Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Tuesday, January 13th, 2026:
PRODUCTION NOTES
I have had a number of readers reach out and ask how I was doing and I appreciate it. My best answer of what it's like in Minnesota right now is that about a mile from me, ICE & Border Patrol agents crashed their vehicle into a car yesterday morning and arrested the occupant, who is an American citizen and is a teacher at the special ed school where the incident took place.
So...yeah.
YOU HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT IS GOING ON INTERNATIONALLY
One of the big disputes in Paramount Skydance's efforts to takeover Warner Bros. Discovery is the value of its linear networks and international television business. Paramount argues that business is essentially worthless, and if all you know about the WBD linear TV business is its collection of increasingly zombie-like cable channels, you might be inclined to agree with that argument.
But Warner Bros. Discovery has a massive television presence outside the United States and one small indication of that is the announcement that was made today in the UK.
The company announced a "refreshed" UK free-to-air (FTA) portfolio, including a new-look TLC. Each of the six channels has its own identity and the refresh is accompanied by an impressive lineup for TLC:
The channel launches today [January 13th] with popular comedy series The Big Bang Theory, plus spin-off Young Sheldon, and Mike and Molly as well as the UK premiere of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage (on January 18th). TLC will also be home to the return of Mock the Week, the long-running UK satirical panel show. Back from February 1st, with Dara Ó Briain at the helm, Mock the Week fans can look forward to new one-hour episodes featuring comedians such as Rhys James, Sara Pascoe, Ed Byrne, Ahir Shah, Milton Jones, Katherine Ryan, Hugh Dennis, Ellie Taylor, Russell Howard and more.
Other titles on TLC include Dr Pimple Popper, The Bad Skin Clinic, My 600Lb Life, 90 Day Fiancé and, from April, new series Zero Stars that sees comedians Roisin Conaty and Sara Pascoe journey around the globe in search of unique travel experiences.
And while streamer Discovery+ shut down its original production arm in the United States about two years ago, that is not the case in the UK and Ireland:
Vinnie Jones in the Country returns to discovery+ on February 2nd with more plans for his 2,000 acres of Sussex countryside. The 6×60 season, produced by Objective Entertainment part of Objective Media Group, will see some of the biggest challenges yet.
discovery+ will also welcome back Richard Hammond’s Workshop for a sixth season later this year. The 8×60 series, produced by Chimp Productions and Krempelwood, sees Hammond takes bold creative risks to turn The Smallest Cog into an internationally recognised name. The Herefordshire workshop tackles its most ambitious and intricate restorations yet, while grappling with business expansion and the challenges of recruiting new staff.
Quest seems to the UK equivalent of the U.S. channel Discovery and it is also leaning into an impressive amount of original programming:
In 2026 Quest will also welcome two new series; Guz Khan’s Custom Cars and Francis Bourgeois & Chris Harris: We Saved a Train. Guz Khan’s Custom Cars sees TV funny man and car enthusiast Guz Khan attempt to modify his own car. To help inspire him, Khan will embark on a journey to discover cars as unconventional as their owners. The 8×60 series, produced by Ricochet, will air on Quest from January 19th.
Francis Bourgeois & Chris Harris: We Saved a Train, from Naked West a Fremantle label, follows friends and engineering obsessives Francis Bourgeois and Chris Harris as they take on the challenge of restoring a dilapidated diesel locomotive and bringing it back to life. The 8×60 series comes to Quest in the spring.
Quest viewers can also look forward to more of Johnny Vegas’ Little Shop of Antiques as season two airs this summer. Also back on Quest is Ant Anstead: Born Mechanic, returning for its third season. Produced by ITN Productions, the series will see Ant Anstead back and determined that by spring 2026 his parents will finally move into the front section of the house. The series is set to air in the summer.
All of this is to remind you that WBD has a lot going in its linear television business. Just not here in the United States.
It is also a reminder that I wish I had access to some of these shows. I have a fairly large international readership, but networks and streamers in the UK tend to be uninterested in helping me provide coverage of their local regional programs.
