TV picks for Jan. 26-28: 'One Day at a Time,' Toni Braxton, 'Britannia,' Neil Diamond

January 25, 2018 at 5:51PM
Adam Rose/Netflix
From lower left: Justina Machado, Isabella Gomez, Rita Moreno, Marcel Ruiz in "One Day at a Time."
Clockwise from lower left: Justina Machado, Isabella Gomez, Rita Moreno and Marcel Ruiz in “One Day at a Time.” (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Go and have a ball

"One Day at a Time" remains a bold, contemporary sitcom in its second season, addressing everything from racial taunts to sexual orientation, very much in the spirit Norman Lear intended when he put a stressed-out single mother at the heart of his original 1970s series. The reboot is oblivious to subtlety, telegraphing its groan-inducing punch lines long before building superintendent Schneider comes bursting through the door. Rita Moreno continues to be a delight, though, turning over-the-top acting into an art form.

Now streaming on Netflix

Breathe again

Last week, Lifetime premiered a movie starring Oscar winner Catherine Zeta-Jones. This weekend, the network's leading actress is ... Toni Braxton? Don't be so quick to judge. As the title character in "Faith Under Fire: The Antoinette Tuff Story," the Grammy winner sets aside her diva status to dig into the real-life role of an elementary school bookkeeper who uses scripture and sympathy to keep a gunman from wreaking havoc in the hallways.

7 p.m. Saturday, Lifetime

The Empire strikes back

"Game of Thrones" fans will probably have a bloody good time with "Britannia," an R-rated history lesson about the Roman Empire's attempt to conquer warriors and Druids in 43 A.D. There are no fire-breathing dragons, unless you count the always reliable David Morrissey, whose audition for the next James Bond villain continues with his role as the merciless Aulus Plautius.

Now streaming on Amazon Prime

Song sung blue

"The 60th Annual Grammy Awards" already promised to pack an emotional wallop with a planned tribute to victims lost in the country-music festival massacre in Las Vegas. But keep a box of tissues on hand for the moment Neil Diamond receives a lifetime-achievement award. The singer/songwriter announced this week that he is retiring from touring after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

6:30 p.m. Sunday, WCCO, Ch. 4

Neal Justin

Neil Diamond performed Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. ] AARON LAVINSKY ï aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com Neil Diamond performed Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.
Neil Diamond will be honored during the Grammys. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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