Beyonce, Katy Perry, and Cher All Promoting The Anti-Trump Women’s March The key focus of the day will be the Women"s March on Washington, which organizers say could attract a quarter of a million participants.
The march, which began with a modest Facebook call in the aftermath of the November election, has grown into what could be one of the larger political demonstrations ever seen in the US capital.
But there are also more than 600 "sister marches" planned around the United States, with some of the biggest expected in Boston, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.
And women and men in cities around the world -- including Sydney, Berlin, London, Paris and Cape Town, South Africa -- are also marching in solidarity and in opposition to the values they think Trump represents.
Organizers said up to 5,000 people attended the protest at Martin Place; police estimated the number was closer to 3,000.
Chants from the crowd included "women united will never be defeated" and "when women"s rights are under attack, what do we do, stand up, fight back." Some carried banners with messages such as "Girl Power vs Trump Tower" and "Dump the Trump."
A separate group of about 30 Trump supporters also held a rally in Sydney. The police physically restrained some of them, blocking them from entering the same area as the anti-Trump protest group.
Protest organizers in New Zealand"s capital, Wellington, said about 700 people turned out there for a women"s march. Marches were also held in Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin.
On Friday night, a crowd of predominantly female protesters gathered in Brussels, Belgium, to denounce sexism and protest against Trump.
Europe marches
Big crowds turned out Saturday in dozens of cities across Europe, with marchers including men, women and children.
Protesters who gathered outside one of Rome"s most famous structures, the Pantheon, on Saturday morning carried signs such as "Yes we must" and "Women"s rights are human rights."
Demonstrators also took to the streets of Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich and other cities in Germany.
Marches were also planned in cities up and down the United Kingdom, from London to Cardiff, Liverpool, Belfast and Edinburgh.
In London, thousands were expected to join a march starting outside the US Embassy and ending with a rally in the city"s historic Trafalgar Square.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan -- who before the US presidential election told CNN that Trump"s views of Islam were "ignorant" -- encouraged Londoners to join the march and "show how much we value the rights every woman should have."
"Sea of pink" planned
The Women"s March on Washington, which begins at 10 a.m. ET near Capitol Hill, comes on the heels of a slew of protests there on Inauguration Day.
Many of those taking part are concerned about Trump"s agenda, his past remarks that appeared to demean women and allegations against him of sexual misconduct -- which he has denied.
Thousands of people have also been busy making cat-eared knit hats to wear at the march, with the aim of creating a "sea of pink" on the National Mall.Organizers of the so-called Pussyhat Project said they have received tens of thousands of handmade hats to distribute to marchers, with submissions flooding in from all 50 states and as far away as France and New Zealand.
Trump Speech at Make America Great Again Celebration (FULL EVENT) | ABC News
Violence flared on some streets of Washington, D.C., today amid Donald Trump"s inauguration with people smashing car and store windows, clashing with police and even torching a limo, leading to more than 200 arrests.
The capital"s interim police chief, Peter Newsham, said in a Periscope video posted on Twitter earlier today that the problems were caused by one group, "and it"s a very, very small percentage of the number of folks that came here to peacefully assemble in our city."
Police said they responded using pepper spray and other control devices.
At least 217 people have been arrested and charged with rioting from this morning"s incident, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
Police fire pepper spray on protesters during a demonstration after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, Jan. 20, 2017, in Washington.
Six Metropolitan Police Department officers suffered minor non-life-threatening-injuries, Newsham said at a news conference early this evening. He added that three of the six injured officers suffered head injuries from flying objects.
Thousands of protesters fanned out across downtown Washington in the morning, including some who tried to block security checkpoints to the inauguration festivities.
Protests also cropped up in other parts of the country today, including San Francisco and outside Trump Tower in New York City.
Dramatic video published on social media showed men and women using signs and sticks to shatter glass at a Starbucks and a bank. Police then attempted to chase down the suspected vandals.
A protester kicks in a windshield during a demonstration in Washington, Jan. 20, 2017, after the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Police said in a statement that an organized group marched through the northwestern part of the city around 10:30 a.m. and that "members of the group acting in a concerted effort engaged in acts of vandalism and several instances of destruction of property."
The statement said that the group damaged vehicles, destroyed the property of multiple businesses and ignited small, isolated fires and that police vehicles were among those damaged.
The #DisruptJ20 coalition, named after the date of the inauguration, which promised that its participants would attempt to shut down the inauguration events, tangled with Bikers for Trump, a group clad in leather biker gear that backs the president.
