basketball Ole Miss at Mississippi State. (N) (Live) Å

FS1 College Basketball Georgetown at Marquette. (N) (Live) Å

2:30 p.m. WNYW-5 WUTV29 College Basketball Michigan at Michigan State. (N) (Live) Å

4:00 p.m. WGRZ-2 WICU12 PGA Tour Golf Sentry Tournament of Champions, Third Round. (N) (Live) Å WIVB-4 WSEE-35 College Basketball San Diego State at Wyoming. (N) (Live) Å

4:30 p.m. WNYW-5 WUTV29 Women’s College Basketball Iowa at Michigan. (N) (Live) Å WKBW-7 NFL Football Teams TBA. (N) (Live) Å ESPN NFL Football (N) (Live) Å

FS1 College Basketball Xavier at Villanova. (N) (Live) Å

6:00 p.m. GOLF PGA Tour Golf Sentry Tournament of Champions, Third Round. (N) (Live) Å

6:30 p.m. FS1 College Basketball Utah State at Boise State. (N) (Live) Å

SNY College Basketball Towson at Stony Brook. (N) (Live)

7:30 p.m. MSG NLL Lacrosse Toronto Rock at New York Riptide. (N) (Live)

8:00 p.m. WKBW-7 NFL Football Teams TBA. (N) (Live) Å

8:15 p.m. ESPN NFL Football (N) (Live) Å

8:30 p.m. FS1 College Basketball Butler at Seton Hall. (N) (Live) Å

10:00 p.m. USA AMA Supercross Series Monster Energy Series, Round 1. (N) (Live) Å

BEST NORMAN JEWISON MOVIES

“The Thrill of It All” (1963) Jewison had one of his first hits with this often hilarious Doris Day comedy casting the actress as a doctor’s (James Garner) wife who becomes an overnight sensation on television as a pitchwoman for a brand of

“The Cincinnati Kid” (1965) After directing some Doris Day comedies, Jewison started proving his dramatic chops by taking over from Sam Peckinpah on a poker saga pitting Steve McQueen against Edward G.

“In the Heat of the Night” (1967) Jewison’s status rose substantially for his sizzling combination of murder mystery and racial drama, teaming Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger as a big-city detective and a bigoted small-town sheriff.

“The Thomas Crown Affair” (1968)

Though he says he battled frequently with the star, Jewison succeeded with McQueen again by casting him against type as a sophisticated tycoon who engineers bank

heists for kicks – and prompts insurance investigator Faye Dunaway to get on his case.

“Fiddler on the Roof” (1971) Anyone who cherishes the stage musical should be happy with Jewison’s faithful screen rendering, using actual locations to enhance the story of milkman Tevye’s (Topol) efforts to marry off his daughters. Turner Classic Movies shows the film Thursday, Jan. 5. “Rollerball” (1975) A real change of pace for Jewison, this futuristic sport drama boasts exciting competition sequences and a solid loner-against-the-system performance by James Caan.

“... And Justice for All” (1979) For the most part, Jewison reins in Al Pacino effectively as the actor plays a lawyer whose idealism suffers courtroom bruising. The picture is just as notable for its top-notch supporting cast, including Jack Warden, Christine Lahti and (as a wonderfully slimy judge) John Forsythe.

“A Soldier ’s Story” (1984) Denzel Washington – who would work with Jewison again on “The Hurricane” – got his bigscreen coronation in this involving drama about a military base murder, also boasting superb work by Howard E. Rollins Jr. (who, interestingly, would star in the series version of “In the Heat of the Night”) and Adolph Caesar.

“Moonstruck” (1987) Cher and Olympia Dukakis were directed to Oscars by Jewison for this simply terrific romantic comedy about a woman (Cher) adored by her fiance’s brother (Nicolas Cage). John Patrick Shanley’s script, which also provided substantial roles for Danny Aiello and John Mahoney, earned its own Academy Award.

“The Hurricane” (1999) Denzel Washington gives an excellent performance under Jewison’s direction a s Rubin

“Hurricane” Carter, a wrongly convicted boxer who maintained his innocence while others worked to free him from a sentence for a triple homicide.

Burrow and the Bengals can be seen in action Monday, Jan. 2, when they play host to the Buffalo Bills in what could be a preview of the AFC Championship airing on ABC and ESPN.

BY JAY BOBBIN

SNY College Basketball Saint Joseph’s at Fordham. (N) (Live)

USA College Basketball Massachusetts at George Washington. (N) (Live) Å

(Words in parentheses not in puzzle)

Will (Trent)

Angie (Polaski)

Faith (Mitchell)

Michael (Ormewood)

Amanda (Wagner)

(Ramón) Rodríguez (Erika) Christensen (Iantha) Richardson (Jake) McLaughlin (Sonja) Sohn

(Special) Agent Georgia (Bureau) (Highest) Clearance Abandoned (Karin) Slaughter

Sara Haines

OF ‘THE CHASE’ ON ABC

BY JAY BOBBIN

As new episodes of “The Chase” begin airing, do you feel your comfort level as host of the game has increased greatly?

I always say that when I learn something, I have to learn the way it’s been done before I can shake it up and make it my own. It does take me a minute to feel like I’ve gotten down the basic rules of what it should look like, and I feel this season allows me to elbow my own space out and make it mine.

Does that comfort level extend to your relationships with the newest trivia experts, if Chasers, to join the show?

Well, they came in so excited to be part of the show, and they’re all perfectionists. They judge themselves very much on whether they win or lose, and they take it very personally.

When I see them beat themselves up on something they missed, I can relate to that so much, and that makes me want to really make them comfortable. Everyone’s better then, the players and the Chasers. And me!

Since the contestants often are near you, how are the health protocols on the “Chase” set working now?

We still have them, but there’s a lot more freedom, with all the testing of the people on the stage. That’s kind of nice, because I’m a touchy, sensitive person. When I see someone who’s excited or hurting, I want to be able to touch them.

It was really hard the first year. In fact, that was almost the hardest part, to not be able to have that connection with the other people. Because this version of “The Chase” was born during the pandemic, it has yet to have a studio audience.

In Focus

“The Bachelor” (ABC — season premiere, Jan. 23) Charming 26-year-old tech executive Zach Shallcross’ journey to find love continues when he becomes the leading man for the Season 27 premiere episode. Following an emotional realization about his future with Rachel Recchia, Shallcross won Bachelor Nation’s affection when he made the difficult decision to end his journey on “The Bachelorette.” Now, the charismatic California native begins handing out roses in hopes of finding the woman of his dreams.

P D A K C T F O U W K V A H I M Z L O S B A N G I E S T C U F G S G L N E O Q U O B M H C L E A R A N C E Z H I G U R L A L B I U Z V D N A E S Y I E U L A J G Y I D M O Z E A S H G D N A H N Q Z

R A H R G T R G Q D A T E U G C L U O Z E A U M O U E G I L A G E N T N A X G N Z R A L N V H U L E S I I H E N C W I T K I X T R E G T W D P R I C H A R D S O N R I Z I A F W U G O E S I S G L E F V L N X R E G C W J U L B

“Will Trent” on ABC