Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Wednesday, June 19. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
Futurama (Comedy Central, 10 p.m.): TV shows are just ending all over the place! Last week, in this very space, Don’t Trust The B—— In Apt. 23 bowed out, and now, Futurama begins what will be its second final season. Whatever you think of the show’s Comedy Central years—and we’re generally pro-more Futurama—it’ll be sad to think of a TV landscape without Fry, Bender, Leela, Zoidberg, and especially Scruffy, which is what we’ll be facing once the summer is over. Zack Handlen heads once more into the breach and reminds us there are several episodes to come after tonight’s season première.
REGULAR COVERAGE
Arrested Development (Netflix, 11 a.m.): It took the fourth season of Arrested Development long enough, but we’re finally up to a GOB episode, then the second Lindsay episode (which is also the longest episode of the show ever). Noel Murray and Erik Adams are aware they’ve made a huge mistake.
MasterChef (Fox, 8 p.m.): One of tonight’s two episodes involves the chefs cooking a meal for the cast and crew of Glee, with three of that show’s stars serving as guest judges. Phil Dyess-Nugent would like to cook for the cast of Glee, but mostly, he’d use it as an excuse to show off his singing and dancing.
TV CLUB CLASSIC
Freaks And Geeks (1 p.m.): Mike White, whom you may remember from such shows as Enlightened, wrote this episode in which Lindsay is dragged into the exciting world of Kim Kelly. Todd VanDerWerff is just fascinated to note that Rashida Jones is in this episode, because he didn’t know that was the case.
Sports Night (3 p.m.): If there’s one thing Aaron Sorkin knows how to do, it’s write a Christmas episode, and the second of this week’s two episodes is just that. Also, it originally aired on Dec. 21, with the next episode airing Dec. 28. Donna Bowman thinks ABC displayed extraordinary faith in this show, huh?
WHAT ELSE IS ON
Franklin & Bash (TNT, 9 p.m.): Heather Locklear joins America’s favorite shithead dickweasel lawyers for the third season, and Kevin McFarland feels compelled to check in to see if she adds anything to the proceedings. We’re mostly disappointed that our spell check doesn’t recognize “dickweasel.” Come on!
Fight Master (Spike, 10 p.m.): Spike introduces a new reality competition series based not around singing or dancing or any other sort of performing art but, rather, around the graceful ballet that is MMA fighting. Five bouts will be fought, with one victor moving on to the real MMA circuit. Fun!
Hot In Cleveland (TV Land, 10 p.m.): TV Land’s cheapazoid multi-camera sitcoms return for another summer of general high jinks and fun, led by the captain of them all, complete with Betty White doing things an old person just generally wouldn’t do. Will things be as wacky as ever? We really have no idea.
The Soup Investigates (E!, 10:30 p.m.): The venerable “making fun of shit” franchise expands to include a new half hour in which it answers all of the pressing questions you have about reality television. Look, we love Joel McHale and all he stands for, and even we are not sure we can handle the likes of that.
Anaconda (TV Guide Network, 8 p.m.): It’s “movies that came out in 1997” night in What’s On Tonight’s movie picks, and we’re starting with this epic romance that was nominated for 14 Oscars and won 11 of them. It’s amazing that a movie prominently featuring a giant snake managed that, but, hey, why not?
Titanic (AMC, 8 p.m.): The movie that reigned supreme as the top movie of all time until its director’s own Avatar came along to bump it off, we invite you to flip rapidly between Titanic and Anaconda and consider how demonstrably both would be improved by being blended together into one super-movie.
Stanley Cup Finals: Game 4: Blackhawks at Bruins (NBC, 8 p.m.): After the first two games went to overtime, the Bruins handled the Blackhawks rather easily in game three, putting Boston up two games to one. Here’s hoping the Blackhawks come storming back, because we’d like this one to keep going.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
The Voice (Tuesday): Myles McNutt has watched very little of this season of The Voice, but what he has watched has been with his parents, who can probably explain the ins and outs of the program to him just as readily as you could explain Breaking Bad to your parents. Who won? Myles will tell you. We assume.