Video on social media showed the two groups exchanging words and blows just before the start of inauguration festivities.
After the inauguration, protesters started a fire on the street, burning what appeared to be garbage and a plastic newspaper stand.
Anti Trump protestors hurled rocks and other debris at the Starbuck"s Cafe window as they ran through the streets, on Jan. 20, 2017, in Washington.
Later in the afternoon, protesters set on fire what appeared to be a stretch limo. Images on social media showed the words "We the people" spray-painted on a door of the vehicle. Smoke from the blaze could be seen streaming into the overcast sky.
Protesters set fire to a limousine in the street, Jan. 20, 2017, in Washington.
Several verbal encounters took place between the president"s supporters and protesters. One Bikers for Trump member chastised protesters, according to a report by the Associated Press.
"Get a job," said Rahm, a Bikers for Trump member from Philadelphia. "Stop crying, snowflakes. Trump won."
Outside the International Spy Museum, protesters in Russian-style hats ridiculed Trump"s praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, marching with signs calling Trump "Putin"s puppet" and "Kremlin employee of the month," the AP reported.
At the inauguration ceremony, protesters could be seen being removed from the crowd.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, responded to the protests on Twitter, writing, "Nothing is more unAmerican than protesters who are not peaceful. disgusting."
All eyes were onDonald Trumpat hisinaugural Freedom Ball, but all ears were on The Piano Guys cover songs.
Country artistRachel Plattencalled out the musical act after they performedan unauthorized cover of herpopular singleFight Song.
While I respect the office of the President and the peaceful transfer of power, Platten said in a series of two tweets, I want to make clear that at no point did the Piano Guys ask for permission, nor did I or anyone on my team know of, approve or endorse their decision to play Fight Song tonight.
At the event, the Utah-based music group played a mash-up of Amazing Grace and Fight Song which was the anthem at many Hillary Clinton campaign rallies last year, including atthe Democratic National Convention.
But Platten wasnt the only one who was frustrated withThe Piano Guys.
Savan Kotecha,the songwriter of One Directions What Makes You Beautiful, threatened to sue after his song wasplayed by the foursome at the same inaugural ball.
They were absolutely NOT given permission to use WMYB at the inaugural ball. I will be looking into taking action, Kotecha tweeted.
Theres nothing I can do re WMYB now, but the song was written out of love for my wife. Its just heartbreaking that it was used tocelebrated (sic) a man who stands for divisiveness, he concluded his series of tweets.
The Piano Guysalso performed Kotechas What Makes You Beautiful at Trumps Make America Great Again inaugural concert on Thursday.
Following their inaugural ball performance, The Piano Guys released a statement via Twitter. Our performance tonight, which combined Fight Song and Amazing Grace had nothing to do with Hillary Clinton or politics, the group wrote in one tweet.
Concluding, We chose to perform our version of Fight Song/Amazing Grace it was not endorsed by Rachel Platten. We love Rachel and we love her song.
Thecollection of performers at Fridays soires included singer Sam Moore, Silhouettes, the rockettes, pelican 212, the Piano Guys, Circus 1903, Cache Olson, Lexi Walker and Erin Boheme.
The Trumps slow danced to a live cover of My Way famously first recorded by Frank Sinatra at the Freedom and Liberty b***s, and danced to a rendition ofWhitney Houstons I Will Always Love You at the Armed Services Ball.
Tucker Carlson reacts to Donald Trump winning the presidency
Below is the full text of President Trump"s inaugural speech:
Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans, and people of the world: thank you.
We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and to restore its promise for all of our people.
Together, we will determine the course of America and the world for years to come.
We will face challenges. We will confront hardships. But we will get the job done.
Every four years, we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power, and we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this transition. They have been magnificent.
Todays ceremony, however, has very special meaning. Because today we are not merely transferring power from one Administration to another, or from one party to another but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the American People.
For too long, a small group in our nations Capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost.
Washington flourished but the people did not share in its wealth.
Politicians prospered but the jobs left, and the factories closed.
The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country.
Their victories have not been your victories; their triumphs have not been your triumphs; and while they celebrated in our nations Capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.
That all changes starting right here, and right now, because this moment is your moment: it belongs to you.
It belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all across America.
This is your day. This is your celebration.
And this, the United States of America, is your country.
What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people.
January 20th 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again.
The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.
Everyone is listening to you now.
You came by the tens of millions to become part of a historic movement the likes of which the world has never seen before.
