What To Watch This Week: Polar, Kimmy Schmidt, Broad City, Conan and more

Welcome to What To Watch, your weekly guide to recommendations for television viewing. There is so much broadcast on the small screen these days, it can sometimes be daunting to figure out how to spend your hard-earned time. Well, worry no more! We at JoBlo.com are TV fanatics and have prepped a handy guide for you to follow over the next seven days. Each week, we will bring you picks catered to your viewing mood. If you have recommendations you think we missed, let us know in the comments below or email your selections to [email protected].

OUR PICKS FOR January 21st – 27th

Wanna watch something….that reboots Conan (not the Barbarian)?

CONAN (Airs January 22nd on TBS) – When he started his new show on TBS, Conan O'Brien moved to a less visible location than his star-making talk show on NBC. With ratings suffering, Conan took a short hiatus to retool his show into a shorter, thirty minute format. Very different than what we have seen from him in the past, here's hoping the new Conan can capture all of the best parts of the comedian's stylings and bring him back to the spotlight.

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Wanna watch something….better than it has been in years?

ARROW (Premieres January 21st on The CW) – The CW's Arrowverse has long eclipsed the show that kicked it all off in terms of quality. Stephen Amell's vigilante hero has grown tiresome in recent years, but this season finally has some energy thanks to the recent crossover event that introduced Batwoman. Maybe the second half of this season can be as fun and energetic as that group of episodes.

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Wanna watch something….that used to star a Princess?

SUITS (Premieres January 23rd on USA) – With the series getting more buzz thanks to former cast-member Megan Markle becoming British royalty, the long-running drama series needs to reinvent itself as it enters the second half of it's eighth season. With a spinoff on the horizon, the law series has an avid fanbase thanks to all the pretty people in the cast

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Wanna watch something….where it okay to call women broads?

BROAD CITY (Premieres January 24th on Comedy Central) – This series is way funnier than you may think. I always wrote it off as a female version of Key & Peele, but Broad City is a very different series that benefits from the brilliant comic timing of stars Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. A worthy successor to Sex and the City anf Girls, Broad City is so unlike both of them and yet similar in tone and originality.

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Wanna watch something….based on an ultraviolent comic starring Mads Mikkelsen?

POLAR (Premieres January 25th on Netflix) – If the trailer for this doesn't earn a spot on your schedule, I don't know what to tell you. Not only did it get me to want to watch the movie, but I am reading the comic book now, too. Looking like a cross between JOHN WICK and TAKEN, this is a great role for Mads Mikkelsen who has long been typecast as a villain. Here's hoping this can be the next big franchise.

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Wanna watch something….with ancient Korean zombies?

KINGDOM (Premieres January 25th on Netflix) – There has been a surge in popularity for Korean television dramas in recent years. With most of the series more romantic and soapy in nature, it is very cool to see this horror series set in ancient times and tackle a zombie story unlike any we have seen before. The trailer looks action packed and wholly original and will hopefully open up audiences to more of the distinct stylings of Korean television.

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Wanna watch something….that brings a fan favorite series to a close?

THE UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT (Premieres January 25th on Netflix) – NBC's cult sitcom 30 Rock was the template that Tina Fey carried into this series which is just as surreal, wacky, and fun. After four seasons, the series is coming to an end. The second half of the final season doesn't look to be designed as a final send-off as much as it is just trying to keep telling a fun story with as much heart and humor as possible. I will miss Ellie Kemper's inspired performance once this show is gone, but it is perfectly designed for anyone to binge.

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Wanna watch something….politically relevant, timely and poignant?

BLACK EARTH RISING (Premieres January 25th on Netflix) – BBC productions rival some of the marquee series coming out from stateside networks but this collaboration between the UK network and Netflix looks to be one of the best in a long time. Not an action-packed thriller, this looks to be an intense drama with some very well acted performances. The largely British cast looks to be as top notch as you can get and the inclusion of John Goodman can only bode well.

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Got any recommendations for must watch series airing on TV? Maybe something binge-worthy? Let us know in the comments below!

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Source: JoBlo.com

About the Author

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Alex Maidy has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. A Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and a member of Chicago Indie Critics, Alex has been JoBlo.com's primary TV critic and ran columns including Top Ten and The UnPopular Opinion. When not riling up fans with his hot takes, Alex is an avid reader and aspiring novelist.