Stephen Dorff Joins a Long Line of TV Sheriffs in Fox's Deputy

From The Andy Griffith Show's Sheriff Andy Taylor to Walking Dead's Rick Grimes to Stranger Things' Jim Hopper, TV loves a good sheriff. (Bad ones too: Sheriff Rosco P Coltrane anyone?) Where Stephen Dorff's Bill Hollister falls in that pantheon remains to be seen, but tonight sees the start of his adventures in the series premiere of Fox's Deputy. Also tonight: Lifetime airs its Surviving R. Kelly followup, Tim Allen's Last Man Standing returns for Season 8, and The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition bids adieu for another year. Here's what's new and noteworthy on TV this Thursday:

SERIES PREMIERE: Billed as a modern day western, Deputy stars Stephen Dorff as an reckless deputy who's thrust into the role of Sheriff much to his own (and everyone else's) dismay. Primetimer's Jean-Maxime Renault has this preview. 9:00 PM ET on FOX

NEW SEASON: Its first season was a phenomenon, finally bringing the sexual abuse allegatons against R. Kelly to the forefront. Now comes the six-hour followup Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning, which looks the backlash against the women who came forward, and the various legal battles Kelly has faced over the last year. Two episodes air back-to-back starting at 9:00 PM ET on Lifetime

SPECIAL PRESENTATION: As our Aaron Barnhart writes, Jeopardy! and the ABC-owned stations it runs on owe much to Alex Trebek. Tonight's one hour ABC News special What is Jeopardy!? Alex Trebek and America's Most Popular Quiz Show looks at the enduring popularity of the show and Trebek's battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. 8:00 PM ET on ABC

MARATHON: Last year's original Surviving R. Kelly gets a six-hour marathon ahead of tonight's follow-up. 3:00 PM ET on Lifetime

NEW SEASON: Tim Allen's Last Man Standing returns for its eighth season, airing back-to-back episodes on Thursday nights for three weeks this month before being paired with the new Jason Biggs comedy Outmatched, beginning Jan 23. 8:00 PM ET on FOX

SEASON FINALE: With the holidays behind us, The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition airs its final two episodes. Tonight will see the final four facing their toughest challenges yet, and by night's end one will be named America's Best Amateur Baker. Two episodes air back-to-back starting at 9:00 PM ET on ABC

DOCUSERIES PREMIERE: From the team behind Netflix's short-form Explained series comes Sex, Explained, a new limited series exploring the ins and outs of sex, from the biology of attraction to the history of birth control. Narrated by Janelle Monae. Watch the preview. Streaming on Netflix

Jed Rosenzweig is the Founder and Publisher of Primetimer.