Happy New Year! As readers of this column know, Netflix streams hundreds of new series every year. Despite, or perhaps, because of this onslaught of product, its most popular and most-streamed series include old network favorites. For some time, “The Office,” the old NBC fake documentary comedy about a paper company in Scranton, has been one of Netflix’s most popular offerings.
Starting today, “The Office” moves to the Peacock streaming service. This is a boon to the new service as well as an enticement for viewers to upgrade. Peacock offers a wealth of content and comes in three tiers. One level is free and ad-supported. A second offers more content for a fee, and a third, slightly more expensive Peacock comes without ads.
The first two seasons of “The Office” will be available for free, but subsequent seasons are available only on a subscription level. What would Michael Scott say?
— “Cobra Kai,” another popular Netflix offering based on the “Karate Kid” franchise, enters its third season today.
— Hugh Bonneville hosts the traditional “Great Performances” (9 p.m., PBS, TV-G, check local listings) presentation “From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2021,” featuring Strauss waltzes performed by the Vienna Philharmonic, under the direction of guest conductor Riccardo Muti.
— Nothing says “New Year’s resolution” like home improvement. HGTV launches “HGTV Dream Home 2021” (8 p.m.) and the new series “Self-Made Mansions” (9:30 p.m., TV-G), filled with lifestyle advice for entrepreneurs and self-starters.
Not to be outdone, Netflix begins streaming the second season of “Dream Home Makeover.”
With its Marie Kondo-hosted series, Netflix has also made a name for itself with design shows that accentuate a critical attitude toward possessions and clutter. Call it conspicuous deconsumption. Streaming today, “The Minimalists: Less Is Now” asks viewers to take control of the “stuff” that may be making their lives seem more chaotic, and dares them to get rid of one material possession a day for a month.
Once you’ve pared down your belongings to near-nothing, you might explore the virtues of doing nothing, or close to it, with the new eight-episode series “Headspace Guide to Meditation,” streaming today on Netflix.
— Crackle, another free streaming service, begins streaming the series “Insomnia.” Set on the streets of Moscow, this sci-fi thriller imagines the ultimate reality TV “game.” Players are injected with a poison that will stop their hearts. Only the winner of a violent “Grand Theft Auto”-type shoot-’em-up will receive the antidote. How’s that for motivation?
— Jodie Whittaker returns as the 13th incarnation of Doctor Who in the holiday movie special “Doctor Who: Revolution of the Daleks” (8 p.m., BBC America, TV-PG).
— The first season of the Disney+ series “Earth to Ned” returns from hiatus.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— The 132nd Rose Parade (11 a.m., Hallmark, TV-G) will unfold as a special, including live-to-tape musical and marching band performances. Also airing on ABC (11 a.m.) and NBC (11:30 a.m.).
— Alabama plays Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl (4 p.m., ESPN).
— Discovery unspools a “Gold Rush” (9 a.m., TV-14) marathon to kick off 2021.
— The 13th season premiere of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (8 p.m. CW, Pop, MTV1, MTV2, VH1, TV-14) gets multi-network exposure.
— A rental seems too good to be true in the 2021 shocker “The Wrong Real Estate Agent” (8 p.m., LMN, TV-14).
— Clemson and Ohio State meet in the Sugar Bowl (8:10 p.m., ESPN).
— An EMT worker is shot on “Blue Bloods” (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
A crude businessman (Broderick Crawford) hires a journalist (William Holden) to tutor his dim-bulb bride-to-be (Judy Holliday) in director George Cukor’s 1950 adaptation of Garson Kanin’s stage comedy “Born Yesterday” (4 p.m., TCM, TV-PG). Kanin based Crawford’s bully on Columbia Pictures mogul Harry Cohn.
SERIES NOTES
Dinner dates witness a homicide on “MacGyver” (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … Jane Lynch hosts “Weakest Link” (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … “WWE Friday Night SmackDown” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … Seasoning without salt on “Shark Tank” (8 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG).
Murder on a tour bus on “Magnum P.I.” (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … “Dateline” (9 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … “20/20” (9 p.m., ABC) … Dean Cain hosts “Masters of Illusion” (9:30 p.m., CW, r, TV-PG).
LATE NIGHT
Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen and Whoopi Goldberg are booked on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS, r) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Post Malone, Phoebe Robinson and 2 Chainz on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC, r) … Carey Mulligan and Alanis Morissette appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (11:35 p.m., ABC, r) … Neil Patrick Harris and Ziggy Marley featuring Ben Harper appear on “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (12:35 a.m., CBS, r).
