What’s on TV, March 15-21: The Oscars, March Madness, ’Wicked: For Good,’ BTS and more
New and noteworthy series, movies, sports and specials on broadcast, cable and/or streaming this coming week
A NOTE TO READERS…
And we’re back.
Thanks to all who have already subscribed and/or supported me in the relaunch of the weekly TV newsletter.
And if you know anyone, anywhere — East Coast, West Coast or in-between — who would be interested in an easily navigable weekly TV roundup, one that is free from annoying pop ads and other visual clutter, please send them my way. This is still a one-person shoestring operation, and I will take all the help I can get adding more subscribers.
Thanks again, and happy viewing…
Matt
Sunday — March 15
Happy Selection Sunday to all who celebrate! The 68-team field on the men’s side for the 2026 NCAA College Basketball Tournament is revealed (6 p.m. ET, 3 p.m. PT on CBS), followed by the announcement of the slate of teams for the women’s side. (8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT on ESPN)
The horror-musical mashup “Sinners” leads the field with a record-breaking 16 nominations at the 98th Academy Awards, a.k.a. “The Oscars.” Conan O’Brien hosts the proceedings at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. (7 p.m. ET, 4 p.m. PT on ABC)
(Live coverage of the Oscars red carpet gets underway at 4 p.m. ET, 1 p.m. PT on CNN and E!)
A young woman who recently aged out of foster care gets a gig as an au pair for “The Seemingly Perfect Family” in this new fact-based thriller. With Rylee Reagan. (8 p.m. Lifetime)
O brothers, where art thou? Drew and Jonathan Scott go the extra mile for their clients in their latest real estate and renovation-themed series, “Property Brothers: Under Pressure.” (9 p.m. HGTV)
Monday — March 16
Infertility, chronic illnesses, etc.? Life in plastic may not be so fantastic after all, as detailed in the new documentary “The Plastic Detox,” which examines the health risks posed by the synthetic material that’s in seemingly everything. (Anytime, Netflix)
Familiar faces: “The Office’s” Craig Robinson, “SNL’s” Heidi Gardner and rapper Megan Thee Stallion guest star on a new episode of the Tracy Morgan sitcom “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins.” (8:30 p.m. NBC)
Pick a lane! The new five-part docuseries “Born to Bowl” gets up close and personal with five of the top players on the men’s professional bowling circuit. “Ray Donovan’s” Liev Schreiber narrates. (9 p.m. HBO)
“People Magazine Investigates” takes you inside a controversial fundamentalist religious sect with offshoots around the world in the new exposé “The Secrets of the Twelve Tribes Cult.” (9 p.m. Investigation Discovery)
Tuesday — March 17
“Mark Normand: None Too Pleased” catches the veteran comic griping — about this, that and don’t even get him started on the other — in a new standup special filmed in Boulder, Colo. (Anytime, Netflix)
The 2026 NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament officially tips off with the “First Four” matchups in Dayton, Ohio. (6:30 and 9 p.m. ET, 3:30 and 6 p.m. PT on TruTV; also Wednesday)
DEFCON what now?! The Season 2 premiere of “Secrets Declassified with David Duchovny” sees the “X-Files” star investigating a NATO military exercise in 1983 that nearly brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. (10 p.m. History Channel)
Wednesday — March 18
Keep your friends close but your frenemies closer: Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), “Scandal’s” Kerry Washington and “House of Cards’” Kate Mara share the screen in the new eight-part psychological thriller “Imperfect Women” based on the Araminta Hall novel. (Anytime, Apple TV+)
Look — up in the sky! The adult animated superhero series “Invincible” is back for a fourth season. Featuring the voices of Steven Yeun, Sandra Oh and J.K. Simmons. (Anytime, Prime Video)
A working-class British lass becomes personal dresser to Sarah, Duchess of York, only to see her new life tragically fall apart, in the four-part fact-based drama “The Lady.” With Mia McKenna-Bruce (“Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials”) and “Game of Thrones’” Natalie Dormer. (Anytime, Britbox)
The 2026 NCAA Women’s College Basketball Tournament also officially tips off with its “First Four” matchups in Fort Worth, Texas. (7 and 9 p.m. ET, 4 and 6 p.m. PT on ESPN2; also Thursday)
Pyramid scheme: The docuspecial “Assassination in the Valley of the Kings” lays out the dastardly murder plot against Pharaoh Ramses III in Egypt some three millennia ago. (9 p.m. Discovery Channel)
Come on down? Reports of discrimination, sexual harassment and a toxic work environment behind the scenes of the long-running daytime game show “The Price is Right” are probed in a two-part exposé on “Dirty Rotten Scandals.” (9 and 10 p.m. E!)
