Worth Watching: A Tale of Two James (Holzhauer on ‘Jeopardy,’ Corden’s ‘Karaoke Special’ with Celine Dion), ‘Private Lives of the Monarchs’
A selective critical checklist of notable Monday TV:
Jeopardy! (syndicated, check local listings): Welcome back, James! After a two-week hiatus imposed by the Teachers Tournament, the unstoppable quiz show welcomes back James Holzhauer to continue his remarkable run, second only to Ken Jennings in consecutive games played (22 wins so far) and money won (he’s up to nearly $1.7 million). Love his aggressive style of play or not, James has put Jeopardy! back in the news in its 35th season.
The Late Late Show Carpool Karaoke Primetime Special 2019 (10/9c, CBS): The title’s a mouthful, but the appeal is simple: Watching the effervescent late-night host drive around, matching a legendary singer lyric for lyric as their instantly recognizable tunes play inside the vehicle. Winner of Emmys in 2016 and 2017 for Outstanding Variety Special, the Carpool Karaoke spectacular now welcomes Celine Dion into the passenger seat for a motor tour of Las Vegas in what promises to be a titanic hour of entertainment.
Private Lives of the Monarchs (8/7c, Smithsonian Channel): Private lives, what a quaint concept. In a departure from the current obsession with Harry and Meghan and little Archie, this five-part series takes a historical long view, revisiting some of Europe’s more memorable monarchs and their intrigues behind closed palace doors. First up: Queen Victoria and her troubled relationship with her eldest son, Edward, whose well-documented debauchery takes host Tracy Borman (Chief Curator of the Royal Palaces) to Paris brothels and Edward’s official residence of Marlborough House, where spouse-swapping was commonplace. How scandalous.
Gentleman Jack (10:05/9:05, HBO): The boisterously entertaining yet curiously modern period piece presents ahead-of-her-time Anne Lister (Suranne Jones) with an unwelcome reality check when her beloved, Ann Walker (Sophie Rundle), begins to cave from social and peer pressure and 19th-century values to cool their forbidden relationship. Naturally, our fierce Miss Lister won’t give up without a fight, even when the battle is coming at her from all sides.
Inside Monday TV: Borrowing a page from Jeopardy!’s recent Teachers Tournament, Fox’s musical competition Beat Shazam (8/7c) returns for a third season with teams of teachers trying to name those tunes… Season finales include The CW’s DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (8/7c), in which the magical creatures aboard the Wavefinder take center stage while Constantine (Matt Ryan) and Nora (Courtney Ford) continue their search for a Neron-possessed Ray (Brandon Routh)… Still waiting for word of a second-season renewal, NBC’s The Enemy Within (10/9c) ends its first with Shepherd (Jennifer Carpenter) convincing Keaton (Morris Chestnut) to let her go to Cuba to stop Tal’s (Lev Gorn) attack. But as always, the question remains: Can she be trusted?… And in the series finale of ABC’s The Fix (10/9c) after just one season, the legal drama promises answers and resolution with a conviction in the murder case of Jessica Meyer… History’s ever-popular Pawn Stars is back with a new season (10/9c), staying current in the opener by putting a limited-edition autographed Game of Thrones artifact up for sale.
