The anthology series format — in which a show presents a different story and characters in each season (or even episode) — is all the rage on TV right now, as seen in American Horror Story, Black Mirror, Fargo, True Detective and now, American Crime (Season Premiere, 10 p.m. Wednesday, ABC).And it makes sense.Shows that utilize the same actors from season to season as different characters have the benefit of assembling a strong cast once and showcasing that talent in a variety of roles. The format is attractive to film directors who want to tell an in-depth story over a series of installments. It also forces shows to tell a complete story in a finite period. For shows like The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, storylines can be dragged out leisurely (almost to a fault) because we know there will be near-endless more seasons to wrap them up. There’s something to be said about doing it right, once.
The first season of American Crime (not to be confused with the forthcoming American Crime Story, yet another
anthology series that will focus on the O.J. Simpson trial and serve as a companion to American Horror Story), which centered on a murder in Modesto, Calif., was a success; now, many of the same actors — including Timothy Hutton, Felicity Huffman and Regina King — return to tell a different story. Taking place in Indianapolis, this season focuses on sexual assault between a public high school student and members of a championship basketball team from a neighboring private school.
WEDNESDAY 06
The Goldbergs (8:30 p.m., ABC) – Beverly remodels the kitchen, making intentional errors in an attempt to get Murray involved.
Modern Family
(9 p.m., ABC) – Claire and Phil meet up with a couple they met on vacation and end up footing the bill; Mitchell cashes in a birthday coupon from the Dunphy kids they never intended on fulfilling.
Black-ish (9:30 p.m., ABC) – Bow feels excluded when Dre’s childhood BFF — who is now an international Pop star — comes to visit, made even more humorous by the fact Tyra Banks plays said international Pop star.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Season Premiere, 10 p.m., FXX) – The gang returns! In this Season 11 opener, a board game executive expresses interest in Chardee MacDennis.
THURSDAY 07
Angel From Hell (Series Premiere, 9:30 p.m., CBS) – Jane Lynch stars as an off-kilter guardian angel to a successful doctor. My interest in this is directly correlated to how much Lynch’s character is based on Gayle Sweeny from Sturdy Wings in the 2008 David Wain film Role Models.
Shades of Blue
(Series Premiere, 10 p.m., NBC) – Wherein JLo stars as a cop named Harlee.
Lip Synch Battle (Season Premiere, 10 p.m., Spike) – Very attractive couple Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan Tatum perform.
SUNDAY 10
The 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards (8 p.m., NBC) – Ricky Gervais returns to host this annual celebration of film and television. It may not be the Oscars or Emmys, but at least we can watch celebrities get drunk.
TUESDAY 12
New Girl (8 p.m., Fox) – Jess dates a lame guy because he has awesome parents; Nick and Schmidt argue over how to run the bar.
MADtv 20th Anniversary Reunion (8 p.m., CW) – MADtv was kind of the goofy younger brother of Saturday Night Live, delivering sketch comedy to the masses from 1995-2009. The reunion features clas- sic characters, new skits and plenty of MAD stars from over the years (some of whom you might not realize got their start there), including Ike Barinholtz, Alex Borstein, Mo Collins, Keegan-Michael Key, Artie Lange and Bobby Lee.
CONTACT JAC KERN: jkern@citybeat.com or @jackern
This article appears in Jan 6-13, 2016.