This Week in TV: Grammys, ‘Generation,’ ‘Mayans MC’

The Grammy Awards take the stage Sunday, six weeks later than originally scheduled and with a plan to pull off a host of live performances safely. The next seven days will also feature the return of ABC’s Thursday dramas, an HBO Max series co-created by a 19-year-old, and a new season of Mayans MC on FX.

Below is The Hollywood Reporter‘s rundown of premieres, returns and specials over the next seven days. It would be next to impossible to watch everything, but let THR point the way to worthy options for the coming week. All times are ET/PT unless noted.

The Big Show

The Grammy Awards will honor and showcase 2020’s best and biggest musical artists, with host Trevor Noah keeping the show moving and live performances planned from Cardi B, BTS, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny, Black Pumas, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish, among others.

They’ll perform from five different stages designed to keep everyone involved safe, executive producer Ben Winston told THR: “For 45 minutes, we will be with those five artists and they’ll play, one after the next. They’re all safe because they’ve all come in from a totally different entrance. Our host, Trevor Noah, is in the middle of all that with the viewer — because that’s where the cameras will be. After 45 minutes, we clear out and the next five artists will come in.” The show airs at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT Sunday on CBS.

Also on broadcast …

Dramas Station 19, Grey’s Anatomy and A Million Little Things begin the second half of their seasons starting at 8 p.m. Thursday on ABC. The CW’s British import Bulletproof returns at 8 p.m. Monday. Fox debuts a new version of America’s Most Wanted, hosted by Elizabeth Vargas, at 9 p.m. Monday, and at 8 p.m. Tuesday, the network offers up short-run reality show Holmes Family Effect.

On streaming …

New: Generation (Thursday, HBO Max) is a story about teenagers co-created by a teenager: Zelda Barnz, who wrote the show with her dad, Daniel, starting when she was 17 (she’s now 19). The end product is uneven, writes THR critic Daniel Fienberg, but “There’s palpable give-and-take energy throughout the young ensemble and even the performances that don’t instantly mesh … are still good vehicles for the clever dialogue.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaW_mdEqwpg

Also: Documentary kid 90 (Hulu, Friday) is assembled from footage actress Soleil Moon Frye shot of her friends (including Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Sara Gilbert) when they were all teenagers. THR cover subject Jennifer Garner stars in Netflix’s Yes Day (Friday). Netflix also debuts sci-fi drama The One and a new season of Paradise PD on Friday; on Wednesday, the streamer has Operation Varsity Blues, telling the story of the college admissions scandal with Matthew Modine portraying disgraced college counselor Rick Singer.

On cable …

Returning: Mayans MC (10 p.m. Tuesday, FX) had a long gap between its second and third seasons — but after 16 months, the show returns to pick up from season two, which finds EZ (JD Pardo) out from under the threats of U.S. Attorney Lincoln Potter (Ray McKinnon) but dealing with a new set of problems.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW5uBPniHRs

Also: Short-form showcase Cake debuts a new season at 10 p.m. Thursday on FXX. The annual Kids Choice Awards slime it up at 7:30 p.m. Saturday on Nickelodeon.

In case you missed it …

For Heaven’s Sake is a true-crime documentary, but it features two comedians (Mike Mildon and Jackson Rowe) and is produced by Funny or Die and some of the team behind American Vandal. Yet it’s not a mockumentary, and after getting past some forced humor in the first two episodes, Mildon and Rowe actually get invested in the details of an 85-year-old case in Ontario. It’s streaming on Paramount+.