It's Always Sunny ends another season with a finale that feels more like a series finale, even if it isn't
Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Thursday, Dec. 15. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia (FX, 10 p.m.): Since FX signed Sunny to at least two more seasons, we don’t have to fear that this will be the series finale, but we love how this two-parter set at the gang’s high school reunion just feels like a series finale, complete with reveals of long-held secrets, return gigs for nearly every significant character in the history of the show, and a fairly pure celebration of what makes this show so funny and so great. Emily Yoshida writes this one up, and then she’ll see you in 2012.
REGULAR COVERAGE
The X Factor (Fox, 8 p.m.): One… maybe two?… of these contestants will be eliminated. We’re hedging our bets because we still don’t understand what’s going on. We do like that the prize is just cash. Emily Yoshida’s pulling for Burrito Josh.
Beavis And Butt-Head (MTV, 10 p.m.): It’s another two-episode night for everybody’s favorite delinquent teenagers (not including Kenny Herzog, of course). The boys become bounty hunters, travel through time, and set up massage stands.
Burn Notice (USA, 10 p.m.): Yet another season finale. Scott Von Doviak hasn’t been terribly keen on this season so far, but maybe everything will come together in the end. We can all hope, right? Right? Okay, maybe not. It is Burn Notice.
Prime Suspect (NBC, 10 p.m.): Holiday burnoff theater begins! NBC’s got a handful of episodes of this one left over from before they shut down production, so Hayden Childs will check in with this and see if we should be mourning or sighing with relief.
The League (FX, 10:30 p.m.): You’ll have The League to kick around for another week, so Margaret Eby will refrain from making any vast proclamations about the show’s current state and hoped for future in an episode called “The Guest Bong.”
TV CLUB CLASSIC
Star Trek: The Next Generation (11 a.m.): Zack Handlen takes on Insurrection, both the shortest Star Trek movie and one of the least seen, if the box office is any indication. Will he be able to avoid having his face stretched? Tune in and find out!
Seinfeld (1 p.m.): The more outlandish nature of the plots in the show’s eighth season becomes ever clearer, as David Sims is forced to face down episodes featuring cock fighting and an escaped prisoner, among other wackiness.
Cheers (3 p.m.): Everybody likes it when there’s a nice Coach episode, and this week’s got a humdinger in that regard. Really, we just wanted to use the word “humdinger,” which seems like it should fit this show nicely, huh?
TV CLUB ADVENT CALENDAR
The Snowman (Wednesday): Emily Yoshida (who’s all over today, apparently) considers the appeal of this quiet, brooding British holiday special, in which a child and his snowman form a special bond… and then the sun has to be a dick about it.
WHAT ELSE IS ON?
A Charlie Brown Christmas (ABC, 8 p.m.): In typical U.S. fashion, our most depressing Christmas special still has a really happy ending, plus some Jesus stuff thrown in there. We really have nothing on the U.K. when it comes to sadness. Bah.
Pricing The Priceless (National Geographic, 8 p.m.): In this new series, our host attempts to figure out what the cash value of some of the world’s most beloved landmarks might be, like if you melted down the Eiffel Tower and sold it for scrap.
Selling Spelling Manor (HGTV, 9 p.m.): Candy Spelling, the widow of Aaron Spelling, has decided to move into a condo, so now she’s got 30 days to clear all of the crap out of her mansion. Jessica Jardine takes a look at this new reality show.
Impractical Jokers (truTV, 10 p.m.): Kenny Herzog, meanwhile, takes a look at the new practical jokes and pranks-based series about friends pulling gags on each other. Let’s thaw out Dick Clark and bring back TV Bloopers And Practical Jokes!
Miracle On 34th Street (AMC, 8 p.m.): Edmund Gwenn is the gold standard for movie Santa Clauses in this movie about a kid who tells it like it is and discovers the world will do anything to shut her up. Ah, warms the heart, doesn’t it?
The Thin Blue Line (TMC, 9:40 p.m.): Come for the hypnotic examination of how our country’s justice system failed one man and Errol Morris’ mesmerizing direction and innovative techniques. Stay for slow-motion shots of fast food shakes spilling!
Thursday Night Football: Jacksonville at Atlanta (NFL, 8 p.m.): It’s so slow there are barely any sporting events on, unless you really like high school basketball (gross). But here’s a middling football game to have on while you do other stuff.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Survivor (Wednesday): Get psyched up for Sunday’s finale with Carrie Raisler, as she earnestly implores the show’s contestants to realize that God’s probably got bigger things on His mind than caring about who wins a season of Survivor.