Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Wednesday, April 4. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
Happy Endings (ABC, 9:30 p.m.): Sometimes, it feels like we’re pushing this show on you too hard, dear readers, but then we remember that this is the show that made us believe Elisha Cuthbert could be a compelling comic actress (and then some), that regaled us with an endless barrage of jokes and had a surprisingly high batting average, that went from a pretty good show in season one to one of TV’s best comedies in season two. David Sims marks the season finale—set at yet another wedding—and crosses his fingers that nobody hooks up in the cliffhanger.
REGULAR COVERAGE
American Idol (Fox, 8 p.m.): Just eight singers remain, and we’re running out of jokes to make about how we don’t know who any of them are, especially since the endearingly awful Heejun Han has been booted. Claire Zulkey hopes things pick up from here but isn’t getting her hopes up all that much.
Survivor (CBS, 8 p.m.): Tonight’s episode is entitled “Just Annihilate Them,” which sounds like good advice to us. Every time we’re not sure what to do about a problem in our lives, Carrie Raisler gives us a call and says, “Just annihilate them!” and we remember why we’re alive: massive amounts of blood.
Bent (NBC, 9 p.m.): Just two weeks after this show debuted, Todd VanDerWerff marks its almost certain passing, with the final two episodes airing tonight. The ratings were so low that the series was beaten out by five Big Bang Theory reruns on TBS, so you can assume Amanda Peet’s looking for work again.
Psych (USA, 10 p.m.): Shawn and Gus try to help a wrongly convicted chef clear his name. We can only hope the chef is played by John Scurti, and when his name is cleared, he decides to pay it forward and become a chef who solves mysteries, just like Kevin McFarland has always dreamed of him doing.
South Park (Comedy Central, 10 p.m.): Marcus Gilmer checks in for an episode called “Jewpacabra,” and it sounds like Cartman’s captured the titular mythical creature on film. It also sounds like he’s going to save Easter. While he’s at it, could he save this week’s Easter Inventory? It was great, and you ignored it.
TV CLUB CLASSIC
Avatar: The Last Airbender (11 a.m.): We thought maybe Hayden Childs was going to be done with this one just in time for the debut of Legend Of Korra a week from Saturday (and, yes, we’re covering it, so stop asking), but it looks like he’ll just miss it. Ah, well. That’s fine. More airbending for all!
Carnivàle (1 p.m.): Todd VanDerWerff makes his way to the end of the show’s first season, and he predicts that everything will turn out just fine. Maybe Ben and Justin will meet each other over coffee and realize how good of friends they could be. Maybe Samson will give everybody a kitten! Maybe!
WHAT ELSE IS ON
One Tree Hill (The CW, 8 p.m.): After nine seasons and nearly 200 episodes, the venerable teen soap ends its run with a two-hour finale that Carrie Raisler just can’t wait to see. Since everybody had their happy ending years ago, it’ll be interesting to see how the show tries to force yet another one on them.
Best Friends Forever (NBC, 8:30 p.m.): Meanwhile, Todd VanDerWerff checks out the latest (and last) sitcom NBC will burn off this season. This one, however, gets what will presumably be a gigantic lead-in from Betty White’s Off Their Rockers, so we’re going to predict 15 seasons and a daily comic strip.
Nova (PBS, 9 p.m.): Brandon Nowalk joins PBS’ science series on a journey to find the many elements of the Periodic Table. He’s already bored by the idea of the “iron” and “carbon” segments. What he’d really like to see is some red-hot boron action. There’s nothing Brandon Nowalk loves more than boron.
Toddlers & Tiaras (TLC, 10 p.m.): We know some of you watch this one, even if you lie and say you don’t. So we thought we’d let you know that a new season of child beauty pageants and excitement begins tonight. But you probably knew that, because you have a season pass set on your DVR already.
Contact (AMC, 8 p.m.): Jodie Foster leads an all-star cast in this adaptation of Carl Sagan’s novel, in which humanity receives a message from extraterrestrials. Robert Zemeckis directed, and we remember it being better than its reputation, though we saw it when we were 17, so what the hell did we know?
Notting Hill (We, 8 p.m.): Need your annual Julia Roberts fix but have no desire to go and see Mirror Mirror? Check out this one, then, as it’s one of the best romantic comedies she ever made. She’s a big movie star (really a stretch, that role), while Hugh Grant is the normal dude she falls in love with.
MLB Baseball: Cardinals at Marlins (ESPN, 7 p.m.): The reigning world champions head down to Florida, as Opening Day means that the sports section of What’s On Tonight will finally be something more than just a random joke that doesn’t make a lot of sense. Baseball is back! Hooray!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
No Kitchen Required (Tuesday): Kevin McFarland checks out BBC America’s newest reality show, which features an intriguing premise. Three chefs are dropped into a remote area with an indigenous culture, then taught how to cook the local cuisine. Then, they compete to cook the best dish for the locals.