Baseball? Presidential debates? Who cares? It's time for RuPaul's Drag Race to return
Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Monday, October 22. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
RuPaul’s Drag Race (Logo, 9 p.m.): There’s a lot of big TV on tonight—from the final presidential debate to the last game of the National League Championship Series—but perhaps no television event is bigger than the return of RuPaul’s Drag Race, The Number One Reality Show Of TV Club. (If we knew how to make the little trademark symbol, we would.) Oliver Sava is back for another season, but he’s most excited about the prospect of this being an all star season. If you don’t care about politics or baseball, tune in and speculate what RuPaul might do with Mitt Romney and/or Brian Wilson.
REGULAR COVERAGE
Adventure Time (Cartoon Network, 7:30 p.m.): The Lich drops in to reveal the secrets of Ooo, just like that one summer when you came home from college and learned the devastating truth about your post-apocalyptic hometown. Oliver Sava just likes that we’ll say “Oliver Sava” seven times in this article.
Alphas (Syfy, 8 p.m.): It’s time for the season finale, complete with the usual gang of guest stars and, hopefully, some hardcore David Strathairn emoting. Todd VanDerWerff isn’t sure if this whole season is going to pull together in a satisfying fashion, but he knows he has had a lot of fun watching the thing.
Regular Show (Cartoon Network, 8 p.m.): “The guys want to judge a pie contest,” says the TV Guide episode description, and we have to say we don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Alasdair Wilkins once judged a pie contest, but once it was over, he didn’t like pie anymore. See? Moral lessons!
Switched At Birth (ABC Family, 8 p.m.): The season that just wouldn’t quit finally ends with its 30th episode, and Carrie Raisler is already cringing at the thought that it might be about the least interesting storyline the season has launched and not any of the many fascinating ones the series was interested in.
The Inbetweeners (MTV, 10:30 p.m.): Simon’s hoping to curb his girlfriend’s stealing habit. Who is his girlfriend? Winona Ryder? How many of you got that joke? It’s a pretty out of date reference. Margaret Eby just let us know that we were pretty much Jay Leno to her, and we had to admit she had a point.
TV CLUB CLASSIC
The West Wing (11 a.m.): Steve Heisler is speeding toward the end of the Aaron Sorkin era of this show, and while he’ll be sad to see it go, he’s also not going to miss all of the walking and all of the talking. Don’t worry, Steve! The absolute worst days of the show are directly ahead of you. Enjoy them!
Justice League (1 p.m.): The second season of the series comes to a rousing conclusion, as something happens involving the Thanagarians and the Gordanians. Oliver Sava wants to remind us we have to say “Oliver Sava” two more times to fulfill our Monday quota. Which Oliver Sava? That Oliver Sava!
WHAT ELSE IS ON
Totally Clueless (MTV, 7 p.m.): MTV launches a new hidden-camera game show tonight, in which the object is to eventually realize that you’re on a game show. That sounds way too much like a half-hour version of the David Fincher movie The Game to us, so we hope no one jumps out of a window.
Blackout (Ovation, 8 p.m.): Christopher Eccleston takes the lead in this political thriller miniseries, which will air over the next three weeks. It involves a council officer who wakes up from an alcoholic blackout to realize he might have killed someone. We’re expecting everything turns out just fine for him then.
The Final Presidential Debate (various networks, 9 p.m.): President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney face off one last time, this time on foreign policy. We’re hoping Romney breaks out his “China is a currency manipulator” shtick again. That was a really catchy slogan.
Richard Hammond’s Crash Course (BBC America, 10 p.m.): We’re always a little disappointed to find out that the guy who hosts this isn’t the man who built Jurassic Park, until we remember that was John Hammond, as played by Richard Attenborough and realize how much our memories have given out.
My Life Without Me (HBO Signature, 7:15 p.m.): We’ve never seen this movie, and it didn’t get very good reviews, but it does star Sarah Polley as a woman who is sad, and we’ve seen few actresses better at playing women who are sad than Ms. Polley. In this one, she’s dying! That would make us sad, too.
Woman Of The Year (TCM, 8 p.m.): Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn were so legendary on screen together that the words “Hepburn and Tracy” are still shorthand for dazzling, battle of the sexes repartee. Check out where that reputation comes from in this enjoyable comedy starring the two.
National League Championship Series: Game 7: Cardinals at Giants (Fox, 7:30 p.m.): The Cardinals managed to go up 3-1 before the Giants came storming back, forcing this decisive game seven. We’re hoping that by continuing to predict them to win, we’ll continue to jinx the Cardinals. So there, St. Louis!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Call The Midwife (Sunday): We thought perhaps this PBS import would catch on here as it caught on in the United Kingdom, but you guys were steadfast in ignoring it, as you are any show with the word “wife” in the title. As such, we’re ending coverage, but you should still check out Brandon Nowalk’s excellent reviews.