"Hereditary" (2018) airs Saturday, Jan. 9, 9-11:10 p.m. EST on Showtime. Check local listings. (Showtime)
"Hereditary" (2018) airs Saturday, Jan. 9, 9-11:10 p.m. EST on Showtime. Check local listings. (Showtime)
NEW YORK (CNS) — Here are some program notes and capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television for the week of Jan. 3 with their TV Parental Guidelines ratings if available. The films have not been reviewed and therefore are not necessarily recommended by Catholic News Service.

Sunday, Jan. 3, 2-5 p.m. EST (A&E) "The Fugitive" (1993). Having escaped while being transported to the state pen, a Chicago surgeon (Harrison Ford) convicted of murdering his wife must evade the ever-tightening net of a relentless U.S. marshal (Tommy Lee Jones) while desperately tracking down the one-armed man (Andreas Katsulas) who actually killed her. Director Andrew Davis knits together a strong narrative, crackerjack performances and taut editing for a fine thriller not dependent on constant, glorified violence for mounting suspense. Brief, sporadic violence. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Monday, Jan. 4, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. EST (EWTN) "Holy Mass on the 200th Anniversary of the Death of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton." Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore is scheduled to serve as celebrant at this eucharistic liturgy, broadcast live from the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland (TV-G — general audience).

Monday, Jan. 4, 9:15-11 p.m. EST (TCM) "The Private Life of Henry VIII" (1933). Witty title performance by Charles Laughton gives robust human dimension to the 16th-century English king as seen through his troubled domestic relations spanning six wives, principally the shrewd Anne of Cleves (Elsa Lanchester) and the unfaithful Katherine Howard (Binnie Barnes). Director Alexander Korda brings the historical period to life with evocative acting and Georges Perinal's luminous photography. But best of all is its perceptive portrait of an absolute monarch unable to control his passions until mellowed by old age. Marital turbulence marked by infidelities and divorce. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III — adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.

Wednesday, Jan. 6, 4-5 a.m. EST (EWTN) "Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord." Live broadcast from St. Peter's Basilica as Pope Francis celebrates Mass for the feast of the Epiphany. The liturgy will be rerun 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. EST (TV-G — general audience).

Wednesday, Jan. 6, 8-10:05 p.m. EST (Showtime) "Batman" (1989). Dark, haunting vision of the caped crusader (Michael Keaton) who must battle not only the evil Joker (Jack Nicholson) but the demons left over from his own tragic childhood. Director Tim Burton does not make the eternal fight between good and evil an easy one but virtuoso performances by the leads and Anton Furst's production design of a Gotham City full of shadowy gothic and modernistic spires make the movie noteworthy. Some grisly comic-book violence and a suggested sexual encounter are too intense for young viewers. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. (Followed by the sequels "Batman Returns" (1992) 10:05 p.m.-12:15 a.m. EST, "Batman Forever" (1995) 12:15-2:30 a.m. EST Thursday, Jan. 7 and "Batman & Robin" (1997) 2:30-4:35 a.m. EST Thursday, Jan. 7.)

Wednesday, Jan. 6, 10-11 p.m. EST (A&E) "Nature Gone Wild." First two back-to-back episodes of a new series that follows professional guide and explorer Greg Aiello as he highlights and analyzes footage of unusual occurrences in nature.

Wednesday, Jan. 6, 10-11 p.m. EST (PBS) "When Disaster Strikes." First episode of a three-part miniseries that explores the mechanics of disaster relief. This installment, titled "A Perfect Storm: Mozambique," focuses on the aftermath of 2019's Cyclone Idai. The series continues Wednesdays through Jan. 20, 10-11 p.m. EST each night (TV-PG — parental guidance suggested).

Friday, Jan. 8, 8-10 p.m. EST (AMC) "Unstoppable" (2010). This gripping suspense tale charts the efforts of a veteran rail engineer (Denzel Washington) and a novice conductor (Chris Pine) to stop a runaway train before it derails on a twisting stretch of track running through a densely populated Pennsylvania town. Though opposed by a scheming railroad executive (Kevin Dunn), the pair are assisted by a competent but overwhelmed yardmaster (Rosario Dawson) and by a savvy federal official (Kevin Corrigan). Bolstered by adept performances and by the amusing asides in Mark Bomback's script, director Tony Scott crafts a diverting entertainment solidly founded on its main characters' heroic selflessness and incorporating themes supportive of marriage and family life. A few scenes of graphic injury, about a dozen uses of profanity, at least one instance of the F-word, frequent crude or crass language. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Friday, Jan. 8, 9-11 p.m. EST (PBS) "A Thousand Cuts." This episode of the series "Frontline" examines Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's crackdown on the press — and his prime target, journalist Maria Ressa.

Friday, Jan. 8, 8-10:15 p.m. EST (TCM) "Hang 'Em High" (1968). Vigorous Western starring Clint Eastwood as a former lawman who journeys into the Nebraska Territory where he is promptly hanged — but not high enough to keep him from coming back to enforce a rough version of justice on the range. Directed by Ted Post, the result is clever without being campy and, unusual for an action-packed Eastwood vehicle, without too much violence. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Saturday, Jan. 9, 8-10:20 p.m. EST (HBO) "The King of Staten Island" (2020). A directionless slacker (Pete Davidson) still trying to come to terms with the long-ago death of his fireman father finds his life transformed when his mom (Marisa Tomei) begins dating another firefighter (Bill Burr) with whom he at first butts heads but eventually discovers common ground. Below the crust of vulgar behavior and language overlying director and co-writer Judd Apatow's ultimately moving conversion story lies a salute to such fundamentally positive values as the dignity of work, the importance of emotional connection and the heroism of first responders. Still, his depiction of lower-middle-class life in the borough of the title is not for the easily offended. Some violence with gore, a brief but graphic scene of casual sex, implied premarital activity, drug dealing and use, several profanities, a couple of milder oaths, pervasive rough and crude language, obscene gestures. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was L — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association rating was R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Saturday, Jan. 9, 8-11 p.m. EST (History) "Rise of Empires: Ottoman." First three back-to-back episodes of a six-part Turkish series recounting Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II's 15th-century campaign to conquer the Byzantine Empire's capital of Constantinople. The miniseries concludes Sunday, Jan. 10, 8-11 p.m. EST (TV-MA — mature audience only).

Saturday, Jan. 9, 9-11:10 p.m. EST (Showtime) "Hereditary" (2018). This subtly creepy horror tale keeps the audience guessing exactly what lies behind the string of macabre occurrences besetting a middle-aged couple (Toni Collette and Gabriel Byrne), their high schooler son (Alex Wolff) and 13-year-old daughter (Milly Shapiro). An unusual blend of intense family drama and a foray into the occult, writer-director Ari Aster's feature debut mostly pays patient viewers off with a resounding conclusion, and Collette is furiously intense throughout. But the gloomily atmospheric film, which initially goes easy on the gore, gets less restrained in that respect as it goes along. Black magic and satanist themes, gruesome events and images, drug use, glimpses of full male and female nudity in a nonsexual context, a few profanities, numerous rough and crude terms. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was L — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association rating was R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.