Must See HDTV for the week of February 17th: Winter Olympics, Daytona 500 and Strider
This is the final week of the Winter Olympics, with the closing ceremonies scheduled for Sunday night. Bob Costas is back (with less creepy demon-possessed eye infection stare) plus plenty of action including bobsled, short-track speed skating, hockey finals and of course, curling. Game of Thrones season three will hit the shelves on Blu-ray, so whether you're looking for a recap or just getting your first look in 1080p, now is the time. Racing fans can also look forward to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season with the Daytona 500 on Sunday, while gamers can enjoy a remake of the classic game Strider on current and next-gen systems this week -- although honestly, many of us are just trying to finish off House of Cards before the spoilers become impossible to avoid or filter out. Usually we don't point out the late-night weekly shows, but tonight Jimmy Fallon takes over the Tonight Show chair from Jay Leno. Check after the break for trailers plus our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and gaming.
Blu-ray, Streaming movies & Games
Game of Thrones (S3)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (Criterion Collection)
Darkman (Collector's Edition)
Nurse Jackie (S5)
Earth Defense Force 2025 (PS3, Xbox 360)
Strider (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC)
Rayman Legends (PS4)
NASCAR '14 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
Monday
2014 Olympic Winter Games, NBC, 8PM
Almost Human, Fox, 8PM
The Bachelor, ABC, 8PM
Switched at Birth, ABC Family, 8PM
Star-Crossed (series premiere), CW, 8PM
Bitten, Syfy, 8PM
Top Gear, BBC America, 8:30PM
The Following, Fox, 9PM
Being Human, Syfy, 9PM
Beauty and the Beast, CW, 9PM
The Fosters, ABC Family, 9PM
Lost Girl, Syfy, 10PM
The Devil's Ride, Discovery, 10PM
Castle, ABC, 10PM
Intelligence, CBS, 10PM
Don't Trust Andrew Mayne, A&E, 11 & 11:30PM
Inside Comedy, Showtime, 11PM
Tuesday
2014 Winter Olympic Games, NBC, 8PM
American Idol, Fox, 8PM
Pretty Little Liars, ABC Family, 8PM
American Experience, PBS, 9PM
Face Off, Syfy, 9PM
Twisted, ABC Family, 9PM
Tosh.0, Comedy Central, 10PM
Killer Women, ABC, 10PM
Opposite Worlds, Syfy, 10PM
Cougar Town, TBS, 10PM
Kroll Show, Comedy Central, 10:30PM
Are You The One?, MTV, 11PM
Wednesday
2014 Winter Olympic Games, NBC, 8PM
American Idol, Fox, 8PM
Opposite Worlds, Syfy, 8PM
WWE Main Event, ION, 8PM
Criminal Minds, CBS, 9PM
Super Fun Night (season finale), ABC, 9:30PM
Workaholics, Comedy Central, 10PM
Men at Work, TBS, 10PM
CSI, CBS, 10PM
Fleming: The Man Who Would be Bond (season finale), BBC America, 10PM
Unsung: Nile Rodgers and Chic (season finale), TV One, 10PM
Broad City, Comedy Central, 10:30PM
Thursday
NASCAR Budweiser Duels, Fox Sports 1, 7PM
2014 Winter Olympic Games, NBC, 8PM
Heat/Thunder, TNT, 8PM
American Idol, Fox, 8PM
The Taste (season finale), ABC, 8PM
Rake, Fox, 9PM
King of the Nerds, TBS, 10PM
Rockets/Warriors, TNT, 10:30PM
Jerks with Cameras, MTV, 11PM
Friday
2014 Olympic Winter Games, NBC, 8PM
WWE SmackDown, Syfy, 8PM
Cold Justice, TNT, 8PM
APB with Troy Dunn, TNT, 9PM
Banshee, Cinemax, 10PM
Helix, Syfy, 10PM
Saturday
2014 Olympic Winter Games, NBC, 8PM
The Daytona 500 Bash at the Beach, Fox, 8PM
Ripper Street (season premiere), BBC America, 9PM
45th Annual NAACP Image Awards, TV One, 9PM
Black Sails, Starz, 9PM
About a Boy, NBC, 11PM
Sunday
Daytona 500, Fox, 12PM
2014 Winter Olympic Games, NBC, 7PM
The Amazing Race (season premiere), CBS, 8PM
The Walking Dead, AMC, 9PM
True Detective, HBO, 9PM
Downton Abbey (season finale), PBS, 9PM
Shameless, Showtime, 9PM
House of Lies, Showtime, 10PM
Talking Dead, AMC, 10PM
Girls, HBO, 10PM
Looking, HBO, 10:30PM
Episodes, Showtime, 10:30PM
Growing Up Fisher (series premiere), NBC, 10:38PM
Comic Book Men, AMC, 11:59PM