What’s Worth Watching: ‘Full Frontal with Samantha Bee’, ‘The X-Files’, ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ and more for Monday, February 8

Samantha Bee, Full Frontal
Peter Yang/Turner
Samantha Bee, Full Frontal

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (10:30/9:30c, TBS; also TNT, Adult Swim, truTV, HLN): The boys’ club of late-night TV finally welcomes a funny lady back into their midst, as The Daily Show‘s Samantha Bee graduates to host status in a new weekly mix of satirical commentary and topical field reports. Even better, airing Mondays before Conan, she won’t be on too late for many of us.

The X-Files (8/7c, Fox): Add to the annals of X-Files monster lore the bloody exploits of the dismembering “Trash Man,” who’s targeting people involved in a West Philly redevelopment project that renders the homeless disposable. After Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) arrive on the scene, a personal tragedy prompts Scully to reflect once again about the son they gave away. Written and directed by Glen Morgan, this episode gives Anderson a terrific emotional workout—although the best moment may belong to Mulder, who temporarily shakes Scully from her flashback reverie to remind her, while brandishing the old trusty flashlight: “Scully, back in the day is now.” And so it will be for two more episodes.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (8/7c, The CW): As musical voices in Rebecca’s (Rachel Bloom) head argue whether to call it a “text-mergency” or a “text-astrophe,” Rachel races to keep her beloved but clueless Josh (Vincent Rodriguez III) from seeing a confessional text she meant for Paula’s (Donna Lynne Champlin) eyes only. The farcical complications lead to a possibly pivotal twist, and as a bonus, you’ll witness an inspired new version of the Crazy theme song that had me rolling.

A Ballerina’s Tale (10/9c, PBS, times may vary at pbs.org): Misty Copeland is no ordinary ballerina. The first female African-American principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, Copeland’s celebrated triumph against adversity (following a serious injury and surgery) is captured in an Independent Lens documentary.

Inside Monday TV: A highlight of any season of NBC’s The Biggest Loser (9/8c) is the makeover episode. Project Runway‘s Tim Gunn and celebrity hairstylist Ken Paves supervise the contestants’ transformations, followed by emotional reunions and overnights with loved ones. … As if Jane the Virgin‘s (9/8c, The CW) romantic entanglements weren’t bad enough, Jane (Gina Rodriguez) is now having hot dreams about her sexy professor (Adam Rodriguez). … Team Scorpion (9/8c, CBS) survives an L.A. earthquake, only to have to race to fix a gas line before it explodes. … HBO’s timely and alarming documentary Homegrown: The Counter-Terror Dilemma (9/8c) investigates the perceived threat of Islamic extremism within our own borders and the fear and suspicion Muslim Americans encounter as a result.

 

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