Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Thursday, March 19. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Scandal (ABC, 9 p.m.): Scandal leans especially hard on the, well, scandal this week as a woman threatens to expose Washington D.C. sex secrets in a tell-all book. But the real news is that said woman is being played by real-life Scandal fanatic Lena Dunham, and her character’s name is—we kid you not—”Kinky Sue.” Previews suggest Sue will be a big Olivia Pope fangirl, although that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s willing to give up her book deal when the Gladiators come calling. For his part, Joshua Alston hopes the whole episode is just a reenactment of this SNL skit:
Also noted
The Vampire Diaries (The CW, 8 p.m.): Damon and Elena try to rescue Damon’s mother from a 1903 prison world. Considering 1903 was the year the teddy bear was first introduced in America and the beginning of the modern World Series, Carrie Raisler doesn’t think being trapped there forever would be that bad.
Reign (The CW, 9 p.m.): Francis becomes ill after he collapses and Catherine suspects Mary is being unfaithful. After last week’s intriguing episode (and some game-changing kisses), Caroline Framke hopes that Reign is on its way to reclaiming the throne as the best medieval melodrama on network TV.
American Crime (ABC, 10 p.m.): It’s still early days for this new ABC ensemble drama, but so far Libby Hill has been incredibly impressed with the show’s first two episodes, which center on the murder of an All-American veteran and the four men of color suspected of the crime. Tonight, Carter’s sister arrives, Tony’s case moves forward, and Barb tries to get her son’s murder classified as a hate-crime.
Regular Coverage
Steven Universe (Cartoon Network, 5 p.m.):
Vikings (History, 10 p.m.)
Archer (FX, 10 p.m.)
Fortitude (Pivot, 10 p.m.)
Dig (USA, 10 p.m.)
TV Club Classic
Futurama (10 a.m.): Zack Handlen reaches the end of Futurama’s second season—at least for those who follow production and not broadcast order. In “The Honking,” Bender spends the night in a spooky castle and gets turned into a “werecar.” Then Sarah Silverman pops up as Fry’s old girlfriend in “The Cryonic Woman.”
Elsewhere in TV Club
TV Club is rather quiet today, but be sure to check out our latest HateSong with comedian and writer Sara Schaefer. Elsewhere, legendary singer-songwriter Tori Amos answers our 11 Questions and shares the story of the time she got kicked out of Girl Scouts.
What else is on?
Regular Show (Cartoon Network, 7:30 p.m.): Rigby and Mordecai help Party Horse pass a U.S. history test. Hopefully the chapter on Seabiscuit really inspires him.
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, 8 p.m.): Basically everyone on Grey’s Anatomy is having a rough go of it recently, which means this episode is guaranteed to be full of moody pop hits.
The Mind Of Mark Defriest (Showtime, 8:15 p.m.): This occasionally animated documentary tells the story of infamous Florida prisoner Mark Defriest who was initially sentenced to four years for stealing tools, but has now spent 34 years behind bars after various prison escapes and disciplinary reports pushed back his release date.
Nightwatch (A&E, 10 p.m.): *DUN DUN* Dick Wolf’s reality series about emergency responders working the night shift in New Orleans reaches its first season finale. These are (and were) their stories.
The Iron Petticoat (TCM, 6 p.m.): This 1956 British Cold War comedy casts Katharine Hepburn as a Soviet military pilot slowly converted to capitalism by Bob Hope. The mismatched stars often clashed about the tone of the film and scriptwriter Ben Hecht took out a full-page ad in The Hollywood Reporter apologizing to Hepburn for the fact that Hope “blowtorched” her role. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the film was both a critical and a box-office failure. One critic noted: “The notion of these two characters falling rapturously, romantically in love is virtually revolting. If this was meant to be a travesty, it is.” If that’s not a reason to watch, we don’t know what is!
Dredd (Spike, 8:30 p.m.): Karl Urban is Judge (and jury and executioner) Dredd in this gritty, violent, surprisingly excellent action thriller. With the help of a newbie Judge played by Olivia Thirlby, Dredd must take down a vicious drug played by Lena Headey (a.k.a. Cersei Lannister). Needless to say, it does not go well.
NCAA Tournaments: YOU get a tournament! And YOU get a tournament! And YOU get a tournament! (And they are on the following channels.)
- Kentucky vs. Hampton (CBS, 7 p.m.)
- North Carolina State vs. LSU (TBS, 6:45 p.m.)
- Arkansas vs. Wofford (TNT, 7:15 p.m.)
- Georgetown vs. Eastern Washington (truTV, 7:15 p.m.)
In case you missed it
Broad City: Ease into the Broad City hiatus by revisiting Caroline Framke’s excellent review of the season finale.