TV picks for Feb. 17-19: 'The Good Fight,' 'Big Little Lies,' Kelsey Grammer, 'Billions'

February 16, 2017 at 10:00PM
Paul Giamatti as Chuck Rhoades and Maggie Siff as Wendy Rhoades in "Billions." (Season 2, Episode 01). - Photo: Jeff Neumann/Showtime
Paul Giamatti and Maggie Siff in “Billions.” JEFF NEUMANN • Showtime (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Court of appeal

"The Good Wife" was one of the sharpest network dramas of the past decade, which means high expectations for its sequel, "The Good Fight." Great news: The series is terrific, with Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) taking center stage, and veteran actors clearly relishing the opportunity to snack on mature, smart dialogue. The bad news: After Sunday's premiere, episodes will be available only on CBS' new digital "All Access" channel, which means ponying up a few bucks and memorizing yet another password. Bite the bullet; it's worth it.

7 p.m. Sunday, WCCO, Ch. 4

Tossed salad & scrambled eggs

It's appropriate that Kelsey Grammer is hosting "The Paley Center Salutes NBC's 90th Anniversary" since he starred in two of the network's most celebrated hits. The three-hour special will feature brand-new interviews and programming highlights.

7 p.m. Sunday, KARE, Ch. 11

Going big

Reese Witherspoon puts another notch in her producer belt with "Big Little Lies," but the seven-part miniseries is also a reminder that she's a spunky actress who more than deserves to be part of Oscar's inner circle. She's so terrific as a tightly wound mother whose actions trigger a murder investigation that you'll almost overlook David E. Kelley's cliche-driven script. To hear from Witherspoon and co-star Nicole Kidman, check out Sunday's Variety section.

8 p.m. Sunday, HBO

Yo, Adrians!

"Billions" is having a bargain sale. The second-season premiere of the series, in which Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis compare bank accounts, closes out a free preview weekend of Showtime programming, which also means newbies can check out new episodes of "Homeland" and a welterweight bout between Adrien Broner and Adrian Granados.

9 p.m. Sunday, Showtime

Neal Justin

In this image released by NBC, Kelsey Grammer accepts the Best Actor in a TV Series Drama for his role in "Boss," during the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/NBC, Paul Drinkwater)
Grammer (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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