The agony of da feet! Podiatrist Dr. Marion Yau and her husband, general practitioner Dr. Kenny, tend to patients suffering from a wide variety of debilitating foot conditions in the new unscripted series “Bad Foot Clinic.” (10 p.m. TLC)
Thursday — March 19
The new sports doc “Meal Ticket” salutes McDonald’s All American Games, the annual exhibition for high school basketball players that gave future stars like Michael Jordan and LeBron James the chance to show their stuff. (Anytime, Prime Video)
The 2026 NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament continues with a veritable tidal wave of first- and second-round action. (Various times on CBS, TBS, TNT & TruTV; also Friday-next Sunday) (Check NCAA website for updated schedules)
Aspiring interior designers are put on a tight budget and then put through their paces in the new competition series “The Thrifting Show with Lara Spencer” hosted by the longtime “GMA” contributor. (9 p.m. Freeform)
Friday — March 20
They’re having a devil of a time in Tasmania in a second season of the darkly-comic Australian-made mystery drama “Deadloch.” With Kate Box and Madeleine Sami. (Anytime, Prime Video)
Aspiring female filmmakers put their best flicks forward in an annual showcase at NYC’s Barnard College in the new special “Future of Film: Athena Film Festival.” (Anytime, Sundance Now)
An unwitting temp is in for some spicy shenanigans when he gets a “job” at a faux, family-owned hot-sauce company in the docu-comedy followup “Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat.” (Anytime, Prime Video)
“Do you like scary movies?” The new documentary “1000 Women in Horror” spotlights the myriad contributions that female writers, actors, directors, et al. have made to the horror-film genre through the decades. (Anytime, Shudder)
Mr. Shelby… Cillian Murphy reprises his role as the British crime boss in “Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man,” a one-off movie based on the 2013-22 drama. Stephen Graham (“Adolescence”) and “Dune’s” Rebecca Ferguson also star. (Anytime, Netflix)
The new rock doc “The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel” finds the Peppers’ Anthony Kiedis and Flea paying tribute to the band’s original guitarist Hillel Slovak, who died 1988. (Anytime, Netflix)
Which witch is which? Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo return in “Wicked: For Good,” the 2025 conclusion of the two-part adaptation of the hit fantasy musical, which is also presented in a sing-along version and another featuring commentary from director Jon M. Chu. (Anytime, Peacock)
A snake, a bunny and a guinea pig walk into a second season of the kid-friendly animated series “Wonder Pets: In the City.” (Anytime, Apple TV+)
The 2026 NCAA Women’s College Basketball Tournament also continues (Various times on ABC, ESPN & ESPN2; also Saturday-next Monday) (check NCAA website for updated schedules)
Female do-gooders doing good in their respective communities collect their due in the new awards special “Remarkable Women.” (9 p.m. The CW)
Saturday — March 21
Return with us now to “Hope Valley: 1874.” Bethany Joy Lenz, Benjamin Ayres and “Law & Order’s” Jill Hennessy star in this new series that serves as a prequel to the Canada-set period drama “When Calls the Heart.” (Anytime, Hallmark+)
The new concert special “BTS The Comeback Live | Arirang” captures the chart-topping Korean boy band BTS performing for fans in Seoul and around the world in a livestream event. (7 a.m. ET, 4 a.m. PT on Netflix)
A Chinese American pottery artist (Janel Parrish, “Pretty Little Liars”) hooks up with a hunky handyman in the new made-for-cable romantic fable “Two for Tee.” (8 p.m. Hallmark Channel)
Ain’t no sunshine… Oscar nominee Abigail Breslin plays a participant in a sleep study who awakens to a living nightmare in the new psychological thriller “I Killed Him in My Sleep.” (8 p.m. Lifetime)
(All times Eastern and Pacific unless otherwise noted. Programming subject to change without notice. Please check your local listings.)