Jan. 3: ABC, Fox, NBC, CBS, CW Add 15 New Shows Tonight: The 3 to Watch

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – Buy Me a Coffee!

ABC, Fox, CBS, NBC and The CW tonight (January 3, 2026) will add 15 new shows. Here are the three to watch, in my humble opinion. (All Times Eastern.)

NFL Football: Seattle at SanFrancisco
Where to Watch: ABC
When to Watch: 8 p.m. ET
We got a big one tonight. The Seattle Seahawks visit the San Francisco 49ers in a battle for the top seed in the NFC playoffs. The Seahawks, who are 13-3, have won six straight. The 49ers, who are 12-4, have also won six straight. The winner will be the NFC West division champ, the conference top seed, and get a bye in the first round of the playoffs so there’s a lot at stake. As of this morning, Seattle is a 2.5-point favorite.

College Basketball: Purdue at Wisconsin
Where to Watch: Fox
When to Watch: 8 p.m.
Fifth ranked Purdue (12-1) visits unranked Wisconsin (9-4) in a Big Ten hoops contest. Purdue is led by senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (averaging 14 points, 10.2 rebounds a game) while Wisconsin is paced by senior guard Nick Boyd (averaging 19.2 points a game.) ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives Purdue a 68.3 percent chance of winning.

48 Hours
Where to Watch: CBS
When to Watch: 10 p.m.
The sports theme continues tonight with the broadcast of the CBS true crime doc, 48 Hours. In tonight’s episode, the team investigates allegations that a high school softball coach recruited a former player to kill her former fiancée.

Shows & Sports Coming Tonight to Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC and The CW (All times Eastern.)

Fox
College Basketball: Wisconsin at Purdue. 8 p.m.
The Floor – 11 p.m.

ABC
NFL Countdown Special Edition – 7:30 p.m.
NFL Football: Seattle at San Francisco – 8 p.m.

CBS
Fire Country – 8 p.m.
Fire Country – 9 p.m.
48 Hours – 10 p.m.

NBC
The Paper – 8 p.m.
The Paper – 8:30 p.m.
The Paper – 9 p.m.
St. Denis Medical – 9:30 p.m.
Saturday Night Live (Host: Timothee Chalamet) – 10 p.m.
Saturday Night Live (Host: Miles Teller) – 11:30 p.m.

The CW
TV We Love (I Love Lucy) – 8 p.m.
TV We Love (The Honeymooners) – 9 p.m.

Please consider making a donation to The TV Answer Man site here at the Buy Me a Coffee site. Any donation size is appreciated and will help me continue to provide these articles to you.

Have a Question? Ask The TV Answer Man!
Have a question about a cable/satellite service, streaming service, TV product, or favorite show? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com.