TV Talk: ‘The Bachelor,’ filmed at Nemacolin, is among midseason broadcast shows

Premieres of new, returning and delayed-­by-the-pandemic series begin rolling out on broadcast networks next week, including the 25th edition of ABC’s “The Bachelor” (8 p.m. Jan. 4, WTAE-TV), filmed this fall under a covid-19 quarantine bubble at Nemacolin in Farmington, Fayette County.

It’s the first time the show has starred a Black “Bachelor,” Matt James, a 28-year-old real estate broker and former college football player.

Host Chris Harrison said this season wound up in Southwestern Pennsylvania after spending a week during JoJo Fletcher’s 2016 season of “The Bachelorette” at Nemacolin.

“We reached out to the Nemacolin team, who kindly welcomed us back with open arms,” Harrison said. “No, this season won’t have the travel and adventure it usually does, and I miss that, but being at Nemacolin during the fall was spectacular. … I think it also really helped that we had filmed there before … so we knew what we were getting ourselves into, and we knew the types of locations that could be used on the property.”

Here are more broadcast shows debuting soon:

ABC

“The Hustler” (previews 10 p.m. Jan. 4; time slot premiere 10 p.m. Jan. 7): Game show featuring five players, one of whom knows the answers but must keep his or her identity as “the hustler” a secret to win the top prize.

“Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” (8 p.m. Jan 7, WTAE-TV): Celeb contestants, including Yvette Nicole Brown, Drew Carey and Chrissy Metz, spin the wheel.

“The Chase” (9 p.m. Jan. 7): Quiz show reboot with contestants facing off against “the Chaser,” played by the “Jeopardy! Greatest of all Time” crew.

“Call Your Mother” (9:30 p.m. Jan. 13, WTAE-TV): Buttinski empty nester (Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer”) reinserts herself in the lives of her adult children.

Returning: “The Rookie” (10 p.m. Jan. 3), “For Life” (10 p.m. Jan. 20), “black-ish” (9 p.m. Jan. 26), “mixed-ish” (9:30 p.m. Jan. 26), “To Tell the Truth” (8 p.m. Jan. 26), “American Idol” (8 p.m. Feb. 14), “Station 19” (8 p.m. March 4), “Grey’s Anatomy” (9 p.m. March 4), “A Million Little Things” (10 p.m. March 4).

CBS

“The Equalizer” (approximately 10 p.m. following “Super Bowl LV” Feb. 7, KDKA-TV): Queen Latifah stars in this remake of the 1985-89 CBS show as a former CIA operative who aids the oppressed.

“Clarice” (10 p.m. Feb. 11): “Silence of the Lambs” sequel series follows FBI Agent Clarice Starling (Rebecca Breeds) as she returns to the field.

Returning: “Tough as Nails” (8 p.m. Feb. 10).

Fox

“Call Me Kat” (8 p.m. Jan. 3): Mayim Bialik (“The Big Bang Theory”) stars as a cat cafe proprietor who makes frequent asides to the audience a la “Fleabag” but with a laugh track and less sophisticated humor (the show is actually based on 2009-15 Britcom “Miranda” that starred Miranda Hart). The breaking-the-fourth-wall shtick grows old fast in the pilot — only one in four of the comments proves charming/funny — so it’s no surprise there’s less of it in the second episode, airing in the show’s regular Thursday 9 p.m. time slot on Jan. 7.

“The Great North” (previews 8:30 p.m. Jan. 3; regular time period premiere 8:30 p.m. Feb. 14): A winning, offbeat animated comedy from “Bob’s Burgers” writers (hence the “offbeat” nature) about an Alaskan family headed by father Beef (Nick Offerman) whose wife abandoned him, moved to Pennsylvania with her new boyfriend and started a blog. “It’s about stores that won’t chase you if you shoplift,” says daughter Judy (Jenny Slate). “It’s called ‘Pittsburgh Stealers.’”

“The Masked Dancer” (8 p.m. Jan. 6, WPGH-TV): Celeb judges guess the identity of costumed celeb dancers.

“Name That Tune” (9 p.m. Jan. 6, WPGH-TV): All-new version of the classic musical game show.

“Cherries Wild” (7 p.m. Feb. 14): Jason Biggs (“American Pie”) hosts this trivia quiz show collaboration between Fox and Pepsi Wild Cherry.

Returning: “Last Man Standing” (9:30 p.m. Jan. 3 before moving to 9:30 p.m. Thursdays on Jan. 7 for its final season), “Hell’s Kitchen” (8 p.m. Jan. 7), “The Resident” (8 p.m. Jan. 12), “Prodigal Son” (9 p.m. Jan. 12), “9-1-1” (8 p.m. Jan. 12), “9-1-1: Lone Star” (9 p.m. Jan. 12)

The CW

“Trickster” (9 p.m. Jan 12, WPCW): Based on the novel “Son of a Trickster,” this Canadian import follows Indigenous teen Jared (Joel Oulette), who’s trying to keep his dysfunctional family together (by selling drugs, “Breaking Bad”-style). Then he starts seeing talking ravens and doppelgangers. The supernatural elements are more grounded than in the usual CW fare, and the backdrop of an impoverished community adds unexpected realism. This “Trickster” is worth watching.

