NEW SHOWS
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – “Mr. Santiago” (B+)
The “trying to impress the dad of the girlfriend and reinforce his delusion that his daughter is still a virgin” is one of the oldest sitcom plots. Brooklyn Nine-Nine doesn’t necessarily do anything new with it, but Jimmy Smits is game as the “kind of dad who organizes the bills in his wallet by serial number.” Even better is the pairing of Holt and Pimento, which is one of the most joyous things I’ve seen all season.
This Is Us – “Pilgrim Rick” (B+)
This is not a knock, but I am as surprised to be writing these words as you must be to hear them: Milo Ventimiglia is the strongest actor on the show right now. The ensemble cast is great, but I am most impressed by his performance as the patriarch, struggling to make the best of every setback life throws at him. This Thanksgiving episode is no different, though I would appreciate if the show would sometimes go small instead of big with its devastating monologues.