At the center of this movement is a crucial conviction: that a nation exists to serve its citizens.
Americans want great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for their families, and good jobs for themselves.
These are the just and reasonable demands of a righteous public.
But for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists: Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system, flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of knowledge; and the crime and gangs and drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential.
This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.
We are one nation and their pain is our pain. Their dreams are our dreams; and their success will be our success. We share one heart, one home, and one glorious destiny.
The oath of office I take today is an oath of allegiance to all Americans.
For many decades, weve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry;
Subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military;
We"ve defended other nations borders while refusing to defend our own;
And spent trillions of dollars overseas while America"s infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay.
Weve made other countries rich while the wealth, strength, and confidence of our country has disappeared over the horizon.
One by one, the factories shuttered and left our shores, with not even a thought about the millions upon millions of American workers left behind.
The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed across the entire world.
But that is the past. And now we are looking only to the future.
We assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power.
From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land.
From this moment on, its going to be America First.
Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs, will be made to benefit American workers and American families.
We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies, and destroying our jobs. Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength.
I will fight for you with every breath in my body and I will never, ever let you down.
America will start winning again, winning like never before.
We will bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We will bring back our wealth. And we will bring back our dreams.
We will build new roads, and highways, and bridges, and airports, and tunnels, and railways all across our wonderful nation.
We will get our people off of welfare and back to work rebuilding our country with American hands and American labor.
We will follow two simple rules: Buy American and Hire American.
We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first.
We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to follow.
We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones and unite the civilized world against Radical Islamic Terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth.
At the bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United States of America, and through our loyalty to our country, we will rediscover our loyalty to each other.
When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice.
The Bible tells us, how good and pleasant it is when Gods people live together in unity.
We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity.
When America is united, America is totally unstoppable.
There should be no fear we are protected, and we will always be protected.
We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement and, most importantly, we are protected by G*d.
Finally, we must think big and dream even bigger.
In America, we understand that a nation is only living as long as it is striving.
We will no longer accept politicians who are all talk and no action constantly complaining but never doing anything about it.
The time for empty talk is over.
Now arrives the hour of action.
Do not let anyone tell you it cannot be done. No challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of America.
We will not fail. Our country will thrive and prosper again.
We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space, to free the Earth from the miseries of disease, and to harness the energies, industries and technologies of tomorrow.
A new national pride will stir our souls, lift our sights, and heal our divisions.
It is time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget: that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots, we all enjoy the same glorious freedoms, and we all salute the same great American Flag.
And whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit or the windswept plains of Nebraska, they look up at the same night sky, they fill their heart with the same dreams, and they are infused with the breath of life by the same almighty Creator.
So to all Americans, in every city near and far, small and large, from mountain to mountain, and from ocean to ocean, hear these words:
You will never be ignored again.
Your voice, your hopes, and your dreams, will define our American destiny. And your courage and goodness and love will forever guide us along the way.
Together, We Will Make America Strong Again.
We Will Make America Wealthy Again.
We Will Make America Proud Again.
We Will Make America Safe Again.
And, Yes, Together, We Will Make America Great Again. Thank you, G*d Bless You, And G*d Bless America.
Dont read on unless youve seen Michaels Gambit, the Season One finale of The Good Place.
Who knew we were going to get two versions of Westworld one comedic, the other dramatic in the past five months? Peak TV, you secretiveminx, you.
The parallels between The Good Place and the HBO show were strong even before the arrival of the episode that ended the season. The train that serviced Eleanor and Chidis town was an old-timey engine that could have had a walk-on (rail-on?) role in Westworld, and in Thursdays other episode, Mindy St. Claire, the train chugged through a dusty desert only to pull up at a station framed by wide open spaces. Whenever Eleanor was sitting on those wooden benches inside the train, I half-expected Teddy to amble up to her and say Howdy, maam. (And speaking of HBO Westerns, true TV nerds will remember that Kristen Bell had a guest role on Deadwood, another show about frontier folk trying to make their way in a morally confusing world.)
Of course, the Westworld parallels dont stretch as far as those railroad tracks. There are no brothels in the town Michael made (or are there?), and only one character on The Good Place is a robot. As far as we know. Perhaps the twist of season two is that everyone is a robot! Or that Jason can do the robot. One of those two things has to be true.
This is the point at which Chidi would grow impatient and tell me to get to the point, so I will.
