What’s on TV This Week: ‘Perry Mason’ and The Oscars
Between network, cable and streaming, the modern television landscape is a vast one. Here are some of the shows, specials and movies coming to TV this week, Mar. 6-12. Details and times are subject to change.
Monday
THE VOICE8 p.m. on NBC. The singing-competition show that discovered Cassadee Pope and Morgan Wallen is back, and one of the judges, Blake Shelton, is gearing up for his 23rd and last season. Niall Horan, Kelly Clarkson and Chance the Rapper are joining him in the memorable red-spinning chairs as judges. The series starts with a “blind audition” round, as always.
10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU (1999) 8 p.m. on Freeform. This teen romantic comedy is Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” if it took place in the late 1990s. Julia Stiles plays Kat Stratford, a girl who tends to scare off any male suitors with her bad attitude. Because her younger sister cannot date until Kat does, a mission is set forth — get Kat a date. Enter the very handsome Patrick Verona, played by Heath Ledger, who might be the solution to Kat’s dating problem.
PERRY MASON9 p.m. on HBO. Set in 1932 Los Angeles, this legal drama is based on stories by Erle Stanley Gardner, and follows the titular defense lawyer during the Great Depression. This second season will likely be a little different from the first because Jack Amiel and Michael Begler replaced the Season 1 showrunners Rolin Jones and Ron Fitzgerald. The series stars Matthew Rhys as Perry Mason alongside Shea Whigham and Eric Lange.
Tuesday
THAT’S MY JAM10 p.m. on NBC. If you were not able to score Kelsea Ballerini tour tickets, you can see the singer team up with Julia Michaels against Nicole Scherzinger and Jason Derulo in musical games like Air Guitar and Launch the Mic in this competition show, hosted by Jimmy Fallon for a second season.
Wednesday
THE CHALLENGE8 p.m. on MTV. In the “World Champions” edition of this long-running reality competition show, winners and MVPs from Argentina, Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. are paired together for the opportunity to win $500,000.
Thursday
LES MISERABLES: THE STAGED CONCERT8 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). Before Anne Hathaway sang “I Dreamed A Dream” or Hugh Jackman stole bread in the film version of “Les Miserables,” the popular musical, set in 19th-century France, had been staged in London’s West End since the mid-1980s. To celebrate, a filmed 2019 performance from the Gielgud Theater is airing on Thursday.
TOP CHEF9 p.m. on Bravo. The chopping, sautéing and seasoning we see on this cooking-competition show might be more impressive than usual this year. For its 20th season, the host Padma Lakshmi is bringing back “Top Chef” all-stars from all over the world. The head judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons will be joined each week with guest chefs.
Friday
THE 12TH VICTIM8 p.m. on Showtime. In late January of 1958, the 19-year-old Charles Starkweather and his 14-year-old girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate, went on a killing spree that left 10 people dead. This four-part documentary series with archival footage looks at the events that transpired and how the justice system has changed since then, through the lens of Fugate’s guilty verdict: She is the youngest female in U.S. history to have been tried and convicted of first degree murder.
Saturday
WEST SIDE STORY (1961) 10 p.m. on TCM. It’s a two-for-one modern adaptation of Shakespeare week: a 1960s version of “Romeo and Juliet” set in New York City. Tony (Richard Beymer), a member of the Jets gang, falls for Maria (Natalie Wood), the younger sister of the leader of the opposing Sharks. Chaos, romance and musical numbers ensue.
Sunday
THE OSCARS 8 p.m. on ABC. The 95th Academy Awards are back this Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and will be broadcast live. The sci-fi movie directed by Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” is up for the most awards with 11 nominations. “The Banshees of Inisherin” and “All Quiet on the Western Front” are tied for second with nine nominations each. See a full list of nominees here and follow along live with our culture reporters on Oscars Sunday.
THE LAST OF US9 p.m. on HBO. This post-apocalyptic show, based on the video game of the same name, might hit a little close to home as we enter yet another year of the pandemic — but that hasn’t stopped it from being a hit. In the show, a fungal infection turns people into quasi-zombies. This Sunday’s episode will wrap up the first season (HBO just greenlit Season 2), so it is likely that some of the loose ends won’t tie up until next season.
