Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Thursday, June 2. All times are Eastern.
Top picks
Steven Universe (Cartoon Network, 7 p.m.): A.V. Club writer Eric Thurm has had nothing but praise for this latest run of Steven Universe, which reaches its penultimate chapter tonight. The Gems face off against the Yellow Diamond’s Rubies in a baseball game. Hopefully, it’ll be at least as good as the vampire baseball in Twilight.
Roots (A&E/History Channel/Lifetime/Lifetime Movie Network, 9 p.m.): According to Joshua Alston’s pre-air review, “History’s new vision of Roots justifies its existence almost immediately, reinforcing its worthiness through amazing performances and a tweaked narrative that puts more focus on the interior lives of the slaves.” Now the four-part series comes to a close in a two-hour finale that explores the Civil War era and beyond. While Joshua liked the earlier episodes a little more than the latter ones, we’re guessing those who’ve invested six hours in the series are probably going to want to see how it all turns out.
Archer (FX, 10 p.m.): The Archer season finale finally reveals the answers to those mysteries it’s been teasing this season: Just how will Sterling Archer wind up full of bullet holes and floating in a pool, as we saw in the season premiere? And who murdered Ellis Crane last week? William Hughes has admitted he doesn’t watch Archer for its plot, but that hasn’t stopped him from creating an elaborate investigation board to figure it all out. Just call him the Rust Cohle of Archer.
Premieres and finales
Strong (NBC, 8 p.m.): In the finale of this Sylvester Stallone-produced reality series, the remaining two teams of male trainers and female trainees face off in three final competitions. Since we’ve seen Rocky, we’re gonna go ahead and assume that the one who loses is the real winner.
Beauty And The Beast (The CW, 9 p.m.): A top contender for the “That’s still on?” award returns for its fourth and final season tonight. The wedded bliss of Vincent and Cat (a.k.a the Beast and his beauty) is cut short when they learn someone is trying to expose the identities of beasts.
Prince: The Secret Life (Reelz, 9 p.m.): Reelz profiles Prince with a behind-the-scenes look at his life. Considering the channel also airs a show called Autopsy: The Last Hours Of… about celebrity deaths and another called Hollywood Scandals, Prince fans should be wary.
Quincy Jones: Burning The Light (HBO, 10 p.m.): After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, comedian Quincy Jones launched a Kickstarter to raise money to film a one-hour stand-up special. Thanks to some help from Ellen DeGeneres, HBO is airing the final product tonight.
TV Club Classic
Battlestar Galactica (11 a.m.): Battlestar Galactica hunts for missing Raptors and grapples with abortion in “The Captain’s Hand.” Then the show switches things up with a Cylon-centric episode that explores what Caprica-Six and Boomer have been up to since they were last “Downloaded.” Zack Handlen will file his review just as soon as he gets used to his latest Cylon body.
Regular coverage
Orphan Black (BBC America, 10 p.m.)
Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central, 10 p.m.)
Streaming pick
After Americans: Many Rivers To Cross, “Into The Fire (1861-1896)” (Netflix): Historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. tracks the history of black Americans from the earliest days of slavery through the present day. This fantastic six-part documentary series pays specific attention to the agency black people claimed throughout history, including the crucial role they played in their own emancipation. This chapter on the Civil War and Reconstruction would make the perfect historical companion to the Roots finale.