By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on X.
Former editor of 4 TV magazines. Author of TV Dot Com.
It’s going to be a big weekend in television with a season finale, a league all-star game and other top sporting events coming to services such as ESPN, Peacock, Max, Amazon’s Prime Video and Apple TV+. Here are some of the top titles coming to a streaming service or cable channel for the weekend of February 15-18, 2024.
Thursday, February 15
Tokyo Vice (Season two, episode three on Max)
Have you watched Tokyo Vice? No? Stop what you’re doing right now and stream over to Max where the first season and the first three episodes of season two are now available. Ansel Elgort stars in this dramatic series based loosely on real-life American journalist Jake Edelstein who moves to Tokyo and investigates the local crime syndicate. With visionary Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral) as a hands-on executive producer (and director of season one, episode one), Tokyo Vice is a thrill-a-minute ride with strong performances from Elgort, Ken Watanabe as a haggard detective caught in the middle of good and evil, and Rachel Keller as an ambitious American who wants to leave the Tokyo floozy life for something better. (But she might lose her soul in the process.) Great show!
College Basketball: Michigan at Iowa. (Peacock)
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark needs just eight points to break the women’s all-time career scoring record. Tip off at 8 p.m. ET.
See more news and TV tech features at TVAnswerMan.com.
Friday, February 16
Oppenheimer (Peacock)
Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan, opened in theaters last July and it certainly hasn’t been a bomb. The film, which has generated rave reviews from critics and theatergoers, has made almost $1 billion worldwide. Oppenheimer stars Cillian Murphy as the brilliant but troubled scientist, J. Robert Oppenheimer, who led the U.S. mission to build the first atomic bomb during World War II. This is a streaming exclusive for Peacock.
This Is Me…Now: A Love Story (Amazon Original)
Jennifer Lopez this month is releasing her first album in a decade and this Amazon original 65-minute music fantasy will serve as the official promotional video. The show purports to chronicle JLo’s personal travails and triumphs with appearances from such notables as real-life hubbie Ben Affleck, Trevor Noah, Post Malone, Keke Palmer, Sofia Vergara, and Jenifer Lewis. The trailer looks weird, we must say, and you can see it below.
The Dynasty: The New England Patriots (Apple TV+)
This Apple TV+ original 10-part documentary will chronicle the incredible success of the New England Patriots (perhaps seeming somewhat less incredible after the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win yesterday) under Bill Belichick who guided the team to 11 Super Bowl appearances and six wins over a two-decade run. The show, produced by Brian Glazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Documentaries, will feature interviews with Belichick, quarterback supreme Tom Brady and team owner Robert Kraft.
Saturday, February 17 (ESPN)
College Basketball: Kentucky at Auburn & Kansas at Oklahoma
ESPN’s 4K ‘Game of the Week’ for college hoops for the 2023/24 season will continue Saturday (February 17) with the Kentucky at Auburn game at 6 p.m. ET. (The game will be simulcast in HD on the main ESPN channel.) Kentucky, 16-7, is 22nd ranked in the nation while 13th ranked Auburn is 19-5. ESPN’s ‘Matchup Predictor’ says Auburn has a 82.8 percent chance of winning. If you’re an ESPN fan, 6th ranked Kansas plays 25th ranked Oklahoma at 4 p.m. ET on the sports network.
Sunday, February 18
NBA All-Star Game (TNT, Max)
The 73rd NBA All-Star Game, a return of the West vs. the East matchup, tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT and Max. And don’t forget that Max is now doing live sports in Dolby Vision HD.
True Detective: Night Country (HBO/Max)
Jodie Foster stars as a police chief in a frigid small town in Alaska who’s investigating the supernatural (maybe) murder of several scientists at a mysterious research center. The True Detective series peaked with season one (starring Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey) but the first five episodes of season four are worthy of comparison. Foster is great and so is Kali Reis as her mismatched partner. The season’s finale is set for Sunday, February 18, at 9 p.m. ET and it should be a doozy with multiple plot holes (and body parts) needed to be filled.
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.
