Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Sunday, April 14. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
Veep (HBO, 10 p.m.): Ah, yes: Now that’s what a Sunday schedule in the middle of spring looks like. It’s one show off from being the Game Of Thrones/Mad Men/Girls/Veep pileup of 2012, though the Meyer vice presidential administration is battling with some formidable historical foes who aren’t starting to dabble in Carnaby Street fashions. When Julia Louis-Dreyfus is unable to perform her duties as the President of the Senate, Robert David Sullivan will cast the tie-breaking vote.
REGULAR COVERAGE
The Simpsons (Fox, 8 p.m.): Milhouse starts acting like Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire, suggesting he’s forgotten the lessons of a little episode called “A Streetcar Named Marge.” Robert David Sullivan recalls the true message of that episode: Don’t make fun of New Orleans, no matter how many pirates, drunks, or whores choke its streets.
Bob’s Burgers (Fox, 8:30 p.m.): The Belchers turn out to be natural-born winners on a family game show, which makes Rowan Kaiser wish Family Double Dare was still around, so he could watch H. Jon Benjamin, Eugene Mirman, Kristen Schaal, Dan Mintz, and John Roberts run the super-sloppy obstacle course.
The Good Wife (CBS, 9 p.m.): And now, an episode titled “Rape: A Modern Perspective,” featuring a guest appearance by the hacktivist collective Anonymous. Yep, this one’s going to have a “fun” comment section, which explains why David Sims was so eager to hand the episode over to Phil Dyess-Nugent.
Game Of Thrones (HBO, 9 p.m.): Dany makes that slaver from last week “an offer he can’t refuse,” which implies that David Sims and Todd VanDerWerff are about to watch Dan Hildebrand wake up to a bed full of eunuch-soldier heads.
Family Guy (Fox, 9 p.m.): Peter, lost in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash, transforms into a feral wildman. This is a big disappointment to Kevin McFarland, who was really hoping this would turn out to be an homage to Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet.
American Dad (Fox, 9:30 p.m.): Further proving that, yes, the series is really committed to the whole “Jeff abducted by aliens” arc, Hailey goes on a date with Snot. That would send shivers up Kevin McFarland’s spine even if the kid didn’t take his nickname from a mucous.
Mad Men (AMC, 10 p.m.): Remember last week when Peggy was talking about the “Lend me your ears” campaign like she was Don, and it was the best? Well now she’s having problems with a shiftless staff, which is also like Don and should also be the best. And if it’s not, Todd VanDerWerff will eat his Koss headphones.
Vikings (History, 10 p.m.): “Ragnar presents a proposal to King Aelle,” reads the synopsis. Hopefully it involves a PowerPoint presentation. Was there PowerPoint during viking times? If only Dennis Perkins could find this out by watching sort of cable channel devoted to telling stories exactly as they happened in the past.
The Borgias (Showtime, 10 p.m.): The Catholic Church’s recent Pope Francis-aided comeback gets another boost from the third-season première of The Borgias. By this time next year, Les Chappell bets all the cool kids will be poisoning their enemies in hopes of rising up the papacy ladder.
TV CLUB CLASSIC
Farscape (11 a.m.): You see, the Delvians are the Farscape species with the blue skin, which is why the first of this week’s episodes is called “Rhapsody In Blue.” It is not, as Alasdair Wilkins first assumed, because of their species-wide love of George Gershwin.
The Simpsons (Classic) (3 p.m.): The series celebrated its 100th episode not with a bang, but rather with an intimate character study of one of its most dependable supporting players: Seymour Skinner. Nathan Rabin would’ve preferred if the milestone was marked by a visit to a futuristic amusement park where dinosaurs are brought to life through advanced cloning techniques.
WHAT ELSE IS ON?
The ’80s: The Decade That Made Us (National Geographic, 8 p.m.): Ignoring the 20-year rule of decade-based nostalgia and the existence of the U.S. and U.K. version of I Love The ’80s (and their myriad sequels), NatGeo forges boldly ahead with a soberer take on 10 years forever defined by John Hughes comedies, the Rubik’s Cube, and minor phenomenons like the fall of the Iron Curtain.
Naked Castaway (Discovery, 8 p.m.): Discovery’s newest programming gambit: Just sticking “naked” in the title of its reality shows. Before Naked And Afraid arrives this summer, here’s the chronicle of survivalist Ed Stafford playing Robinson Crusoe—naked Robinson Crusoe, that is.
2013 MTV Movie Awards (MTV, 9 p.m.): Freed from the tyranny of the Twilight franchise, the movie awards are now any movie’s game—though it’ll either be a Marvel superhero team, the savior of Gotham City, or a foul-mouthed teddy bear that makes off with the most popcorn tonight.
Nurse Jackie (Showtime, 9 p.m.): This half-hour show seemed to be turning a corner last year, but Phil Dyess-Nugent took one look at the latest season-première and decided it’s time to cut off Edie Falco’s pill-popping nurse. Read his review to find out why!
Toy Story 3 (Disney Channel, 8 p.m.): [Sniff.] What? [Sniffle.] It’s just really dusty in here. [Sob. Eyes watering.] And it’s allergy season. What are you staring at? Let’s move on. [Wipes away a tear while your back is turned.]
The Hills Have Eyes (2006) (IFC, 8:45 p.m.): This modern-day remake of Wes Craven’s classic grindhouse horrorshow is a complete piece of garbage—unless you’ve knocked back a few before the film (and continue to knock them back during the movie), and then it’s an insanely entertaining piece of garbage.
MLB Baseball: Orioles at Yankees (ESPN, 8 p.m.): We’ve been meaning to read the Will Leitch-penned “These Yankees can win!” piece that was teased on the cover of New York Magazine a few weeks back—but they keep on losing, so the point seems moot. Division rival Baltimore looks to extend that bit of procrastination.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Doctor Who (Saturday): Prepare for tonight’s Game Of Thrones by watching that show’s seafaring Onion Knight, Liam Cunningham, dive, dive, dive to the briny depths with fellow special guest stars Alasdair Wilkins and an Ice Warrior. Also: A totally unexpected and hilarious Ultravox allusion.