Watch it!
Red Rock (Sunday, Virgin Media One)
Red Rock fans will be pleased to hear that the award-winning drama is returning to our screens this week. Set in a fictional Dublin seaside town, the show revolves around the local Garda station and its attempts to keep the peace between two feuding families: the Hennessys and the Kielys.
Red Rock made its mark courtesy of a cracking cast, including Cathy Belton, Denise McCormack, Jane McGrath, Andrea Irvine and Conor Mullen, and some explosive storylines. That was particularly true of the plot that involved manipulative Garda Sergeant Brian McGonigle (Sean Mahon) and his grooming of schoolgirl Rachel Reid (Ann Skelly).
While that storyline created headlines, it also provided a strong showcase for the actors involved, both of whom went on to appear in big BBC shows: EastEnders in the case of Sean (where he played another bad boy; and the Eugene McCabe-penned drama, Death and Nightingales, for Ann.
We’re promised more watercooler moments in the new season, during which Superintendent Kevin Dunne (Conor Mullen)’s life will spiral out of control, while Keith Kiely (Stephen Cromwell), still traumatised by Eugene (Joe Gallagher)’s death, will fall hard for Alice Bruton (Mary Conroy) and find himself drawn deeper into a life of crime.
Meanwhile, the redoubtable duo of Bridget Kiely (Denise McCormack) and Patricia Hennessy (Cathy Belton) will continue to pull strings in the background. It’s going to be an interesting season!
On Our Radar
Must-watch TV: True Detective (Monday, Sky Atlantic & NOW TV)
We’re into season three of Nic Pizzolatto’s critically acclaimed crime drama and the quality hasn’t diminished,thanks mostly to another spellbinding turn from the great Mahershala Ali.
Bingeworthy stream: You (Netflix)
This juicy cautionary tale stars Penn Badgley (Gossip Girl) as a creepy bookstore boss who decides to turn himself into ‘the perfect boyfriend’ by analysing the social media life of the object of his affections (Elizabeth Lail)
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Top podcast: Griefcast
Stemming from her own experience of losing her father at a young age, Cariad Lloyd’s award-winning podcast, in which she chats openly to fellow comedians about grief and death, is both moving and funny. 
Radio waves: The Saturday Review (BBC Radio 4)
Tom Sutcliffe and his weekly roster of panellists expertly dissect the week’s cultural events, whether it’s theatre, TV or top tomes.
Screen News
* Having already searched for the next top model, the next big dancer and the next chart-topping singer, the BBC is now on the look-out for the next make-up star. Strictly winner Stacey Dooley will host Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star, alongside industry judges Val Garland, global make-up director for L’Oréal Paris, and Dominic Skinner, global senior artist for MAC.
The weekly elimination series will see ten contestants live and work together as they compete to win a contract assisting some of the world's biggest make-up artists.
* It nabbed a Golden Globe for Best Comedy Series and a second gong for co-star Michael Douglas, so it comes as no surprise that a second series of The Kominsky Method has been commissioned.
Penned by Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory), the show follows the fortunes of a former actor turn acting coach (Douglas) and his relationship with his best friend (Alan Arkin), a man with many challenges in his life.
* Quote of the Week: "There’s no-one else in my family that acts. A lot of my sisters and brothers were heavily involved with sport, and I was, too. But I think that I was a very creative child. My mum was a painter, and I used to express myself visually, with things like photography, from a young age. So I think that’s where it came from." Mullingar actress Niamh Algar, star of Channel 4’s major new drama, Pure. 
Top 7 Shows
Ireland's Got Talent, Saturday, Virgin Media One
Lucy Kennedy and the judges - Louis Walsh, Denise Van Outen, Jason Byrne and Michelle Visage - are back on the hunt for a new crop of Irish talent.
Six Nations Live, Saturday, Virgin Media One / Channel 4
Joe Schmidt’s men begin their defence of their Six Nations crown with a tasty tie against England at Lansdowne Road. Visiting coach Eddie Jones has already declared that his men will have to play like the best team in the world in order to beat the Irish on their home turf. 
David Bowie: Finding Fame, Saturday, BBC Two
This feature-length documentary tells the remarkable story of how David Robert Jones became David Bowie; how Bowie became Ziggy Stardust and how Ziggy Stardust became immortal. It provides an inside track on the man recently voted the most iconic entertainer of the 20th Century.
Les Misérables, Sunday, BBC One
The army prepares for the next assault on the barricades and the fighting becomes more bloody and desperate. When Jean Valjean (Dominic West) finds Marius (Josh O’Connor), he feels conflicted about the young man who wants to take Cosette (Ellie Bamber) from him.
Tom Kerridge's Fresh Start, Wednesday, BBC Two
The celebrity chef’s’s eight Fresh Start families have risen to every challenge, transforming meal times at home. Now, as the experiment draws to a close, the families come together to celebrate their achievements – and to take on Tom’s final challenge: cooking generous dishes for groups of friends and family.
Station 19, Wednesday, Sky Witness & NOW TV
Shonda Rhimes’ hit firefighting drama returns for a second season. Following last season’s explosive cliffhanger, the fate of several crew members remains unknown. As they continue to battle the inferno in the skyscraper, injured members of the team are taken to Grey Sloan hospital to receive medical help from some familiar faces. 
Das Boot, Wednesday, Sky Atlantic & NOW TV
This new German drama is the serialised sequel to one of the most acclaimed war films of all time, Wolfgang Petersen’s Das Boot. The story begins in the autumn of 1942, when the Allies have cracked the Enigma code, signalling the end of the U-boats’ dominance at sea.
Watch it!
The Late Late Show Valentine's Special: Friday, RTE One
Yep, it's that time of year again! Last year, more than 520,000 people tuned into The Late Late Show Valentine's Special to watch the antics of a studio filled with singletons from all corners of the land congregating for an evening of love-filled fun.
Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so this year's crop of romantic hopefuls will be hoping that The Late Late Show proves to be where love stories begin.
"In this age of dating apps and social media," says host Ryan Tubridy (channeling his inner Cilla), "we're going back to basics and want to spark some love - on live TV! As always, the show will be great fun, and you never know there could be someone for everyone in the audience."
Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night. 
Africa with Ade Adepitan: Sunday, BBC Two
In this new four-part series, journalist and athlete Ade Adepitan travels across Africa, from West Africa and the city of his birth - Lagos in Nigeria - through Central and Eastern Africa and on to the deep south of the continent. Ade is on a journey to uncover how modern Africa is changing
He will visit a vast array of contrasting places on the continent, each providing unique and surprising experiences on the most vibrant continent on earth.
The first leg of Ade Adepitan's epic four-part journey takes him through Cape Vede through Senegal and from Ivory Coast to Nigeria.
