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January 31, 2026 
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Good morning. Let’s talk about the new and old shows we’ll be watching this winter.
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| María Jesús Contreras |
Good company
“The Pitt” returned for its second season recently, and I realized I’d been anticipating its premiere the way one greets the impending arrival of old friends: excitement at seeing the characters again, curiosity about what they’ve been up to, wondering if we’ll be able to pick up with the same intimacy as before.
That cozy familiarity with the characters on shows we love is one of the rewards of being a fan. When the real world feels hostile and unpredictable, there’s comfort in returning to a familiar cast, characters whose behavior is scripted by a team of writers.
But what of the long-ended show that returns, zombie-like, from the dead? The critic Mike Hale recently issued his list of shows to watch this winter, and there are some surprising ones. For instance, have you heard “Scrubs” is coming back after 16 years, with all its stars intact? (ABC, Feb. 25) And fancy seeing you here, “Malcolm in the Middle”! The last time we talked was in 2006 and you were dashing out to get some cigarettes. (It’s back as a mini-series. Hulu, April 10.) I can’t say I’m getting the same warm feeling imagining a visit with these characters the way I did about the personnel of “The Pitt,” but I am betting there are many for whom these familiar faces will provide comfort.
I’m more excited about “The Forsytes” (PBS, March 22). It’s a prequel to the events of John Galsworthy’s “Forsyte Saga” novels and the perfect, in my memory, 2002 mini-series. The old characters are back (Soames! Irene! If these names mean nothing to you, I’m jealous — you have a delightful binge ahead) but with new actors. Stephen Moyer (“True Blood”) as Old Jolyon seems like a brilliant fit.
There’s a new “Game of Thrones” spinoff, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” (HBO, Jan. 18). Tom Brady narrates “Rise of the 49ers,” a four-episode documentary (AMC, Feb. 1). “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins” looks exciting: Tracy Morgan plays a former football player, Daniel Radcliffe a filmmaker helping him rehab his tarnished image. Tina Fey and some of her “30 Rock” crew are behind it (NBC, Feb. 23).
Kerry Washington and Elisabeth Moss as old friends? Yes, in “Imperfect Women,” wherein a third friend is murdered (Apple TV, March 18). And David E. Kelley’s interpretation of “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” will intrigue the many who loved Rufi Thorpe’s novel. It stars Michelle Pfeiffer and Elle Fanning (Apple TV, April 15). Pfeiffer will always feel to me like an old friend, as she will forever live in my memory as Stephanie Zinone from the underrated 1982 masterpiece, “Grease 2.” I don’t know that I would recommend you watch that one before “The Forsyte Saga,” but it has its own dramatic allure.
Immigration
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| A memorial for Alex Pretti In Minneapolis. Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times |
- The Justice Department, in a reversal, said it would open a civil rights investigation into the shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis.
- Don Lemon, the former CNN anchor who now works as an independent journalist, was arrested in connection with a protest at a church in St. Paul, Minn. Lemon said he was covering the protest, not participating in it.
- The Senate passed a bipartisan spending package to fund most of the government while Democrats and President Trump negotiate ICE reforms.
- In an internal memo this week, ICE gave its agents broader power to arrest people without a warrant.
- “Craftivists” are knitting red tasseled hats to galvanize opposition to ICE, and to mourn the two Minnesotans killed by federal agents.
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Epstein Files
- The Justice Department released more than three million pages of documents from its Jeffrey Epstein investigation, along with thousands of photos and videos. Here are takeaways.
- The release includes revelations about Epstein’s relationships with Elon Musk; the Google co-founder Sergey Brin; a co-owner of the New York Giants, Steve Tisch; and Trump’s commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick.
- The documents show that the F.B.I. put together a summary of more than a dozen unverified tips involving Trump.
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International
Other Big Stories
‘Melania’
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| Melania and Donald Trump at the Kennedy Center this week. Eric Lee for The New York Times |
- “Melania,” a new documentary about Melania Trump, follows the first lady in the 20 days leading up to her husband’s 2025 inauguration. Read our review.
- The red carpet at the film’s Kennedy Center premiere this week featured a who’s who of right-wing influencers and Republican officials.
- Amazon is spending $35 million to promote the film — 10 times what other studios have spent to hype high-profile documentaries.
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Grammys
More Culture
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| Catherine O’Hara in 2019. Ryan Pfluger for The New York Times |
- Catherine O’Hara, who got her start on the cult comedy show “SCTV” and went on to star in hits like “Home Alone” and “Schitt’s Creek,” has died at 71.
- Call it Brontë-maxxing: Ahead of the release of a new film adaptation, young readers are diving into “Wuthering Heights,” often with friends.
- The Shakers, 19th-century utopians famous for communal living and ecstatic worship, are having a modern renaissance.
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Ghost of Yotei are both samurai action games set in long-ago Japan. In the video below, Zachary Small explains the differences — and which one you should get. Click to play.
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| The New York Times |
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“The Muppet Show” (Thursday): Have you lately felt a dearth of the most sensational? The inspirational? The celebrational? Then rejoice: “The Muppet Show” has returned, as Kermit the Frog says, “back on the very stage where it all started and then ended and is maybe starting again, depending on how tonight goes.” An exemplar of kiddie sketch comedy and puppeteering panache, the show will arrive on Disney+ and ABC for a revival special, with the usual fleece and polyfoam stars as well as special guests including Maya Rudolph, Sabrina Carpenter and Seth Rogen. Carpenter, a recent Grammy winner, has big Miss Piggy energy. (Complimentary.)
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| Kate Sears for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff. |
Chile Crisp Fettuccine Alfredo
This weekend, let’s bid goodbye to January with a spicy, buttery bang, namely Genevieve Ko’s chile crisp fettuccine Alfredo with spinach. Don’t let the simple technique and minimalist ingredient list fool you; this creamy dish can really pack a wallop. Toasting the chile crisp in butter increases its complex, toasty notes that are rounded out by the Parmesan and heavy cream, and baby spinach adds freshness and color. Even better, you don’t need to get out your knife. This speedy, no-chop recipe practically cooks itself.
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| Jodie Horton at home in New Orleans. Edmund D. Fountain for The New York Times |
The Hunt: A New Orleans-based doctor and her partner, planning ahead, sought a condo in Panama for their retirement. Which did they choose? Play our game.
What you get for $950,000: A Greek Revival in Charleston, S.C.; a Cape Cod in Roxbury, Conn.; and a midcentury modern home in Denver.
D.I.Y.: For home renovations,
