Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Monday, June 24. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
Under The Dome (CBS, 10 p.m.): You may have forgotten this, but Stephen King already had a TV series back in the day, with that show Golden Years, which, honestly, wasn’t all that much to write home about. Then a few years ago, there was TNT’s Nightmares & Dreamscapes, which was billed as a miniseries but very easily could have become an occasional anthology series based on King’s shorter works. Now we’ve got CBS’ take on the horror novelist, and we’re still not sure if it’s a miniseries or a continuing series, but Scott Von Doviak and Zack Handlen will have thoughts. Oh, will they have thoughts.
REGULAR COVERAGE
Adventure Time (Cartoon Network, 7:30 p.m.): There’s a thief in the streets in an episode that may or may not be the season finale. (There’s one more that’s been produced, but the show also isn’t airing next week or the week after.) Oliver Sava will catch that thief. Vote Oliver like your life depends on it.
Regular Show (Cartoon Network, 8 p.m.): The guys go in search of a laserdisc player, because this is America, and you can still buy laserdiscs at your local thrift store and/or Amoeba Records location. (Seriously, they have a great selection.) Alasdair Wilkins will buy your Criterion edition of Taxi Driver.
Switched At Birth (ABC Family, 8 p.m.): We’d say something about tonight’s episode, but we just found out this show is doing an alt-universe episode in a couple of weeks, and we’re not sure how to process that information. Carrie Raisler wants us to know that we have until July 8 to figure out what to do.
Defiance (Syfy, 9 p.m.): Syfy sent out screeners of the final three episodes for the season, which might indicate confidence in them. Maybe? We honestly don’t know, because we still haven’t watched this one, but Rowan Kaiser wants us to know that all three episodes are “alien-riffic.” Whatever that means.
Teen Wolf (MTV, 10 p.m.): Every time we realize this show has a character named Stiles, we get a little sad that it’s not Ryan Stiles of The Drew Carey Show and Whose Line Is It Anyway? because we’re quite certain he would add a lot to a werewolf show. Phil Dyess-Nugent thinks this series needs more improv.
TV CLUB CLASSIC
The IT Crowd (11 a.m.): Series two begins with an episode capitalizing on that weird trend where you could visit a website and learn when you were going to die based on information gleaned from actuarial tables. Caroline Framke visited such a site and learned that she will never die, so things are looking up.
Justice League (1 p.m.): Oliver Sava’s Justice League reviews are back, only now, they’re reviews of Justice League: Unlimited, only we’re going to keep them under the Justice League category, because we just think anything else would be confusing. Oliver can handle these multiple continuities, but we can’t.
Scrubs (3 p.m.): One of this week’s episodes features one of our all-time favorite Scrubs plots, in which J.D. discovers that the Janitor starred in The Fugitive, which actor Neil Flynn did, indeed, play a small role in. Myles McNutt thinks that all characters on all shows should be haunted by their ghosts of roles past.
WHAT ELSE IS ON
Oh Sit! (The CW, 8 p.m.): Another season of America’s favorite musical chairs-based reality show concludes, and we’re guessing there will be more walking around in a circle and competing to see who can sit down first. Except also there will be obstacle courses for some reason. What a great country!
The Fosters (ABC Family, 9 p.m.): This series about a lesbian couple that acts as a foster family debuted to soft ratings a few weeks ago, but then the usual suspects kicked up a fuss, and the resulting fuss caused the show’s ratings to go up. Normally, we’d be happy for a victory for diversity, but Bunheads!
Miss You Can Do It (HBO, 9 p.m.): HBO’s summer documentary series continues with this film that looks into a pageant for young girls who have special needs, through the lens of Abbey Curran, a girl who has cerebral palsy and represented Iowa in 2008. We’d insert an Iowa joke, but it would seem inappropriate.
Newlyweds: The First Year (Bravo, 10 p.m.): Bravo’s series about a bunch of couples spending their first year of marriage together reaches its season finale, and we suppose we’ll learn if they decided marriage was worth all the trouble. Our wife cautions us to say that marriage is super great! Forever! Awesome!
Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows (Cinemax, 7:45 p.m.): Jared Harris—Lane Pryce himself!—turns up as Sherlock Holmes’ greatest nemesis, Professor Moriarty, in the sequel to the 2009 hit that proved America will watch Robert Downey, Jr., in just about anything these days. There will be fisticuffs.
Saturday Night Fever (Sundance, 8 p.m.): We saw this movie many years ago, but all we can really remember about it are the things everybody can remember about it, like John Travolta walking down the street while “Stayin’ Alive” burbles along on the soundtrack and/or John Travolta’s dance moves.
Stanley Cup Finals: Game 6: Blackhawks at Bruins (NBC, 8 p.m.): The Blackhawks have jumped out to a three games to two lead over the Bruins, but we’re betting this one goes to seven games because a Bruins player broke his hockey stick on the goal after a loss in game five, and it was pretty amazing.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Veep (Sunday): A season that displayed Selina’s increased agency and political acumen ended up somewhat dividing the show’s fanbase, with some feeling that season one was far better and some preferring this one. We fall in the latter camp. Where does our reviewer, Robert David Sullivan, fall?