Behind the Scenes of ‘SNL,’ ‘Hollywood Squares’ Delayed Premiere, NBC Restores ‘Order,’ Stream ‘A Real Pain’

SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night

So much talent. So many memories. As Saturday Night Live gears up for its three-hour prime-time blowout next month to commemorate the show’s 50th anniversary, a fascinating four-part docuseries executive produced by Oscar winner Morgan Neville goes behind the scenes to mark the highs and lows of the enduring sketch-comedy franchise. The first episodes are immediate grabbers, with past and present cast members recalling the nerve-wracking audition process (in some cases watching their own tapes), followed by a fly-on-the-wall chronicle of a week in the writers’ room as they prepare for one of last season’s shows. Another episode takes a deep dive into the iconic “more cowbell” sketch featuring Christopher Walken from 2000, and the finale relives the fraught 11th season, when creator Lorne Michaels returned after a five-year absence to oversee a new cast that never found its bearings. Essential viewing for SNL aficionados. (See the full review.)

Hollywood Squares

[Last week’s scheduled premiere was delayed a week out of deference to the unfolding tragedy of the L.A. wildfires. As of this writing, the lineup is expected to premiere as scheduled, so we’re repeating our January 9 preview.] Leave it to Triumph the Insult Comic Dog to leap on a reference to American Horror Story and describe it as “the show about what it’s like to be Tyra Banks’ assistant,” while she’s sitting several rows below in her own square. Jokes fly fast and furiously on the latest revival of the classic comedy game show, hosted by CBS Mornings co-host and The NFL Today analyst Nate Burleson and executive produced by Drew Barrymore, who occupies the coveted center square. The tic-tac-toe inspired game is almost secondary to the banter among the comedians and celebrities, with Triumph a particular standout in the first episode. (About roastmaster Jeff Ross: “The man looks like Vin Diesel got lead poisoning.”)

Law & Order

New Yorkers will shudder at the relevance of this “ripped from the headlines” case when detectives Shaw (Mehcad Brooks) and Riley (Reid Scott) investigate the motive behind the murder of a young man pushed in front of a train. When the ensuing trial involves legislation created by D.A. Baxter (Tony Goldwyn), Price (Hugh Dancy) urges him to testify. Followed by Law & Order: SVU (9/8c), where ADA Carisi (Peter Scanavino) is still recovering from his hostage ordeal when Capt. Benson (Mariska Hargitay) assigns him to the case of a woman who’s shown a video of a sexual encounter she can’t remember. Kelli Giddish guest-stars as Carisi’s wife, Intelligence Sergeant Amanda Rollins.

A Real Pain

Writer-director-star Jesse Eisenberg’s acclaimed dramedy makes its streaming debut, having won costar Kieran Culkin (Succession) a Golden Globe for supporting actor (for which he’s an Oscar front-runner). They star as cousins who’ve fallen out of touch and reconnect on an emotionally fraught road trip to Poland to remember their late grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. The film, named one of AFI’s Top 10 movies of 2024, is expected to make a strong showing when the Oscar nominations are announced later this month.

The Pitt

The third hour of a very long day’s shift unfolds in the gripping ER drama as Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) tends to patients and a new batch of overwhelmed med students with weary empathy. With rats still on the loose and no time for a bathroom break, Robby is a witness to so much grief, fear and chaos in just one hour that you might worry for his own health.

INSIDE THURSDAY TV:

• Hell’s Kitchen (8/7c, Fox): It’s no laughing matter — or is it — when the five remaining chefs are each paired with a professional comedian and tasked with teaching them how to prepare one of Chef Ramsay’s signature dishes.
• Only Murders in the Building (9/8c, ABC): In episodes from Season 2, the trio clashes once again with podcasting rival Cinda Canning (Tina Fey), and their scheme to use a glitter bomb to expose Bunny’s killer takes an unexpected turn.
• Going Dutch (9:30/8:30c, Fox): Parker Young (9-1-1: Lone Star), a veteran of military comedy from tours of duty in Enlisted and United States of Al, guest stars as Capt. Maggie’s (Taylor Misiak) CIA boyfriend, who the Colonel (Denis Leary) suspects may have a secret agenda for visiting the Dutch Army base.
• Found (10/9c, NBC): Sir (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) learns a dark truth about one of Gabi’s (Shanola Hampton) allies while the team suffers a blow during their hunt for a recovering drug addict who’s gone off the grid.

 ON THE STREAM:

• Harley Quinn (streaming on Max): The fifth season of the animated DC comedy finds Harley (Kaley Cuoco) and Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) relocating to, of all familiar places, Metropolis.
• Unstoppable (streaming on Prime Video): Emmy winner Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us) stars in an inspiring sports biopic about Anthony Robles, who was born without a right leg and becomes a Division I wrestling champion.
• The Bunker (streaming on Viaplay): A harrowing true-crime docuseries from Sweden tells the story of Isabel Eriksson, who was drugged and kidnapped by a doctor on their second date and trapped in a bunker, which she managed to escape. The series depicts her journey back to the scene of the crime to exorcise her trauma.
• Netflix offers the second seasons of coming-of-age romcom XO Kitty and anime supernatural thriller Castlevania: Nocturne.