What’s on TV this week—Echo and Ted premiere

Welcome to What’s On, our weekly picks of must-watch shows. Here’s what you need to watch from Sunday, January 7 to Thursday, January 11. All times are Eastern. [Note: The weekend edition of What’s On drops on Fridays.]

The biggies

Echo (Disney+, Tuesday, 9 p.m.)

Created by Marion Dayre, Echo is a five-part limited series that falls under Disney+’s newly launched Marvel Spotlight banner. (Think more character-driven stories and less tying into the larger MCU.) Echo centers on Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox), who made her debut in 2021’s Hawkeye. The Native American superhero returns to her hometown in Oklahoma after learning that her mentor, Wilson Fisk (Daredevil’s Vincent D’Onofrio), is responsible for killing her father. She now has to reckon with her past, family history, and cultural identity while seeking revenge. The cast includes Devery Jacobs, Tantoo Cardinal, Chaske Spencer, Graham Greene, Zahn McClarnon, and Charlie Cox. The show will drop all five episodes on Disney+ and Hulu. Look out for The A.V. Club’s review on Tuesday.

Cute but profane stuffed bear Ted finally makes his way to the small screen in this prequel to Seth MacFarlane’s 2012 film. The show tells the origin story of the sentient toy and follows his life in 1990s Massachusetts with a teenage John Bennett (Max Burkholder, in the role played by Mark Wahlberg in the movies). MacFarlane reprises his role as the voice of Ted, and the cast includes Alanna Ubach, Scott Grimes, and Giorgia Whigham.

Hidden gems

Pete Davidson: Turbo Fonzarelli (Netflix, Tuesday, 3:01 a.m.)

Who’s ready to kick off the new year with more Pete Davidson? The SNL alum and Bupkis star gets his second comedy special on Netflix with Turbo Fonzarelli. Directed by Jason Orley, it features the comedian and actor talking about what it means for him to turn 30 and the experiences that come with it.

The Bold Type’s Aisha Dee stars in the four-part Australian thriller Safe Home as communications specialist Phoebe Rook, who works at a family violence shelter. As she strives to save the center from losing funding, she gets involved in her clients’ personal lives and complicates her own.

Created by Vera’s Paul Rutman, the British thriller Criminal Record features Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo as two detectives who clash on a historic case. Capaldi plays Daniel Hegarty, a well-connected veteran inspector determined to protect his legacy. Things get complex when rookie officer June Lenker (Jumbo) is pulled into an old mystery after an anonymous phone call. Here’s a bit from The A.V. Club’s review:

Jumbo and Capaldi have plenty to dig their teeth into. Their characters are layered until the very last moment of the show, and their acting keeps you guessing.

More good stuff

The Golden Globe Awards (CBS, Sunday, 8 p.m.)

Comedian Jo Koy hosts the 81st Golden Globe Awards, which celebrates the best of film and TV of the past year. Check out the full list of nominees and keep an eye out for The A.V. Club’s coverage of the ceremony, which we’re guessing will be a good night for Barbie, Oppenheimer, Succession, and The Bear. Also, it’s the first year the Globes are not under control of the scandal-plagued Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which disbanded in 2023.

Based on Trent Dalton’s book, Boy Swallows Universe is a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age series. Set in the ’80s, the eight-episode season centers on 12-year-old Eli Bell (Zac Burgess), whose upbringing is marred because his mother and stepfather are addicts and drug dealers. He finds solace in his brother and, unexpectedly, an ex-con, who becomes a father figure. Phoebe Tonkin, Travis Fimmel, Sophie Wilde, Simon Baker, and Anthony LaPaglia co-star. The A.V. Club’s review publishes on Tuesday.

Directed by Abhishek Chaubey, Killer Soup is a comedic thriller in which talentless home cook Swathi Shetty (Konkona Sen Sharma) aspires to open a restaurant. To do so, she decides to replace her husband, Prabhakar (Manoj Bajpayee), with her lover—who looks exactly like her spouse. However, once the local inspector and goons get involved, chaos ensues.

Can’t miss recaps

Fargo (FX, Tuesday, 10 p.m.)

Arriving now

All Creatures Great And Small (PBS, Sunday, 8 p.m., season four premiere)

La Brea (NBC, Tuesday, 9 p.m., season three premiere)

Break Point (NBC, Wednesday, 3:01 a.m., season two premiere)

Ending soon

Single’s Inferno (Netflix, Tuesday, 3:01 a.m., season three finale)