“Walker” (8 p.m. Jan. 21): Reboot of “Walker, Texas Ranger” with “Supernatural” star Jared Padalecki as the title character.

“Superman & Lois” (9 p.m. Feb. 23): The Man of Steel (Tyler Hoechlin, “Teen Wolf”) and Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch, “Grimm”) take flight.

Returning: “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” (8 p.m. Jan. 8), “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” (9 p.m. Jan. 8), “Two Sentence Horror Stories” (8 and 8:30 p.m. Jan. 12), “Batwoman” (8 p.m. Jan. 17), “All American” (8 p.m. Jan. 18), “Riverdale” (8 p.m. Jan. 20), “Nancy Drew” (9 p.m. Jan. 20), “Legacies” (9 p.m. Jan. 21), “Charmed” (9 p.m. Jan. 24), “Black Lightning” (final season 9 p.m. Feb. 8), “The Flash” (8 p.m. Feb. 23).

NBC

“Mr. Mayor” (8 and 8:30 p.m. Jan. 7, WPXI-TV): A retired businessman (Carnegie Mellon University grad Ted Danson) is the newly elected mayor of Los Angeles who seeks the respect of his biggest critic (fellow CMU alum Holly Hunter) and a connection with his teen daughter (Kyla Kenedy) in a comedy from Tina Fey and Robert Carlock (“30 Rock”). Todd Holland, a Kittanning native who grew up in Meadville, directed the first episode, which benefits from rat-a-tat-tat dialogue that will be familiar to “30 Rock” fans.

Returning: “Ellen’s Game of Games” (8 and 9 p.m. Jan. 4), “The Wall” (10 p.m. Jan. 4), “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” (8 p.m. Jan. 5), “This is Us” (9 p.m. Jan. 5), “Nurses” (10 p.m. Jan. 5), “The Blacklist” (8 p.m. Jan. 22).

PBS

Henry Louis Gates Jr. explores American religious history in “The Black Church: This is Our Story. This is Our Song” (9 p.m. Tuesdays, Feb. 16-23). Jared Leto comes to PBS with “A Day in the Life of America” on “Independent Lens” (10 p.m. Jan. 11). “Frontline” explores “Far-Right Violence” (10 p.m. March 23).

“Masterpiece: Elizabeth Is Missing” (9 p.m. Jan. 3, WQED-TV): Glenda Jackson stars as an elderly woman trying to solve two mysteries as her dementia worsens.

“Masterpiece: All Creatures Great and Small” (9 p.m. Sundays, Jan. 10-Feb. 21): Seven-part remake of the 1970s-80s series based on the James Herriot novels.

“Masterpiece: Miss Scarlet & The Duke” (8 p.m. Sundays, Jan. 17-Feb. 21): Victorian England’s first female sleuth investigates crime with detective inspector William “The Duke” Wellington in this six-episode series.

“Masterpiece: The Long Song” (10 p.m. Sundays, Jan. 31- Feb. 14): Based on the Andrea Levy novel, this three-part miniseries follows a plantation slave in 19th-century Jamaica.

Returning: “Antiques Roadshow” (8 p.m. Jan. 4), “Finding Your Roots” (8 p.m. Jan. 19).

Channel surfing

Former KDKA-TV news anchor Susan Koeppen posted to Facebook that she’s teaching ski lessons at Seven Springs this week, including on Thursday and Saturday. She’ll continue instructing “beginners of all ages” mostly on weekends through February. … Following WPXI’s return to DISH Network a few weeks ago after a five-month blackout, there’s a new retransmission battle brewing between Verizon and WTAE owner Hearst with a Dec. 31 deadline. Failure to eke out a new deal could result in Verizon’s FiOS TV customers losing access to Channel 4. … The 2021 “Rose Parade” was canceled due to the pandemic but NBC will air a “celebration special” 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Jan. 1. … Discovery Channel’s “Undercover Billionaire” is back for a second season at 8 p.m. Jan. 6 following three new entrepreneurs. Season one star Glenn Stearns returns to Erie, where he built Underdog BBQ in season one, with a new mission helping small Erie businesses in “Undercover Billionaire: Comeback City” (10 p.m. Jan. 6), which features an appearance by TJ Fairchild, owner of Pittsburgh-based Commonplace Coffee, as a business adviser to an Erie coffee shop. … CNN debuts “Jimmy Carter, Rock Roll President” at 9 p.m. Jan. 3. … “Cobra Kai” streams a week earlier than announced beginning Jan. 1 on Netflix.