Reality Fakery on ‘Joe Schmo’ Reboot, Streaming ‘Gladiator II,’ Brady vs. Belichick, Toxic Family Intrigue on ‘Will Trent’

We can debate all we want about the level of “reality” in some reality-TV shows. The genius of The Joe Schmo Show, which first appeared on Spike TV in the early 2000s and was briefly revived a decade later in 2013, is that it proudly announces itself as fake, staged, rigged — to everyone but the unwitting star of the show, a “schmo” who’s led to believe by a cast of improvising actors that everything around him is real. Absurd, but real. The series returns on a new channel for the fourth iteration, with So You Think You Can Dance’s cheeky Cat Deeley bringing a patina of credibility as host. The victim of the subterfuge is Ben, 28, a perfectly charming Baltimore electrician who says, “I like to stick up for people,” and goes along to get along as he’s introduced to the rules of a bizarre Squid Game-like competition calling itself The GOAT USA (which doesn’t actually exist). The rules are incoherent, the elimination ceremony so ridiculous the actors have trouble not cracking up and breaking character. Not unlike in Jury Duty, the dupe is so appealing you root for him to succeed and hope he won’t be too upset once he learns the magnitude of the hoax. (A $100,000 payday should ease the blow.)

Ridley Scott returns to the arena of his Oscar-winning Gladiator franchise nearly a quarter-century later for the swords-and-sandals sequel, released in November and now making its streaming debut. Paul Mescal stars as Lucius, son of Russell Crowe’s dearly departed Maximus and Lucilla (Connie Nielsen reprising her role). He runs afoul of Roman General Acacius (Pedro Pascal) and is conscripted, per the rules of the genre, into gladiator duty like his dad. Lucius trains under the watchful eye of the ambitious Macrinus (Denzel Washington) while plotting revenge.

As the NFL post-season nears its Super Bowl climax, a three-part special revives a timeless sports debate: Who gets the most credit for the dynasty that was the New England Patriots from 2001-19, with nine Super Bowl appearances and six championships, coach Bill Belichick or his star player, quarterback Tom Brady? Athletes and sports journalists argue the issue, with radio personality Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo moderating. The first episode makes the case for Brady, the second for Belichick, and in the Feb. 4 finale, Russo weighs both sides with the help of surprise guests before making the final call. Among those weighing in: former Patriots Rob Gronkowski, Matt Cassel, Devin McCourt, Rodney Harrison and Carl Banks, with journalists including Bob Costas, Mike Greenburg, Peter King, Dan Shaughnessy and Michelle Beadle offering their opinions.

GBI agents Will (Ramón Rodríguez) and Faith (Iantha Richardson) are up to their necks in corporate intrigue when they investigate multiple poisonings stemming from a dispute in a family-owned business. Elsewhere, disgraced Atlanta detective Angie (Erika Christensen) hopes a discovery at Waldorf Estates could lead her back to wearing the badge. Followed by High Potential (9/8c), where Morgan (Kaitlin Olson) looks into the bludgeoning death of a nanny while coming to the defense of her son Elliot (Matthew Lamb), who wasn’t invited to a classmate’s party. On The Rookie (10/9c), Tim (Eric Winter) and Lucy (Melissa O’Neil) swap their assigned rookies, while Nolan (Nathan Fillion) continues his search for escapee Jason Wyler before Bailey (Jenna Dewan) returns home.

INSIDE TUESDAY TV:

• St. Denis Medical (8/7c, NBC): “Is there a text chain I’m not on?” queries hospital administrator Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey), who’s chagrined to realize she’s being left out of the loop of workplace gossip regarding Grey’s Anatomy-worthy hanky-panky. Nurse Alex (Allison Tolman), even more chagrined to have her married-person sex life (or lack thereof) disparaged, invites her husband (sitcom vet Kyle Bornheimer) to St. Denis for a refresher.
• Kitchen Nightmares: Road to Super Bowl LIX (8/7c, Fox): Gordon Ramsay continues his mission to revive struggling Louisiana eateries in advance of the Super Bowl. Next stop: Voleo’s Seafood Restaurant, a second-generation operation destroyed by Hurricane Ida and relocated in a less favorable area.
• Finding Your Roots (8/7c, PBS): Henry Louis Gates finds literary inspiration in the family histories of acclaimed writers Amy Tan (The Joy Luck Club) and poet Rita Dove.
• Doc (9/8c, Fox): She still hasn’t recovered memories from the last eight years, but Dr. Amy Larsen (Molly Parker) is once again treating patients, albeit with serious guardrails. All eyes are on her as she treats a patient with a mysterious liver condition.
• The Irrational (10/9c, NBC): No such thing as a night off for Alec (Jesse L. Martin), whose date with Rose (Karen David) at a magic club becomes work when an audience volunteer is killed faster than you can say abracadabra.
• Frontline (10/9c, PBS): The current-affairs program explores “Trump’s Comeback” as the newly installed president returns to the White House. The documentary hails from the team behind The Choice and more than 30 episodes about the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations.
• What Drives You With John Cena (streaming on The Roku Channel): The wrestler-actor engages in car talk and rides along with celebrities including country star Jelly Roll, drummer Travis Barker, former WWE rival The Miz and wrestler/influencer Logan Paul.
• Horror’s Greatest (streaming on Shudder): The docuseries celebrates the music that made us shiver with pleasure in iconic horror films, including Bernard Herrmann’s relentless strings in Psycho and Max Steiner’s lush orchestral backdrop to 1933’s King Kong.