A lot of shows have tried to pull off the Big Twist, especially in recent years, when it seems like every other hourlong drama was competing to set social media aflame with a big OMG moment. Theres nothing intrinsically wrong with swinging for the fences, and nothings more fun than experiencing ajaw-dropping moment. The problem is as shows as varied as Dexter and Mr. Robot have found the audience sometimesfigures out the twist way ahead of the reveal, which can make for a frustrating disconnect as the viewers wait for a show to unveil a development theyre already well aware of, or at least pretty sure of.
Westworld had this problem too; it was designed, at least in part, to be scrutinized for clues, and much of its narrative was consciously put together like a puzzle. Where the HBO show went wrong and again, its not the first show to fall down its own rabbit hole while frantically adding more rabbits is that its characters were often too opaque to be moving or compelling. A lot of the shows character development was hamstrung by the overly convoluted plot, and thus it was harder for the shows relationships, let alone its emotional and moral themes, to resonate in memorable ways.
As is the case on Westworld, the powers that be on The Good Place can apparently reset itsresidents memories with the flick of a switch, but the NBC shows biggest twist landed with a great deal more force than manythings that occurred on the HBO drama for a couple of reasons: The Good Place shift wasnt necessarily easy to figure out, and even if youd guessed it, itdidnt really matter, because the show was a whole lot of fun regardless of what was going on in the main plot. (That said, it was pleasing that theprogressionof the shows debut season was logical,streamlined, and clever, which is more than you could say about a lot of more ambitious dramas with much bigger budgets.)
It turns out that the show The Good Place was emulating all along was Lost, because, duh, everyone was in Purgatory all along (haha, that was a joke for all the veterans of the Great Lost Wars of the mid-aughts). There were explicit callouts (especially the line We have to go back), but like the ABC show, the NBC comedy explores ideas about redemption, regret and change.
What mattered this season was not what the big twist was or how well the show pulled it off; much more central to the shows mission was Eleanors realization that she had been a bad person before, and could feel more consequential by connecting to and caring about others. The show was, and willprobably continue to be, about her earnest and sometimes sloppy forays intobecoming a better woman. Other characters, even ones that were very different from her, amplified these ideas; the show revolves around the efforts of variouscharacters to acquire self-knowledge and evolve into someone better than the person they had been before. (Except Jason, who is delightfully clueless about his general awfulness, but his sincerity and sweetness save him from being one of those Bad Place jackasses. But lets face facts: Janet evolved more than he did.)
eleanors moral redemption was the spine of the season, and only Kristen Bell could have made the characters selfishness amusing and her moral awakening compelling. But perhaps the real endgame is the evolution of Michael, who seems pretty committed to awfulness now. But hes played by Ted Danson, so that means h**l never seem completely evil to me, and even when hes mean, Ill always think he can and will become someone better. In the casting, writing andperformance are the seeds of potential change, and of course, along the way, Danson will continue to offer perfect timing and delicious line readings.
So yes, the characters (aside from Mindy) werent quite in Purgatory, they were in the Bad Place, and if I may, I had at least some moderate theories along those lines. My guess for the season finale was that it would reveal that everyone in the town had been mistakenly sorted into the Good Place, and that Michael would have to pay for that mistake, and perhaps Season Two would be about rescuing him from the clutches of the douchecanoes who run the Bad Place.
I was partly right everyone was in the wrong place, but it was only the core four characters, a.k.a. the recently dead folks who mattered to the shows narrative. Not only was everyone else in town not recently dead, they were all afterlife employees conspiring with Michael to mess with those four, which leads me to believe that their employers dont really mind havingan enormous overhead. I mean, thats a lot of time, energy and employees to run one simulation for four people. But who knows, maybe theyve got the budget for that. The phrase richer than G*d does come to mind
In any event, it was devilishly clever to have Michael not be the naive goofball whose plan goes awry, but the jerk who thought up a really juicy and partly effective way to be cruel. Well-played, show.
Truth be told, it always did bother me that the Good Place was so obsessed with the idea of linking people up with their soulmates: As if that isthe be-all and end-all of human existence; as if every person only ever hasone. But the soulmate routine was yet another piece of propaganda designed to make the core four feel bad about what they were going through. In fact, you could make the argument that the entire show is about how projected fantasies and convincing but hollow narratives ultimately make people feel bad about their mundane and messy lived realities. Is The Good Place really a metaphor for how watching a lot of television can make people feel inadequate? Or how absorbing messages aboutperfection and impossible aspiration via lots of different mediums can be destructive to peoples spirits and souls?
