Homeland completes its last mission, and Penny Dreadful heads to the City Of Angels
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Sunday, April 26. All times are Eastern.
Top picks
Homeland (Showtime, 9 p.m.): The world has changed a lot since Homeland first arrived. Eight years of intrigue and tears and Mandy Patinkin’s glorious beard later, it’s time for Homeland to close up the spy shop. Here’s Scott Von Doviak on the show’s (admittedly disappointing) penultimate episode:
So it comes down to those two words: “Kill Saul.” (I really wish he’d said “Better kill Saul,” don’t you?) We’re meant to feel that Carrie has gone so far down the path of the ends justifying the means that she’ll actually consider doing this. Again, though, is this really what it’s come down to in Homeland’s final hour—the quest for a flight recorder that could prevent all-out war, even though there’s no reason it should at this point? The stakes should feel high given what’s at stake, but the storytelling is too haphazard and full of holes to deliver. Here’s hoping the finale is strong enough to turn it all around.
Here’s hoping indeed. Scott will recap this final chapter, even if Saul bites the dust.
Can you binge it? You certainly can. The first seven seasons await on Hulu; the current season lives on Showtime.
Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels (Showtime, 10:10 p.m., series premiere): This “spiritual successor” to the original Penny Dreadful—which, like its predecessor, comes from the mind of John Logan—leaves behind 19th-century London for the balmier Los Angeles of 1938. No, there’s no Eva Green, but check this cast out: Nathan Lane, Natalie Dormer, Daniel Zovatto, Kerry Bishé, Rory Kinnear. The list goes on. Danette Chavez will recap.
Can you binge it? Nope, it’s brand new—but you can binge previous seasons on Netflix.
Regular coverage
Outlander (Starz, 8 p.m.)
The Simpsons (Fox, 8 p.m.)
The Last Dance (ESPN, 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.)
Killing Eve (BBC America and AMC, 9 p.m.)
Westworld (HBO, 9 p.m.)
Bob’s Burgers (Fox, 9 p.m.)
Insecure (HBO, 10 p.m.)
Run (HBO, 10:30 p.m.)
Wild cards
Vida (Starz, 9:01 p.m., third season premiere): Tanya Saracho’s exemplary half-hour drama—one of our picks for the best shows of the decade—begins its final season tonight, and while we will greatly miss Emma and Lyn (and Mari, and Eddy, and Nico, etc.), we can’t wait to see what Saracho and her terrific writers room will do with this final season. Expect more thoughtful exploration of grief, sex, family, gender, and gentrification.
Can you binge it? If you’ve got Starz (through a cable subscription, or as an add-on to Amazon Prime or Hulu) then yes. If not, you can watch season one through Prime.