Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Friday, March 8, and Saturday, March 9. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
Grimm (NBC, 9 p.m., Friday): Once upon a time, NBC had a show that didn’t do incredibly well, but at least held its own, kept the lights on on a night when very few people watch TV, and attracated a rather fervent fanbase of people who know its mythology inside and out. Naturally enough, NBC pulled the show from its schedule for several months to show two-hour editions of Dateline NBC. Because that’s what you do when you’re a thriving, first-place… oh, they’re not? Well, that’s really unfortunate. Kevin McFarland thinks it’s almost as if the people who run NBC make bad business decisions!
REGULAR COVERAGE
House Of Cards (Netflix, 1 p.m., Friday): Will this accursed teachers’ strike never end? Ryan McGee is all but certain that there’s a good chance it will, but there’s also a chance this is all going to end with some serious discussion of education policy in the United States. Ha. Just kidding. There’s no policy here.
Spartacus (Starz, 9 p.m., Friday): We have to wait for DVD to watch this show, so we’re just now realizing that this season features Caesar. Awesome! Can we ask if Caesar is played by Ciarin Hinds? Because that’s both the Caesar we want and we need. Ryan McGee regrets to inform us it’s not him.
Young Justice (Cartoon Network, 10:30 a.m., Saturday): The fate of the team and of the planet is decided, says the TV Guide summary. Hey, that’s just like the conclusion to Bruce Coville’s My Teacher Is An Alien series! Oliver Sava thinks that series got kinda preachy at the end. He’d still like a Poot though.
Saturday Night Live (NBC, 11:30 p.m., Saturday): Justin Timberlake stops by to bring his inimitable dong and dance stylings. David Sims didn’t want to tell you this, but he cries every time he listens to “Cry Me A River.” And “SexyBack.” And “Rock Your Body.” And “Bye Bye Bye,” actually. He has a big problem.
TV CLUB CLASSIC
Babylon 5 (11 a.m., Friday): Rowan Kaiser’s Babylon 5 reviews return, with some familiar faces and some all new ones as well. Seriously, though, we don’t know what to say here because we’re never going to watch Babylon 5, no matter how much Rowan begs us. We are pretty major dicks, you guys.
The Twilight Zone (1 p.m., Saturday): Peter Falk stars as Fidel Castro in the second of this week's two episodes. Okay, he's not actually Fidel Castro, but he's someone who's close enough for government work. Zack Handlen is already readying his extensive thoughts on the Cuban missile crisis and/or Columbo.
WHAT ELSE IS ON
Fashion Star (NBC, 8 p.m., Friday): Did you know this show got a second season? Well, NBC seems as surprised as you are to see it again, as it tossed it on Fridays at 8, as if it wasn’t expecting it to pop up like it did. What was that thing we were saying about poor business decisions? Yeah, that times two.
Cult (The CW, 9 p.m., Friday): Don’t forget, everybody! The CW has moved this show—which might be the weirdest, worst new show of the year—to Fridays, because it was such a disaster on Tuesdays. If you haven’t seen it yet, don’t worry about getting caught up. Just dive straight into the outright weirdness.
Golden Boy (CBS, 9 p.m., Friday): This show has done so well on Tuesdays that CBS is giving it a chance to hang on in that timeslot—which it was only supposed to occupy for two weeks before moving to Fridays. But the network made that call too late to bump this new episode, so be aware if you like this.
The Dead Files (Travel, 10 p.m., Friday): Travel Channel tries to get you interested in traveling by showing you a random haunted house in New Jersey. That’s sure to get you to want to take a vacation to New Jersey! Oh, who are we kidding. At least this isn’t a show about a haunted sandwich, right?
Flying Monkeys (Syfy, 9 p.m., Saturday): You know what network we’d entrust to do due diligence to the legacy of L. Frank Baum, one of our favorite authors ever? The Syfy network, that’s who. We hope they capture the weird, melancholic quality of The Emerald City Of Oz when the time inevitably comes.
Ripper Street (BBC America, 9 p.m., Saturday): If you’ve been keeping up with the American airings of this British show, tonight’s the night for the season finale. We’re still waiting to see if any of our writers have been watching the thing, and if they have, we just might do a season review. Probably not, though.
Open City (TCM, 8 p.m., Friday): TCM’s airing a couple of Roberto Rossellini films, so if you don’t know how great the Italian film industry was in the immediate wake of World War II, here’s your chance to get caught up. Start with this excellent portrayal of life in Nazi-occupied Rome. You might learn something!
Short Cuts (Sundance, 10 p.m., Friday): Look, we like Magnolia and all those other “people having disconnected adventures that almost seem like short stories” movies, too, but don’t you think you should start with the original? Directed by the great Robert Altman? Yeah, we thought you should, too.
Lethal Weapon (IFC, 8 p.m., Saturday): “I’m getting too old for this shit,” said everybody who saw that this movie was airing. Also, in further proof that you’re getting too old for this shit, this movie will be 26 years old this summer. You know what else is 26? Your certainty that you’re getting too old for this shit.
NBA Basketball: Hawks at Celtics (ESPN, 8 p.m., Friday): The last time these two teams met, they went to double overtime, before the Hawks pulled out the victory. The Celtics won their other meeting earlier in the season, so it’s really anybody’s game. Or maybe it’s not. Like we’d take the time to check!
MLS Soccer: Chicago vs. New England (NBC Sports, 7:30 p.m., Saturday): We’d love to tell you something about this match-up, but the TV Guide summary for it is literally just “Chicago vs. New England,” so now you know roughly as much as we do. Any MLS fans want to tell us what to expect?
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
The Big Bang Theory (Thursday): The nerds face off against some middle school girls, and, of course, the joke is that they just don’t know what to do, har, har, har. Feel free to draw conclusions about the episode from that brief description. Oliver Sava invites you to share your thoughts in comments.