What does it mean when a show openly lampshades the TV classic whose hearty fanbase they are hoping will tune into watch as a quirky new Netflix drama does about a legendary quirky mother/daughter combo in the first seconds of its trailer?

JASON’S PICK:
Ginny & Georgia [Netflix]
People are getting a distinct Gilmore Girls vibe from this new Netflix drama–maybe partly b/c as mentioned above, they reference GG in the first few seconds of the trailer. Unfortunately, based on the middling reviews, it might be the polarizing GG reunion season. That said, there is a clear charm, so even if you’re not drawn in immediately, it might be worth it to breeze along with the characters to see if it finds its way. Especially, since it’s on Netflix and will probably at least get a second go-around.

BRAD’S PICK:
Riverdale [The CW, 8p]
And so the students have become the teachers. No, really. Betty, Archie, Jughead, and Veronica prepare to start their jobs as Riverdale High’s newest teachers. They still need to find some funding for sports programs. Time for Toni Topaz to ask Cheryl Blossom for help.

BUT, WAIT, THERE’S MORE:

• After a critically hailed season 3 concept episode finale where Franklin dreams of a life where he follows the straight-and-narrow and winds up essentially in real life at the same place–working with the FBI–we get a chance to see how he handles that (and if the producers of FX’s Snowfall continue to toy with subverting narrative structure in its 4th season).
• It’s period re-enactments on a Netflix budget, so it’s hard to tell from the trailer that Age of Samurai: Battle For Japan is not a Vikings-style scripted adventure series. Whatever, this documentary chronicling the state of the Samurai in the 16th Century looks genuinely thrilling (and a bit gory).
• Over on PBS, we’ve got a behind-the-scenes look at the mission that sent the Perseverance rover to Mars with Looking For Life on Mars. Did they not hear the sage words of Corky St. Clair that nothing ever happens there? In any case, it’s a NOVA production, so you know it’s good.

• Back in Canada, the Baroness Von Sketch Show has run its course–and what an impressive run it was. The last five episodes on IFC contain skits about Mercury in retrograde, exes, and kale, if the episode titles are to be believed. The trailer begins with a woman calling shotgun on an airplane, which is just not safe. {wagging finger} Baronesses!
• If Cesar Milan were younger and wore more hoodies, you might have Jas Leverette, the Bay Area dog trainer who specializes in finding the love zone in initially aggressive pooches. He’s at the center of Netflix’s latest puppy attitude adjustment show, Canine Intervention.
• Design Star: Next Gen moves to its new home on streaming as Discovery+ continues in its quest for end of the TV dial digital domination. Don’t say we didn’t warn you when they blow up Alderaan with a moon that is no moon.