HBO MAX LAUNCHES TODAY IN EIGHT EUROPEAN MARKETS TODAY
HBO Max launches today in Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Israel and Greece. In comparison, Disney+ launched in those same countries nearly six years ago.
The problem for HBO was that it was tied into a long-term output deal with Sky, which expired at the end of last year. Under the terms of the deal, all of the new HBO shows will head to HBO Max, with Sky keeping only subsequent seasons of series that already aired before the cutoff.
HBO Max will have a bit of a challenge on its hand, a problem that is exacerbated by the uncertainty of who will own it this time next year. In the interim, the service is launching with aggressive pricing in an effort to grow a subscriber base.
U.S. MARSHALS JOIN THE HUNT FOR TIMOTHY BUSFIELD
Actor/director Timothy Busfield has yet to turn himself in to authorities after having been charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and child abuse in an arrest warrant issued on January 9th:
Two brothers born in 2014 who worked on Fox’s now-canceled The Cleaning Lady, on which Busfield directed several episodes and served as an executive producer, claim that the Emmy-winning thirtysomething vet touched them inappropriately. One of the boys, referred to as SL, told APD Officer Marvin Brown, who wrote up the comprehensive warrant after a few months of investigation, that Busfield touched his “penis and buttocks, masking it as play” on more than one occasion.
An even more unsettling part of this story is that this is not the first time Busfield has been accused of sexual misconduct:
The 68-year-old, who was accused but never charged in two previous sexual assault allegations in 1994 and 2012, could face three to many more years in state prison if found guilty of the New Mexico charges. Under that state’s statutes, sentencing time and felony class can go up significantly in sex crimes if the crime involves children under 13 years of age — as it allegedly does in these cases.
On Monday, NBC today pulled a January 15th episode of Law & Order: SVU that had the actor in a guest-star role as a judge.
I unfortunately don't recall much about those earlier cases, but I plan to spend some time tracking down details to see if I can determine why those earlier cases didn't move forward.
ODDS AND SODS:
* Apple TV has ordered a multi-part documentary series on the life of Andre Agassi.
* Season two of the under-rated Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters premieres Friday, February 27th on Apple TV. Here is a first video look at season two. And here is the official logline: "In addition to Kong, season two will feature Godzilla and introduce a new Titan: the enigmatic Titan X, now officially on the loose. Titan X isn’t just another monster; it’s a living cataclysm. When its massive bioluminescent form breaks the surface of the ocean, the world seems to hold its breath. Titan X stands at the center of the mystery - an ancient force emerging from the deep, its purpose uncertain, its power unmatched, its awe and terror in equal measure."
* Sky has ordered The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, an eight-part Sky Original series from Left Bank Pictures (The Crown, Dept Q), based on the globally bestselling novels written by Stieg Larsson. Here is the brief logline: "This bold and contemporary reimagining brings The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo into the present, grounded in the characters and investigative DNA of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium novels, with themes that carry heightened relevance today." Sony Pictures TV is handling licensing for the U.S.
* CBS just announced that Trevor Noah will return for a sixth and final time as host of the 2026 Grammy Awards.
TWEET OF THE DAY
WHAT'S COMING TODAY AND TOMORROW
TUESDAY, JANUARY 13TH:
* Killer Confessions: Case Files Of A Texas Ranger Series Premiere (Investigation Discovery)
* Mysteries Unearthed With Danny Trejo Season Two Finale (History)
* Pole To Pole With Will Smith Series Premiere (NatGeo)
* Riot Women Series Premiere (BritBox)
* Star Search Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Suddenly Amish Series Premiere (TLC)
* Tell Me Lies Season Premiere (Hulu)
* The Boyfriend (Netflix)
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14TH:
* Fear Factor: House Of Fear Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Hijack Season Two Premiere (Apple TV)
* Nature: The World Of Elephant Super Tuskers (PBS)
* Oshi No Ko (Crunchyroll)
* The Queen Of Flow (Netflix)
* Riot Women (Britbox)
SEE YOU WEDNESDAY MORNING!