Here’s what’s up in the world of television for Monday, March 31. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
How I Met Your Mother (CBS, 8 p.m.): At long last, the day is here: Barney and Robin are hitched, nine seasons have passed, and it’s time to say goodbye. It is, as its predecessor Friends would have noted, the end of an era; tonight’s two-part finale will reveal why Ted has been telling this story to his kids for the last nine years. We can only hope the reason is nothing more nefarious than “because Ted takes forever to tell a good story.” Donna Bowman will be covering tonight’s hourlong goodbye for you, as always; and in anticipation of the end, she also got you a present: a 100 Episodes of How I Met Your Mother that takes on the show’s central premise and its serialized dramatic arcs and looks for the magic within the madness. It’s a gorgeous send-off; but we know you expected nothing less from her.
ALSO NOTED
The Following (Fox, 9 p.m.): In a move that has drawn wide criticism and will soon be regarded as a bad idea, Sonia Saraiya will review tonight’s The Following, despite almost going batshit last time. We are curious to see how many The A.V. Club writers will go insane because of this show. Join us for the experiments!
Bates Motel (A&E, 10 p.m.): Zack Handlen is taking over Todd VanDerWerff’s Bates Motel duties tonight, because Zack is inordinately fond of Freudian psychobabble.
Archer (FX, 10 p.m.): “Part 1 of 2. Archer and the gang stay as guests in a palace.” Sonia Saraiya finds this intriguing.
REGULAR COVERAGE
RuPaul’s Drag Race (LOGO, 8 p.m.)
Mom (CBS, 9:30 p.m.)
Rick And Morty (Adult Swim, 10:30 p.m.)
ELSEWHERE IN TV CLUB
In addition to Donna’s 100 Episodes, The A.V. Club staff turned out an inventory on 15 horrible child rulers—just in time for Joffrey Baratheon’s return to the small screen next Sunday, when Game Of Thrones returns for its fourth season. And over in TV Reviews, Ryan McGee took a look at the surprisingly delightful second season of Inside Amy Schumer, which debuts Tuesday night.
TV CLUB CLASSIC
Justice League Unlimited (noon): TV Club Classic’s spring run kicks off today with Oliver Sava’s coverage of Justice League Unlimited’s season four. Today: “The Cat And The Canary.”
WHAT ELSE IS ON?
Friends With Better Lives (CBS, 9 p.m.): CBS hopes to capitalize on your post-How I Met Your Mother vulnerable feelings with a new comedy pilot: Friends With Better Lives, about the loves and lives of six twenty- and thirtysomething friends. Sound familiar? Good!
Prison Terminal: The Last Days Of Private Jack Hall and The University Of Sing Sing (HBO, 9 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.): HBO offers two original documentaries on the prison-industrial complex tonight: One, on Private Jack Hall, a terminally ill inmate spending his last days in the Iowa State Penitentiary system, cared for by volunteer hospice workers; the other on America’s only in-prison college program, Hudson Link, in the notorious Sing Sing prison.
This Is Hot 97 (VH1, 10:30 p.m.): A new docuseries on the iconic New York radio station Hot 97, an institution for the hip-hop and R&B music communities. The show will focus on the station crew, but famous people will cameo from time to time, like Kanye West, Macklemore, and Rick Ross.
Amelie (Flix, 8 p.m.): A charming film about a young French girl being French in France in French with French toast and French braids and French fries will make you briefly think that you, too, can speak French.
Wayne’s World (Fuse, 8 p.m.): Party on.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
The Walking Dead: This show had its fourth season finale last night. Zack Handlen has the deets—and the feels.