On TV, Jan. 2: 'Tesla' is wired, Ellen plays games

Ellen doesn’t play games, but she hosts them, including her new, heavily hyped “Ellen’s Game of Games,” premiering on NBC at 8 p.m. The show comprises “supersized” versions of the various games from her daytime talk show, which means there will be a heavy dose of humor within the competition.

New episodes of “Lethal Weapon” resume on Fox at 8 p.m., followed by the premiere of the new comedy series from Funny or Die, “LA to Vegas” at 9 p.m.

New episodes of “The Middle” resume at 8 p.m. on ABC, followed by new eps of “Fresh off the Boat” at 8:30 and “Black-ish” at 9.

More shows get back in business tonight: “NCIS” at 8 on CBS, “Bull” at 9 on CBS, “The Mick” at 9:30 on Fox, “Chicago Med” at 10 on NBC, “Kevin (Probably) Saves the World” at 10 on ABC and “NCIS: New Orleans” at 10 on CBS.

“Intervention” kicks off season 18 with a two-hour episode on A&E at 9 p.m.

Season six of “Married at First Sight” launches at 9 p.m. on Lifetime.

The fifth season of “Hack My Life” premieres at 10 p.m. on TruTV, and season three of “Hunting Hitler” premieres at the same time on the History Channel.

The Discovery Channel takes “Tesla” out for a spin at 10 p.m. today, but it’s not about the trendy car — it’s about the scientist for whom it was named, Nikola Tesla. Often called “the man who invented the 20th century,” he may also have been what Discovery calls “the most dangerous man of his time.” The new docuseries is based on some 250 documents about and by Tesla that were declassified by the FBI in 2016, including his research into the development of a weapon he called the Death Ray.

PBS and the BBC have teamed up on a new late-night news program, premiering at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday on KQED called “Beyond 100 Days.”

Katty Kay will host from the U.S. with Christian Fraser hosting from the United Kingdom as the half-hour program looks at news from the Trump White House and around the world. “It closely examines the Trump administration and its global impact, as well as other major international stories, including the Brexit talks, German elections and relations across Russia, China and the Middle East,” says PBS.

David Wiegand is an assistant managing editor and the TV critic of The San Francisco Chronicle. Follow him on Facebook. Email: dwiegand@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @WaitWhat_TV

Let's block ads! (Why?)