What to Watch This Week: January 7 to 11

From guest stars in Springfield to the return of Moira Rose, we round up our top 10 shows to watch this week

1. The 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards – Sunday, January 7, 5 p.m., CTV & NBC; 8 p.m., NBC

The 2018 Golden Globe nominations span such 2017 TV offerings as Big Little Lies, The Handmaid’s Tale and The Sinner, plus theatrical releases including Lady Bird, The Post and I, Tonya. Oprah Winfrey will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award for what is cited as her “impact on the world of entertainment,” and the Golden Globe Ambassador (the title that previously was Mr. or Miss Golden Globe) will be Dwayne Johnson’s daughter, Simone Garcia Johnson. Though a first-time host of the occasion, NBC Late Night host and Saturday Night Live alum Seth Meyers isn’t a stranger to the Golden Globes, having been a writer for fellow SNL veterans Tina Fey and Amy Poehler when they’ve hosted the ceremony.

2. The Simpsons – Sunday, January 7, 5 p.m. Global; 8 p.m., Fox

When the Simpson family goes to a STEM conference—that’s a real thing, which stands for science, technology, engineering and math, by the way—Lisa falls for a dreamy jazz pianist (voiced by pop superstar Ed Sheeran), while Bart suddenly finds he’s got a knack for chemistry. George Takei also guest stars.

3. The Chi – Sunday, January 7, 9 p.m., TMN1 | Series Premiere

Lena Waithe’s impassioned pro-LGBTQ speech was among the bright spots of the 2017 Emmys. She nabbed her trophy for co-writing a very autobiographical episode of Aziz Ansari’s Master of None about her character Denise’s struggles with sexuality and coming out to her mother, as played out over multiple Thanksgivings. Now she’s looking to parlay that success into a buzz-worthy series all her own. But here, Waithe is working exclusively behind that scenes, penning a deep dive into the various enclaves of Chicago, relying on her own experiences growing up in the city to do so. The narrative follows several coming-of-age stories that eventually intersect, showcasing various facets of life and asserting that even in the darkest of places, with crime, corruption and discrimination on every corner, there’s hope to be found and dreams to be chased.

4. Independent Lens – Monday, January 8, 10 p.m., KCTS; Tuesday, January 9, 8 p.m., WTVS

Many a director puts themself in their own picture, as it were, but all things being equal, Jennifer Brea probably wishes she could’ve avoided doing her documentary Unrest altogether, since it began when she was diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis, a.k.a. chronic fatigue syndrome. Despite struggling with weakness, full body pain and confusion as a result of her condition, Brea researched the syndrome with which she was afflicted, met with others suffering from the same malady and in the process she put together a film which is devastatingly beautiful and deserves your time.

5. Schitt’s Creek – Tuesday, January 9, 9 p.m., CBC | Season Premiere

Arguably the most hilarious Canadian sitcom since Corner Gas, Schitt’s Creek has provided a fantastic weekly showcase for the comedic gifts of former SCTV co-stars Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara while also developing into one of TV’s quirkiest, funniest ensemble comedies. In the fourth season, the Rose family seems to be settling into their new status, hovering just above the poverty line, and may even be starting to feel some affection for the unfortunately named town where they wound up after their millions went bye-bye. We can safely assume those good feelings wind up evaporating in the season premiere—for Moira (O’Hara), at least, when she finds herself feeling responsible for the unexpected death of a hotel guest. Meanwhile, David (Dan Levy) and Patrick (Noah Reid) decide to make their romance official after that cliffhanger kiss in the season-three finale.

6. Workin’ Moms – Tuesday, January 9, 9:30 p.m., CBC | Season Premiere

Most series returning for their second season are too worried about messing with success to shake up the status quo very much, but creator/star Catherine Reitman’s Workin’ Moms doesn’t have much of a choice: when your kids make the jump from infants to toddler, change is inevitable… as is chaos. This season, Kate is trying to battle back from being demoted at work even as Nathan is trying to coerce her into expanding their family further. Frankie’s trying to get herself together and settle down somewhere safe and secure with Rhoda; and Anne gets a new office space that places her back in the orbit of a former acquaintance, one who causes a major ripple effect into her home life as well. And what of the series’ resident workin’ dad? Well, Ian’s suddenly single again, so… let the fun begin? Yeah, maybe not.

7. Burden of Truth – Wednesday, January 10, 8 p.m., CBC | Series Premiere

Kristin Kreuk (Smallville, Beauty and the Beast) stars as a fast-rising corporate attorney who returns to her small prairie hometown to represent her client, a huge pharmaceutical company, in a case. Realizing she has unfinished business, she decides to stick around in order to uncover some long-buried family secrets.

8. The Detectives – Wednesday, January 10, 9 p.m., CBC | Series Premiere

A compelling blend of interviews and film-quality dramatic reenactments, this new CBC original sits down with various retired detectives, who look back on cases that “not only challenged them like no other, but also had a residual impact on an aspect of Canadian life and law enforcement.”

9. The Launch – Wednesday, January 10, 9 p.m., CTV & CTV2 | Series Premiere

Each of The Launch‘s six one-hour episodes will feature a group of carefully selected artists who record the same original song, with the help and mentorship of various famous musicians. The mentors then decide which version of the song will be released immediately following the broadcast. What viewers will get a sense of is the A&R process, which stands for Artists and Repertoire, the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. Mentors on the show are world class, starting with Canada’s own Shania Twain, who on the inaugural episode teams up with music producer and songwriter busbee, the man behind Pink’s hit song, “Try.” Other mentors include Fergie and OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder.

10. 23rd Annual Critics’ Choice Awards – Thursday, January 11, 8 p.m., The CW

If you haven’t gotten awards show fatigue after Sunday’s Golden Globes, you might want to consider adding another gala to your docket. This one, held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, also celebrates the best in TV and film, but as chosen by the industry’s top critics. Binge-watching fans should be happy to see that Netflix leads the pack with 20 nominations heading into the night, with the likes of The Crown, Stranger Things and Master of None primed for a few trophies. Critically adored offerings like The Shape of Water, Call Me by Your Name and Dunkirk are major players in the film categories. What’s more, minority-led flicks Get Out and The Big Sick, controversially snubbed by the Globes, are in the thick of things here with a handful of nominations each.