Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Monday, April 30. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
Lost Girl (Syfy, 10 p.m.): Take it from us: We don’t often compare things to Angel. But this Canadian genre series—no matter how dumb it sounds on the surface—puts us in mind of Joss Whedon’s vampire detective show, thanks to its strong characters, dark sense of humor, and elaborately constructed world filled with all manner of supernatural beasties and all manner of plot twists. Kevin McFarland’s been looking in on the show, now in its second season, and he’s pleased with what he’s found. Why not join him this evening?
REGULAR COVERAGE
Adventure Time (Cartoon Network, 7:30 p.m.): So what’s up with Marceline? That’s the question Finn and Jake have in this week’s episode, and we hope they find out the answer. If they don’t, Oliver Sava will surely construct lots and lots of elaborate theories on just what’s up with good ol’ Marciebelle.
How I Met Your Mother (CBS, 8 p.m.): Hey, Marshall and Lily are going to have a baby! With all of the other weird relationship drama going on around the show, we’d almost forgotten that the first Erikson baby is imminent. Donna Bowman didn’t forget, and she’s already knitted several adorable onesies.
The Voice (NBC, 8 p.m.): We’re down to the show’s elite eight, and Emily Yoshida is hoping the teenage girls of America can see fit to send at least one possessor of two X chromosomes into the finals. We’re all aware that probably won’t happen, but, hey, we can hope for the best, can’t we? Probably not.
2 Broke Girls (CBS, 8:30 p.m.): Max and Caroline are hired by a socialite to make cupcakes for her daughter’s birthday… wait, wait, wait. Haven’t we already done this storyline something like 50 times on this show? In just 20 episodes? Todd VanDerWerff just hopes the show doesn’t bring back friggin’ Peach.
House (Fox, 9 p.m.): After last week’s major revelation—which revealed that one of the show’s characters has a terminal illness—Zack Handlen is interested to see how the show decides to go forward from here. There are only a handful of episodes left, so we suppose everybody could die. Could be cool.
RuPaul’s Drag Race (Logo, 9 p.m.): We’re gonna say it’s pretty much bullshit that this show not only didn’t reveal the winner last week but has also kept this Willam secret from us for so long. We’d grumble more, but it’s gotten us to watch the reunion and Oliver Sava to cover it. Goal accomplished!
Castle (ABC, 10 p.m.): “Castle and Beckett then explore New York’s zombie subculture to find the murderer,” reads one sentence of tonight’s episode summary, and Phil Dyess-Nugent wonders if the whole zombie thing couldn’t be given a nice little rest for a while. You can bring it back in 2017, guys!
Smash (NBC, 10 p.m.): “Karen must choose between her boyfriend and the show,” says the summary, and we’re all but certain she’ll be choosing good ol’ Dev, since everybody in the audience—Noel Murray included—has a giant collage of Dev photos adorning their bedroom walls. What? You don’t have one?
TV CLUB CLASSIC
Scrubs (11 a.m.): We’ve always found J.D.’s love of appletinis a bit terrifying, since who doesn’t love a good appletini, yet this show presents it as the ultimate example of wussiness? Are you trying to tell us, Myles McNutt, that when we sip upon our greenish apple-flavored drink, we look somehow ridiculous?
Batman: The Animated Series (1 p.m.): This episode’s called “The Lion And The Unicorn,” which sounds like the seventh A Song Of Ice And Fire book or, at the very least, some abandoned Stephen King manuscript about a magical world between the sidewalk cracks. Oliver Sava might read that last one.
WHAT ELSE IS ON
The Pitch (AMC, 9 p.m.): AMC decided it was high time it came up with a reality show version of Mad Men, so here’s a new reality series in which two ad agencies compete for assorted clients’ business. Phil Dyess-Nugent has always thought that what Mad Men needed were more to-camera confessionals.
Two And A Half Men (CBS, 9 p.m.): For a show that insists it’s having the time of its life now that Charlie Sheen’s Charlie Harper character is dead and gone, this series sure is obsessed with bringing him back. Tonight, he’s being played by Kathy Bates, who appears as the deceased Mr. Harper for some reason.
Training For The Apocalypse (National Geographic, 10 p.m.): Listen: Yes, we look super bad-ass when we’re out there doing our martial arts practice on our patio as “The Final Countdown” by Asia belts out. But you don’t have to look cool to properly train for the apocalypse! Know the warning signs!
Money From Strangers (MTV, 10:30 p.m.): MTV wants to know what kinds of pranks you’d pull for $1,000. We’re guessing they’ll be mostly harmless, ramping up gradually, as the on-camera host keeps laughing hysterically and slapping his thighs in amusement. We, however, will not be amused one iota.
Moulin Rouge (IFC, 8 p.m.): Baz Luhrman’s grandly romantic vision of a doomed love in late 1800s Paris is full of awesome production design, insane editing, and swooningly romantic songs that hit the heights of emotion. That is, that’s all true if you like the movie. If you don’t, well, who needs you?
The Tree Of Life (Cinemax, 10 p.m.): Young boys grow up in Texas in the mid-20th century. Also, Sean Penn wanders an urban wilderness, searching for closure on his brother’s death. Also, Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain have a strained marriage and try to make it work. Also, dinosaurs! Hooray!
MLB Baseball: Rangers at Blue Jays (ESPN, 7 p.m.): The defending American League champs take a trip up north to see how they play baseball up Canada way. Well, there’s a 10th man on the field, and instead of a seventh inning stretch, there’s a mandatory seventh inning Tim Horton’s break.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Once Upon A Time (Sunday): Here’s another show that a bunch of people have told us has gotten really good. We bailed somewhere in the middle of February sweeps, so we’re skeptical. But Oliver Sava gave this episode a good review, so we’re ever more tempted to check it out. Fairy tale series forever!