‘Star Search’ Reborn, ‘Doc’ in the Hot Seat, Doggie Doings on ‘Will Trent,’ Will Smith Goes Low and High

Star Search

The talent competition that discovered superstars in the 1980s and ’90s returns after more than 20 years in hibernation, with Anthony Anderson hosting livestreamed episodes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with hopes that discerning viewers will find the singers, comedians, and dancers of tomorrow. The judging panel includes Jelly Roll, Buffy the Vampire Slayer icon Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Chrissy Teigen, with real-time voting allowing the Netflix audience to choose who moves on to the next round by voting with their remote or tapping their mobile app. The original series helped launch the careers of Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Adam Sandler, and so many more. Airing on the world’s most powerful streamer is a pretty good launching pad for a new generation.

Doc

“The hunt is on, and I’m the witch,” laments Dr. Amy Larsen (Molly Parker), whose victimization by a vindictive intern results in Amy being investigated for her past professional conduct. Complicating matters: the intern’s brother, who trolled Amy with hacking and deepfakes, is in the hospital, having overdosed after their scheme led to a patient’s death. And to Amy’s horror, her interrogator is consulting the disgraced doc, Richard Miller (Scott Wolf), who scapegoated and gaslit Amy when she returned to work after suffering traumatic amnesia. Is this any way for doctors to behave?

Will Trent

Betty, that scene-stealing Chihuahua, shows she has a nose for crime when she alerts detectives Angie (Erika Christensen) and Ormewood (Jake McLaughlin) while walking with caretaker Nico (Cora Lu Tran) during a neighborhood check. In the best “What is it, Lassie?” tradition, Betty helps them discover a lead on a dangerous case. Elsewhere, GBI agents Will (Ramón Rodríguez) and Faith (Iantha Richardson) explore the local art scene after a model is murdered, during which Will crosses paths with a Season 1 crush, Ava (Julia Chan).

Pole to Pole

The global adventure continues, with Will Smith venturing into anaconda territory in the Amazon, as he and his guides search for the world’s largest snake. (The mission is a bit more serious than the one enacted by Anaconda‘s Jack Black and Paul Rudd on the big screen.) In the next episode (9/8c), he finds himself in a serene village 13,000 feet up in the Himalayas, while also searching for the secret of happiness in the kingdom of Bhutan.

Handsome Devil: The Charming Killer

How has Lifetime never used this title for one of its ripped-from-the-headline potboilers? A new three-part true-crime docuseries revisits the 2019 murders of Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz, for which a charismatic young Florida man named Wade Wilson was convicted. The series is also a study in media obsession, exploring how Wilson, whose shared name with a Marvel Comics hero led to him being dubbed the “Deadpool Killer,” became an online sensation, attracting a legion of female fans with his “bad boy” persona, including provocative tattoos and seductive winks and smiles at the camera.

INSIDE TUESDAY TV:

• Best Medicine (8/7c, Fox): The town of Port Wenn turns on Dr. Martin Best (Josh Charles) again when he accidentally breaks the arm of the local baseball team’s star player, suggesting a more serious underlying condition.
• Finding Your Roots (8/7c, PBS): The Bear Emmy winner Liza Colón-Zayas and The Good Fight‘s Delroy Lindo explore their Caribbean heritage with the help of Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
• High Potential (9/8c, ABC): Though sidelined to mandatory detective training, Morgan (Kaitlin Olson) helps work the case of an Air Force veteran murdered in midair. Followed by a new episode of The Rookie (10/9c).
• Breaking the Deadlock: A Matter of Life and Death (9/8c, PBS): A new edition of the compelling series in which expert panelists conduct a civil debate about hypothetical hot-button issues tackles the minefields of reproductive rights and end-of-life choices. 

ON THE STREAM:

• Camilla Läckberg’s Erica (streaming on MHz Choice): The popular Swedish crime novelist goes Gallic in a six-part French adaptation, starring Julie de Bona as writer Erica Faure, whose investigation into her friend’s suspicious suicide puts her on the radar of a handsome police captain (Grégory Fitoussi).
• WWE: Unreal (streaming on Netflix): The docuseries that goes behind the scenes with WWE superstars and into the writers’ room returns for a second season.
• Rizzoli & Isles (streaming on Netflix): The streaming giant acquires all seven seasons of the long-running cable crime drama, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander as Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and Medical Examiner Maura Isles.