Hallmark Puts on the (Rescue) Dog, HBO’s Oscar-Nominated ‘Traffic Stop,’ ‘Star Wars Rebels’
A selective critical checklist of notable Monday TV:
2018 American Rescue Dog Show (8/7c, Hallmark Channel): They’re all top dogs in this first-ever exhibition, featuring shelter dogs of various breeds as part of Hallmark’s pet adoption and animal welfare initiative. Rebecca Romijn and Rich Eisen co-host, with celebrity judges including Rick Springfield and Linda Blair staying positive as moving stories are told about some of these canine survivors looking for new homes. Categories include Best in Couch Potato, Best in Kissing and Best in Listener, which is just adorable. Heavy petting is encouraged.
Traffic Stop (8/7c, HBO): Nominated for an Oscar in the Documentary Short Subject category, this timely film from director Kate Davis and producer David Heilbroner profiles Breaion King, an African-American schoolteacher from Texas whose harrowing encounter with police following a minor traffic violation was captured on dash cams and other cameras. Her lawsuit against the arresting officer, who was let go from the Austin police department after another violent incident, is still pending.
Star Wars Rebels (9/8c, Disney XD): With the series finale just two weeks away, the animated spinoff of the pop-culture sci-fi phenom returns with back-to-back episodes. In the first, the Ghost crew infiltrates Imperial headquarters to save one of their own.
Inside Monday TV: The Winter Olympics on NBC (8/7c) still dominates prime time in the final week of competition. On the docket: the free-skate finals of Ice Dancing. … With only four bachelorettes remaining, ABC’s The Bachelor (8/7c) sends Arie on a circuitous road trip to meet his sweethearts’ skeptical families, taking him from Los Angeles to Arkansas, Minnesota and Virginia. … A&E exposes the lurid crimes of Warren Jeffs: Prophet of Evil (9/8c), who reportedly married at least 78 wives and fathered 50-plus children while leading the FLDS Church before being imprisoned in 2011 on two felony counts of child sexual assault. … PBS’s Independent Lens premieres filmmaker Stanley Nelson’s (Freedom Riders) latest inspirational documentary for Black History Month: Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities (9/8c, check local listings at pbs.org).