Nah. Lets just say a big nopeto that one. I mean, sure, the analogy is there, and theres no doubt the show is trying to say something about how we get hung up on ideas of perfection and perception that usually cause us nothing but grief. But all things considered,The Good Place is so cheerful about peoples potential to be awesome to each other, even in the worst circumstances, that Ive decidedthat the darker reading isnt necessarily the dominant one.
This last batch ofepisodes were amusing and wickedly smart, and thats not a combination one comes across too often. The Good Place, as I noted in my original review, was very set-up heavy in the first half of its season, but by the last third of the season, it had built upa winning and energetic momentum. It was as if the show had found a higher gear and steered into the farce and zaniness of it all, while also continuing to deepen the relationships and examineethnics sorry ethicswith lively curiosity. Even if certain elements, like, say, Chidis indecisiveness, felt a little bit rushed, by the night of the finale, the show had acquired the kind of unstoppable momentum that carried me past any mild wobbles.
But the last three episodes really didnt have any wobbles, and the two-part finale was especially crisp and entertaining. And as I write this, its hard not to recall that our nation, like these characters, stand poised at a moral crossroads. I dont know about you, but I feel grateful for a show that is, at its heart, so sincere and earnest while also very focused on its mission to entertain. We need that.
Yes, the comedy has featured robots gone wild, flying shrimp and semi-good people who love cocaine, but The Good Place is ultimately about whether we can live with the suffering of others suffering that we could prevent, if we had the backbone. Essentially, NBC paid for a 13-episode exploration of the famous philosophical dilemma the Trolley Problem, which is an unlikely development that pleases me to no end.
Entire books have been written about the Trolley Problem (Chidi probably wrote a 1000-page book about it that no one read). But suffice to say, it forces people to think about what they would do to reduce or eliminate suffering, even as those grappling with the problemalso struggle with the idea that some suffering will occur, no matter what. How do we apportion misery, what can we do to create connection and community, and what constitutes mercy and redemption? What are the limits of altruism and greed? These questions strike me as particularly relevant on Jan. 19, 2017 and beyond.
All things considered, Im glad that a mainstream network is airing something that combines moral exploration with character-based comedy in such fresh, distinctive and pleasing ways. And Im calling next seasons big developmentright now: The robots rise up and take over.
A few final bullet points:
I really loved how Mindy St. Claires wardrobe and house were permanently stuck in the 80s as well. A lot of pinks and peaches and gold dominated her decidedly average house, and her teal suit with the big shoulder patches looks like stuff I wore back then. I apologize to the universe and hope I dont go to h**l, or to a place that makes me sit throughCannonball Run 2.
Flirting with Kid Rock? Et tu, Eleanor?
These episodes featured yet more perfection from Marc Alan Jackson, who also regularly pops up on Brooklyn Nine-Nine and is deliciously droll and deadpan every time he turns up on my TV screen. I treasure the way he said one of whom was a deejay.
Im just going to say it, though the entire ensemble is great and the Jason-Janet romance has been adorably weird, I feel no sparks between or among Chidi, Eleanor or Tahani. I could get behind Eleanor and Tahani getting together, maybe but for me, the other potential romances sort of came out of nowhere and theres not a ton of chemistry among those characters, at least as of yet. Id be fine with all three of them finding other romantic partners next season or not necessarily having soulmates or afterlife-mates, if they dont want or need them.
Presumably the core four characters are all still in the afterlife designed by Michael, but theyre not living near each other. I look forward to seeing them discover each other again, and Ill bet four cents that Jason falls for Janet all over again. Awwww!
What if Judge Shawn is actually the Smoke Monster? Twist!
"THANK YOU BABY!" DONALD TRUMP TO KELLYANNE CONWAY AT INAUGURAL EVE DONORS DINNER
After the November election, Donald Trumps campaign strategist Kellyanne Conway has stayed in the picture the spin-master of Trumps muddy words, Conway is a frequent and often provocative visitor to TV news.
That should probably stop, journalism professor Jay Rosen says.
I dont think the people interviewing Kellyanne Conway know why they are doing that, Rosen said on the latest episode of Recode Media with Peter Kafka. The journalistic logic of it is growing dimmer with every interview.
Thats because Conway goes beyond spin. Frequently, trumps and conways statements to the press will directly contradict one another.
The logic is, this is a representative of the president, Rosen said. This is somebody who can speak for the Trump administration. But if we find that what Kellyanne Conway says is routinely or easily contradicted by Donald Trump, then that rationale disappears.
