Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Thursday, May 31. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
Summertime Roundtable (3 p.m.): Our ol’ gang of Cheers reviewers is back and better than ever, and now, they’re not just taking on one show. They’re taking on all of them. Every eight weeks, they’ll cover eight different episodes—seven picked by them and one picked by you guys—all revolving around one theme. Our first theme is adolescence, and the first episode chosen is “Boys Of Summer,” the fourth season premiere of The Wire, a show we know many of you have some familiarity with. Come prepared to discuss Randy, Dukie, Michael, and Namond, and settle in for a summer full of teenage tomfoolery.
REGULAR COVERAGE
Eagleheart (adult swim, 12 a.m.): Just because everything else is in reruns doesn’t mean you have to miss out on good comedy on Thursdays. Why, just 10 minutes of this spoof of cop shows (and Walker Texas Ranger) has almost as many laughs as two doses from the other guys! Kevin McFarland approves.
TV CLUB CLASSIC
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (11 a.m.): Dax plays mentor to another Trill, while Quark runs into an old flame in this week’s episodes. Quark has old flames? This seems sort of surprising to us, but, then, we just assumed Ferengi reproduced asexually. Zack Handlen shakes his head to tell us how wrong we are.
The Thick Of It (1 p.m.): What with the success of In The Loop and Veep on these shores, we figured it was high time we got around to Armando Ianucci’s original political satire/sitcom. Who better to cover it than David Sims, who lived in the United Kingdom and might actually know what “Parliament” is?
WHAT ELSE IS ON
Breaking Pointe (The CW, 8 p.m.): The CW continues its summer full of new, weird reality shows with a series set in and around a ballet company. Actually, that sounds like it could be fun, provided it’s filled with as much psychological drama as Black Swan was. Somehow, we doubt that will be the case.
Touch (Fox, 8 p.m.): If any of you are still into this Kiefer Sutherland show, we’re pleased to tell you that it’s airing its first season finale tonight, and we’d very much appreciate if some of you would tell us just what you thought of the whole endeavor. We gave up somewhere around episode three or four.
Mary Mary (We, 9 p.m.): This series about gospel-singing sisters concludes its first season tonight, and we’re sure it will be back for another… actually, scratch that. We have absolutely no idea if this show is doing well in the ratings or not. If you care, it’s either canceled or it’s going to run for eight years.
Mountain Men (History, 10 p.m.): Head off into the wilderness with a bunch of outdoorsmen who choose to live their lives away from the creature comforts of civilization. This first episode is called “Winter Is Coming,” and if nobody fights some White Walkers, we’ll be severely disappointed.
Badlands (TCM, 8 p.m.): You know what? Screw all that other stuff, because you have a chance to watch Terrence Malick’s mesmerizing debut feature—a meditation on two young people traversing the rural Midwest and killing folk—tonight. If you’ve never seen it, this is what you need to watch this evening.
Honey, I Blew Up The Kid (Flix, 9:35 p.m.): Once that’s done, though, you should definitely switch over to this, one of the most inexplicable film sequels ever made, as well as one that stars a young Keri Russell doing her damnedest to make getting stuck in a giant toddler’s pocket dramatically interesting.
National Spelling Bee (ESPN, 8 p.m.): What? This is “sports,” right? In that it has a bunch of people pitted against each other in diehard competition. And in that it’s airing on ESPN this evening. Sure, you could watch the NBA playoffs or college softball instead of the shattering of children’s dreams, but why?
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Sports Night (Wednesday): Donna Bowman has been talking with us about looking at Sports Night for almost a year now, and we’re thrilled she’s finally walking her way through the show’s first season. If you haven’t seen it in a while, Sorkin with a laugh track is really something you must behold.