Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Thursday, September 10. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Under The Dome (CBS, 10 p.m.): Ah Under The Dome. Few television shows have offered such simultaneous frustration and entertainment value (shout out to Hostages for trying though). After three seasons of nonsense, the dome finally comes down tonight in an episode that promises to reveal all the secrets no one is asking to know. We’d like to take a quick moment to thank Scott Von Doviak and occasional sub Gwen Ihnat for somehow maintaining their sanity from that first sliced cow to the show’s bitter end. Here’s hoping Under The Dome provides a few more “classic dome” moments before the final credits roll.
Also noted
Longmire (Netflix, 3 a.m.): Rescued from A&E cancellation by Netflix, Longmire returns for a fourth season full of even more stand-alone mysteries. Since it debuts all at once, Longmire superfans can binge-watch the antics of Sheriff Walt Longmire while Battlestar Galactica fans point out that Katee Sackhoff deserves a much higher profile role than this one.
Steven Universe (Cartoon Network, 6 p.m.): The consistently inconsistent Steven Universe (in terms of scheduling not quality) returns tonight with its first new episode in months. Connie takes center stage as she and Steven set off to rescue one of Pearl’s swords from Connie’s mom. Eric Thurm is cosplaying as Garnet to review the episode.
Documentary Now! (IFC, 10 p.m.): Grey Gardens, VICE, and Nanook Of The North may be easy targets, but can Fred Armisen and Bill Hader make wrongful murder convictions funny? Probably. But unlike the jury in this episode, Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya will think long and hard before passing judgment on “The Eye Doesn’t Lie.”
Comedy Bang! Bang! (IFC, 10:30 p.m.): Weird Al Yankovic guest stars on the fourth season summer finale of Comedy Bang! Bang! and leads Scott in a round of “Celebrity Weird Al Do’s.” Then the show hires three new co-hosts in an attempt to appeal to women. Good thing Emily L. Stephens loves being pandered to.
Regular Coverage
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (FX, 10 p.m.)
Review (Comedy Central, 10 p.m.)
Married (FX, 10:30 p.m.)
TV Club Classic
Futurama (10 a.m.): If this were a more just world, Zack Handlen’s final Futurama review would be tonight’s Top Pick. But our desire to make fun of Under The Dome coupled with the fact that Into The Wild Green Yonder isn’t the highest note to go out on leaves us where we are. Nevertheless, Zack Handlen deserves a big round of applause for tackling the entire Futurama oeuvre. Join him as he bites Bender’s shiny metal ass one last time.
Elsewhere in TV Club
First up, Kyle Fowle examines the way the Netflix series Narcos uses its voiceover narration in surprisingly subversive ways:
As the season rolls on, the voice-over not only becomes less prominent, but also serves as one of the more compelling ways the show adds depth and complexity to the narrative. Narcos pulls a bait-and-switch, using Murphy’s voice-over in the first episode to establish a traditional male antihero narrative, only to consistently and perceptively subvert that narrative with each new episode.
Then Lake Bell answers our 11 Questions, discusses her love of chicken parmesan, and reminisces about her childhood crush on Axl Rose:
Lake Bell: I was a huge GNR fan when I was a kid because I had an older brother. I wasn’t allowed to watch MTV or anything. But I had an older brother who had a small TV in his room, so I would go in and watch that. I remember being entirely too young to see Guns N’ Roses videos, and it was a brand of naughtiness and sexuality that I couldn’t comprehend at that age. But I just remember looking at Axl Rose and even at a young age, I was like, “That’s all wrong and therefore, it’s all right.”
What else is on?
Beauty And The Beast (The CW, 8 p.m.): Remember that this show is somehow still on TV just in time for the third season finale. Cat and Vincent are “tested as never before” as they go after a baddie trying to out Vincent as a beast. Personally, we hope to one day live in a world where beasts doesn’t feel compelled to stay in the closet at all.
Boom! (Fox, 8 p.m.): Also wrapping up a season tonight: This bizarrely misconceived bomb-themed game show. Teams try to answer questions correctly to prevent a “bomb” full of refried beans from exploding on them. This is the world we live in, America.
Craig Ferguson: Just Being Honest (EPIX, 10 p.m.): Craig Ferguson debuts his latest stand-up special on EPIX. The former Late Late Show host has long been one of the country’s most thoughtful comedians so enjoy as he opens up about his post-talk show life.
Graceland (USA, 10 p.m.): Gang rivalries, secret motives, and sarin gas are just a few of the things featured on tonight’s penultimate episode of this season of Graceland. More importantly, your What’s On Tonight correspondent has another excuse to link to an Aaron Tveit musical theater performance:
Step Up (ABC Family, 6 p.m.): Witness the birth of a legend as Channing Tatum emerges sweaty and toned from this romantic dance flick to lodge himself firmly in our hearts.
Fast Times At Ridgemont High (IFC, 8 p.m.): Revisit Sean Penn’s magnum opus. Suck it Mystic River!
Football Night In America (NBC, 7:30 p.m.): It’s an NLF kickoff special featuring performances from Ellie Goulding and Train, followed by the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. the New England Patriots.
In case you missed it
Key & Peele: LaToya Ferguson offers a play-by-play of the double-header Key & Peel series finale.