Soleil Moon Frye returns to star in an update of “Punky Brewster,” streaming on Peacock. She’s still Punky, but she’s 40something now and living in a loft with an adopted brood of her own, including two boys who seem based on “The Odd Couple.” One is a budding stud and a total slob; the other a neat freak given to wearing eye makeup, and in a later episode, a sarong.
The absence of any Mr. Brewster is explained early when Punky says she’s just getting over a divorce and had spent so much time working on her relationship that she forgot just who she was. “I want to know me, again,” she says with a sigh. The fact that she would say such things at all signals that we’re knee-deep in sitcom land.
The fact that she says it to her own adolescent daughter indicates that we’re in a very cloying sitcom.
In the original show, “Punky” 1.0, she was abandoned by her parents and taken in by cranky photographer Henry Warnimont (George Gaynes). Gaynes died in 2016, so Henry’s memory is kept alive with a prominently displayed photograph. Punky and her kids, his “grandkids,” turn to the picture often and consult it for advice. This odd touch reminds me of “Still the Beaver,” a made-for-TV movie from 1983 that attempted to cash in on “Leave It to Beaver” nostalgia. In it, Beav’s mom (Barbara Billingsley) used to sit by the grave of her husband, Ward (the deceased Hugh Beaumont), and share tales about the now grown-up (and utterly dysfunctional) Wally and Beaver. It was morbid and sad, then and now.
This marks Peacock’s second round of desperate recycling, after its “new” take on “Saved by the Bell.” But it’s hardly alone. A glance at the 1985-’86 schedule, when “Punky” was first canceled, reveals any number of series since revived, including “MacGyver,” “The Equalizer,” “Dynasty,” “Magnum, P.I.” “The Twilight Zone” and “The Love Boat.” Can a “Hardcastle and McCormick” revival be far behind?
— A show that only sounds like a sitcom remake, the reality comedy “She’s the Boss” (10:30 p.m., USA, TV-PG) follows the always wacky daily life of advice coach Nicole Walters, her lawyer/husband/business partner, her three adopted kids and their flamboyant “manny,” a large man given to outfit changes and catch phrases.
— Four 20somethings navigate love and careers on the new comedy “Millennials,” streaming on the AMC streaming service ALLBLK, dedicated to series and movies from a Black perspective.
— Discovery+ streams the 2021 documentary “Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story,” a profile of the prolific filmmaker (1924-2018), who worked on some 750 sports films popularizing skiing and snowboarding.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— Sisters recoil from childhood trauma on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— First date jitters on “Call Me Kat” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
— Quarantine proves bad for business on “Last Man Standing” (9:30 p.m., Fox, TV-PG).
— A question of competency on “Clarice” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
— Joel McCrea and Claudette Colbert star in the 1942 screwball comedy “The Palm Beach Story” (8 p.m., TCM, TV-G), directed by Preston Sturges and featuring sophisticated rapid-fire patter and a supporting cast including Mary Astor and Rudy Vallee.
SERIES NOTES
Wendie Malick guest-stars on “Young Sheldon” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … A palm tree crisis on “Mr. Mayor” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) … “Hell’s Kitchen” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … Home is where the work is on “Walker” (8 p.m., CW, r, TV-PG) … Looking ahead on “B Positive” (8:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Split depositions on “Superstore” (8:30 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
Faking it on “Mom” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … “The Chase” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … Going medieval on “Legacies” (9 p.m., CW, r, TV-14) … Fading memories on “The Unicorn” (9:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … “Dateline” (10 p.m., NBC) … “The Hustler” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
LATE NIGHT
Kevin James appears on “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS) … Regina King and Vic Mensa featuring Wyclef Jean are booked on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Eddie Murphy, Eve Hewson and the Kid LAROI on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Steve Harvey, Michael Pena and Ava Max appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (11:35 p.m., ABC).
David Spade, Jason Mantzoukas and Raghav Mehrotra visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC) … Jodie Foster and Holly Humberstone appear on “The Late Late Show With James Corden” (12:35 a.m., CBS).
