Worth Watching: A ‘Chicago’ Crossover, ‘Party’ Heads to Mexico, ‘Full Frontal’s Amy Hoggart Gets Personal
A selective critical checklist of notable Wednesday TV:
Chicago Fire/Chicago P.D. (NBC, 9/8c): The Chicago franchise welcomes back one of its own for a two-part crossover. It begins on Chicago Fire when former P.D. officer Sean Roman (Brian Geraghty, currently in USA’s Briarpatch) returns in search of his sister, who’s gone missing amid the opioid epidemic. Before turning to his old Intelligence Unit squad, he teams with Fire’s Severide (Taylor Kinney) for info, and when the trail leads to a dealer responsible for many overdoses and possibly the disappearance of Roman’s sister, it’s time for the P.D. squad to get on the case.
Party of Five (9/8c, Freeform): The smartly reinvented and undeniably topical family drama is nearing its first-season finale, so expect some big-time waterworks when the siblings cross the border to reunite with their parents in Mexico. While everyone may try to put a positive spin on their situation, harsh realities can’t help but be exposed. Staying back in the USA because of his precarious Dreamer status, eldest son Emilio (Brandon Larracuente) bonds with nanny/poet Natalia (Sol Rodriguez) for some songwriting, and we’re betting some beautiful music can be made from this partnership.
It’s Personal with Amy Hoggart (10/9c, truTV and TBS): In her improvisational segments on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, British-American comic Amy Hoggart has shown herself to be a master of dry, absurdist irony and mock empathy. In a new unscripted comedy series, Amy takes her gifts to the next level as she goes to great, and increasingly silly, lengths to help real people deal with issues like anxiety, shame, grief and revenge. The premiere is titled “Humor,” a subject Amy knows intimately, and which is known to cure many ills.
A Netflix Two-Fer: From fantasy to real-life tragedy, Netflix’s library of titles continues to grow. On the more whimsical end, the seven-part YA series I Am Not Okay with This, based on (what else) a graphic novel, stars Sophia Lillis (a breakout star of Stephen King’s It) as a typically angst-ridden teen who begins to develop most atypical super powers. The seven-part series’ pedigree includes producers of Stranger Things and the writer/executive producer of The End of the F***ing World.
On a more sobering note, the six-part docuseries The Trails of Gabriel Fernandez investigates the government and legal systems that failed 8-year-old Gabriel, who died in 2013 from prolonged abuse by his mother and her boyfriend. The ensuing trial exposed serious flaws in the Los Angeles County child protection services.
Inside Wednesday TV: It’s becoming a generational battle on CBS’s Survivor: Winners at War (8/7c) when new-school players try to upstage the old-school veterans. And chaos ensues at the Edge of Extinction when the exiles spy an opportunity in the game… CBS’s SEAL Team (9/8c), on hiatus since December, is back with a two-hour episode that sends Bravo Team to Venezuela to rescue a kidnapped CIA agent. But it’s hard to focus on the mission with so many life-altering developments happening on the home front… ABC’s hourlong special Shark Tank: Greatest of All Time (10/9c) looks back at some of the best pitches and products the sharks have chewed on and fought over during 11 seasons.
Chicago Fire where to stream
Chicago P.D. where to stream
