Sunday night television is weirdly stressful. You sit down at 7:00 PM, remote in hand, and suddenly you're staring at a grid that looks like a logistics manifesto. Honestly, if you’re looking at the television lineup for tonight, you’re probably realizing that the old "Big Three" era is dead and buried. It’s January 18, 2026. We’ve got dragons, disgraced football stars, and a very intense NFL divisional round all fighting for your attention.
The biggest mistake? Thinking you can just "channel hop." That doesn't work anymore. Tonight is a perfect example of why.
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The Ser Duncan Factor: Why HBO Still Owns 10:00 PM
If you haven’t heard the name Peter Claffey yet, you will by tomorrow morning. Tonight marks the series premiere of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms on HBO. It’s a Game of Thrones prequel, but don't expect the sprawling, incestuous political mess of the original.
This one is smaller. Grittier. Basically, it’s a "Dunk and Egg" story based on George R.R. Martin’s novellas.
Most people expect another House of the Dragon with lizards everywhere. They’re wrong. This is a buddy-cop vibe in a fantasy setting. It’s airing at 10:00 PM ET, which is a classic power move by HBO to keep you awake before the Monday morning slog.
NBC’s Big Gamble: Tracy Morgan and Daniel Radcliffe?
While HBO goes high-fantasy, NBC is trying something genuinely bizarre at 10:00 PM. It’s called The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins.
Picture this: Tracy Morgan plays a disgraced NFL star. Daniel Radcliffe plays a washed-up filmmaker trying to fix Morgan's image. It’s a "special night and time" premiere, which usually means the network is terrified it’ll get buried if they don't give it a big lead-in.
Speaking of lead-ins, the television lineup for tonight is dominated by the NFL. If the Los Angeles Rams vs. Chicago Bears game on NBC goes into overtime (which, let's be real, it’s the playoffs, it might), expect Reggie Dinkins to start late. Set your DVRs for an extra 30 minutes. You've been warned.
The Sunday Night Breakdown (January 18, 2026)
- 3:00 PM ET: Houston Texans vs. New England Patriots (ABC/ESPN). The divisional round is no joke this year.
- 6:30 PM ET: Los Angeles Rams vs. Chicago Bears (NBC). This is the game everyone’s talking about.
- 8:00 PM ET: Mrs. Doubtfire on ABC. Look, sometimes you just want a 1993 classic while you process the playoff scores.
- 9:00 PM ET: Animal Control (Fox). Season 4 is leaning hard into the "rival precincts merging" trope.
- 10:00 PM ET: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (HBO) vs. The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins (NBC).
The Streaming Conflict: Landman and The Night Manager
Don't forget the "invisible" lineup. While broadcast TV is doing its thing, the streamers are dropping heavy hitters today too.
Landman wraps up Season 2 on Paramount+ today. If you’ve been following the Norris family chaos, you know Tommy is basically at a breaking point. Then there’s The Night Manager on Prime Video.
It’s easy to forget these exist when you’re looking at a standard TV guide, but they’re pulling 60% of the audience now. Research from Samba TV recently showed that even for "day-of" releases, most of us would rather stream it than watch the live broadcast.
What Most People Get Wrong About Sunday Night TV
We tend to think of Sunday as "prestige" night. We think of The Sopranos or The White Lotus.
But in 2026, the television lineup for tonight shows a massive fragmentation. You have a docuseries premiere on MGM+ (The Hillside Strangler) competing with Worst Cooks in America on the Food Network.
It’s not just about quality anymore; it’s about niche.
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If you're a PBS devotee, you’ve got Miss Scarlet and All Creatures Great and Small at 8:00 and 9:00 PM. Those shows are the "comfort food" of television. They don't need dragons or Daniel Radcliffe. They just need a nice English countryside and some sensible solving of crimes.
Practical Steps for Your Evening
- Check the Overlap: If you want to watch A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and you're also a fan of Reggie Dinkins, pick one to watch live and stream the other on Max or Peacock tomorrow.
- The Sports Buffer: Since the Rams-Bears game starts at 6:30 PM on NBC, the 10:00 PM premiere of Reggie Dinkins is at the mercy of the refs. If the game ends at 9:45 PM, you’re good. If it goes to double OT? Your recording is going to be a lot of football and very little Tracy Morgan.
- App Updates: Make sure your Max app is updated before 10:00 PM. There is nothing worse than a mandatory 400MB update when the theme music for a Westeros show starts playing.
The reality is that "TV tonight" isn't a single thing anymore. It's a choice between the high-budget spectacle of HBO, the experimental comedy of NBC, or the raw tension of the NFL playoffs. Choose your side early.