Another reason to interview Kellyanne Conway is, our viewers want to understand how the Trump world thinks, he added. But if the end result of an interview is more confusion about what the Trump world thinks, then that rationale evaporates.
TV stations that do still want to talk to spokespersons like Conway or incoming White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer should transparently explain why those people are on the air, Rosen said: To avoid criticism, or for entertainment value.
Just be real about it and say, This isnt actually of journalistic value, he said. It has a different value and thats why were putting it on the air. Just dont pretend that this is a normal interview, with the normal rationale.
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Heres whats up in the world of TV for Thursday, January 19. All times are Eastern.
Top picks
The Good Place (NBC, 8 p.m.): Grab some frozen yogurt (we recommend the fully charged cell phone flavor) and settle in for the hour-long Good Place season finale. Billed as The Good Place: Judgment Day, the finale is full of challenges, decisions, and contemplations. Not to mention some questions: Will Eleanor achieve her dream of founding the Medium Place? Will Janet and Jason find a way to keep their love alive? Will Chidi declare his love for real Eleanor? And just who is this neutral-zone founder Mindy St. Clair? Dennis Perkins doesnt have any answers, but he does have an even bigger question on his mind: Will The Good Place be renewed for a second season? Its too early to tell, but whatever happens, The Good Place will always be the Phoebe to Dennis Ross (Weird combo to pick, but okay).
Top Chef (Bravo, 9 p.m.): Its the most wonderful time of the year, at least for Top Chef fans: Restaurant Wars! Egos collide and tempers flare as the contestants are divided into two teams and charged with designing a restaurant and its menu. Immunity is off the table as the teams are tasked with transforming the same space into two very different restaurants. Randall Colburn, meanwhile, is just waiting for the inevitable Marvel crossover, Captain America: Restaurant Wars.
Baskets (FX, 10 p.m.): Get pumped, because Baskets is back. And that means Vikram Murthis reviews are back too. He once referred to the shows first season as a true oddball experiment that ended up winning me over in spades. And that oddball trend continues in season two. In the premiere, Chip chooses between a tarp and snacks. Plus the show deals with the ripped-from-the-headlines story of creepy clowns trying to lure kids into the woods as Chip looks into whether or not thats a paid gig.
Premieres and finales
Through The Fire: The Legacy Of Barack Obama (BET, 7 p.m.): Tonights premieres and finales section is a veritable roller-coaster of political emotions mere hours before Donald Trump is sworn in as Americas 45th president. First up, BET reflects back on Barack Obamas legacy. Common, Usher, Russell Simmons, Will.i.am, Mellody Hobson, Valerie Jarrett, and Van Jones are on hand to share their perspectives on Americas first black president.
Divided (GSN, 9 p.m.): Then GSN tries to take advantage of Americas fraught political landscape with a brand new game show! On Divided, four strangers have to agree on both the same answer and the size of everyones cut of the prize money. The group may have more combined brainpower, but their prize money dwindles the longer they spend debating. Plus they have to vote a teammate off at some point. And when the prize money is divided into three unequal portions, they have to decide who gets which one. The show is reportedly informed by the fractured social landscape of the country and reflects [its] political divide, so forget relying on GSN for escapism anymore.
Americas New First Family: The Trumps Go To Washington (ABC, 10 p.m.): Next up: This special episode of 20/20 profiles Americas new first family. But perhaps the specials most famous claim to fame is that it pushed back the return of ABCs TGIT Shonda Rhimes shows, Greys Anatomy, Scandal, and How To Get Away With Murder. Because who would have a problem with the imagery of Donald Trump shutting out a bunch of female-led shows created by a woman of color?
Trump: The Billionaire President (CNBC, 10:30 p.m.): And finally, CNBC rounds out Thursdays pre-inauguration coverage with this profile of Trump and his money. Which, hey, is another excuse to remind everyone that Trump still has yet to release his tax returns. Happy inauguration day eve!
Regular Coverage
Portlandia (IFC, 10 p.m.)
Streaming pick
Parks And Recreation, The Pawnee-Eagleton Tip Off Classic (Netflix): Many will be looking to fill the Good Place-sized hole in their hearts, with its first season coming to an end. So look no further than Kristen Bells guest turn on Parks And Recreation. She makes her debut as Eagleton councilwoman Ingrid De Forest in this sixth-season episode, where she proves better at burning through money than Jean-Ralphio on a bender. After all, those bankruptcy brunches arent going to pay for themselves.
