‘Lincoln Lawyer’ on Trial, Olympics Preview, NFL Honors, ‘Starfleet’ Explores ‘Trek’ Lore

The Lincoln Lawyer

You know what they say about a man who acts as his own lawyer. But Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) is no fool, even if he is his own client. And in Season 4, based on Michael Connelly‘s Lincoln Lawyer novel The Law of Innocence, he’s initially behind bars, acting as a jailhouse lawyer for other inmates while awaiting a hearing and trial for which he’s accused of murdering a former client who was found shot in his trunk. The case appears flimsy and is obviously a set-up, but Mickey refuses to settle for anything less than total exoneration to rescue his reputation—and firm, whose other clients are bailing despite the best efforts of his ex and office partner, Lorna (Becki Newton). All 10 episodes are available for a binge-watch.

Winter Olympics

Ice, Snow & Glory: The Winter Olympics (8/7c, NBC): Anticipation is building for the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, which officially gets underway with Friday’s Opening Ceremonies. (Some events are already underway, including curling, snowboard qualifying, alpine skiing downhill training, and hockey, with live coverage on Peacock, USA Network, and CNBC. For more information, go to nbcolympics.com/schedule.) As a curtain-raiser, a prime-time special previews major events and showcases athletes, including skiing legend Lindsey Vonn, the three-time Olympic medalist who’s in the news for insisting she’ll participate despite a torn ACL. Highlights include a discussion between celebrated gymnast Simone Biles and alpine skiing medalist Mikaela Shiffrin on the pressures and challenges of the Olympic spotlight. Actor Stanley Tucci provides a visual tour of Italy, and the inescapably irrepressible Snoop Dogg carries the Olympic torch.

NFL Honors

This packed weekend of TV sports includes the year’s biggest TV event, Super Bowl LX in California — also on NBC — and before the big game, there’s the annual ceremony showering acclaim on the NFL season’s top players and coaches. Mad Men‘s Jon Hamm hosts the event from San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts, with the announcement of the Associated Press awards and the introduction of the newest class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (which caused controversy when former Patriots coach Bill Belichick was not enshrined on the first ballot). Categories include Most Valuable Player, Offensive and Defensive Player, Rookie of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, Coach, and Assistant Coach of the Year. Bay Area rappers E-40 and Too Short are scheduled to perform, with presenters including Tracy Morgan, Tiffany Haddish, Druski, and WWE’s Seth Rollins.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

There’s no cadet quite like SAM — stands for Series Acclimation Mil — the chipper hologram-like avatar of the Kasquian race. Created just 200-odd days ago, the childlike Sam (Kerrice Brooks) is on a mission of self-discovery while on a timetable to explain the value of “organics” to her skeptical makers. In a far-reaching episode, Sam’s search for answers evokes a mythic figure well known to Trek fans. As her chancellor and captain, Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter) reminds Sam: “Questions reveal the most about the people who ask them.”

The Pitt

As the very long July 4 shift approaches noon in the Pittsburgh ER, Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) stays as far away from his disgraced former protégé, Langdon (Patrick Ball), as possible, but as the cases mount, it seems inevitable they’ll be working side by side again. And med student Ogilvie (Lucas Iverson), still shaken by his mishap an hour earlier, is assigned a messy duty reminiscent of Whitaker’s (Gerran Howell) multiple scrub changes in Season 1.

INSIDE THURSDAY TV:

• Next Level Chef (8/7c, Fox): Auditions continue with social-media chefs trying to cook their way to the top and land a spot in the competition.
• Animal Control (9/8c, Fox): Patel’s (Ravi Patel) “sip ‘n’ snip” fundraiser gets a bit too literal when a champion breeder is accidentally neutered. Followed by a new episode of Going Dutch (9:30/8:30c), where unlucky-in-love Captain Maggie (Taylor Misiak) tries going to a singles’ mixer, while her dad, the Colonel (Denis Leary), hopes to expose the anonymous protestor who’s infiltrated the base.
• The Graham Norton Show (11/10c, BBC America): Guests include Halle Berry and Chris Hemsworth (from the new film Crime 101) and Rachel McAdams reflecting on the shadow cast by her Mean Girls character, Regina George.

 ON THE STREAM:

• Field Generals: History of the Black Quarterback (streaming on Peacock): A four-part docuseries (episodes drop weekly) explores the impact of Black quarterbacks on pro football during times of social and racial upheaval.
• Search Party (streaming on Netflix): All five seasons of the cult mystery-comedy are now available on the streaming giant.
• Ella McCay (streaming on Hulu): Director-writer James L. Brooks‘ comedy starring Emma Mackey as an idealistic accidental governor makes its streaming debut.
• Black Heat (streaming on ALLBLK): Jason Mitchell and Tabatha Robinson are parents who take the law into their own hands to rescue their daughter.
• Grace (streaming on BritBox): John Simms returns for a fifth season of the crime drama as Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, beset as ever by personal demons and professional challenges.
• Seasons (streaming on Viaplay): A Polish dramedy depicts the on- and offstage turmoil when a theatrical couple continues performing together even as their marriage is falling apart.