The Carrie Diaries
Author Candace Bushnell served as a co-creator for this Sex and the City prequel series, which imagines Carrie Bradshaw in the years before she started sipping cosmos and flirting with Mr. Big. AnnaSophia Robb plays Carrie at 16, when, after her mother’s death, she flees Connecticut for an internship in Manhattan. There, she falls hard for New York’s fashion and club scenes, while navigating the challenges of friendships, love, and sex. Monday, Jan. 14, at 8 p.m., CW
Independent Lens: Soul Food Junkies
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Fried chicken, barbecued ribs, and collard greens: Filmmaker Byron Hurt traces those and other traditional African-American dishes from their West African origins through their refinement in the South into what became known as “soul food.” When his own father falls ill but refuses to give up his customary diet, Hurt asks whether this cuisine that nourishes the soul is killing the body, contributing to high rates of diabetes and other ailments among black Americans. Monday, Jan. 14, at 10 p.m., PBS; check local listings
Pioneers of Television: Funny Ladies
The third season of this series, which celebrates TV’s golden age, opens with a look back at the groundbreaking women of broadcast comedy, from stand-up performer Phyllis Diller to sitcom pioneers Lucille Ball and Mary Tyler Moore. Tina Fey, Margaret Cho, and other current stars offer insights about their comedy forebears. Tuesday, Jan. 15, at 8 p.m., PBS; check local listings
American Idol
A new year, another new set of judges. Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, and Keith Urban join Randy Jackson and host Ryan Seacrest for the 12th season of TV’s benchmark talent show. Competition promises to be fierce among the singers, but also in Idol’s ratings race with Usher and Shakira’s The Voice. Idol’s edge? Carey and Minaj have reportedly been at each other’s throats as each tries to establish herself as the show’s alpha diva. Wednesday, Jan. 16, at 8 p.m., Fox
King of the Nerds
Robert Carradine and Curtis Armstrong—who played Lewis and Booger in the 1984 screwball comedy Revenge of the Nerds—serve as the hosts and judges of this reality-show version of The Big Bang Theory. Contestants live together in a house called “Nerdvana” and compete in full-fledged geek-off challenges, testing their math skills, science-fiction knowledge, and online gaming skills in hopes of being crowned America’s biggest nerd. Thursday, Jan. 17, at 10 p.m., TBS
Other highlights
Face Off
In this reality series, aspiring special-effects makeup artists compete to create the most impressive beasts their imaginations can conjure. Tuesday, Jan. 15, at 9 p.m., Syfy
Nova: Ice Age Death Trap
Scientists race to a Colorado construction site when bulldozers unearth a massive fossil bed and find evidence of Ice Age humans. Wednesday, Jan. 16, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings
Legit
FX hopes to have the next Louie on its hands with this new comedy series featuring Australian comic Jim Jefferies and his haphazard attempts to build a “legitimate” life and career. Thursday, Jan. 17, at 10:30 p.m., FX
