Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Monday, July 30. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
Web Therapy (Showtime, 11 p.m.): We realize precisely none of you watch this show, but we wanted to call attention to Brandon Nowalk’s terrific reviews anyway, which get at the heart of what makes this such a fun show to discuss. (Even if you hate it, there’s a good argument to be had about why.) The series takes the grammar of online video and turns it into a TV show, and if its second season has had some problems with too-broad satire, well, Brandon isn’t going to get too upset about that, if there’s a parade of fun guest stars. And, if nothing else, you can just hang out in comments and discuss whatever you want. We won’t yell at you.
REGULAR COVERAGE
Adventure Time (Cartoon Network, 7:30 p.m.): Finn starts hanging out with Flame Princess more and more often, and Bubblegum isn’t happy about that at all. We’re not sure how we feel about it, BG. We’d rather that Finn and Jake play a few more games of Card Wars. Oliver Sava really wishes that existed.
The 2012 Summer Olympics (NBC, 8 p.m.): Donna Bowman watches an evening that will be full of swimming, men’s diving, men’s gymnastics, and beach volleyball. Where, she wants to know, is the hard-hitting archery coverage? Have you been watching that stuff online? It’s pretty great.
Bunheads (ABC Family, 9 p.m.): It sounds like we’re finally going to get to meet the guy Ginny’s been dating since elementary school. Erik Adams wonders if Ginny is actually a character from For Better Or For Worse who’s found her “love at first sight” promotional ways into a television series somehow.
Alphas (Syfy, 10 p.m.): Todd VanDerWerff is out this week, so Alasdair Wilkins is stepping in with an episode all about an Alpha boasting super speed. He hopes to answer the eternal question: Can Superman outrun the Flash? The answer to this is: No. No, he cannot. Alasdair thanks you for playing.
Teen Wolf (MTV, 10 p.m.): It’s a good, old-fashioned hostage crisis, of the sort that TV makes, oh, about 500 examples of every TV season. Derek tries save everybody down at the police station, where they’re being held hostage. Phil Dyess-Nugent thinks he’s being held hostage by this show. Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.
TV CLUB CLASSIC
Justice League (1 p.m.): There’s an android named Amazo? Who thought that was a good idea? Certainly not Oliver Sava, who’s careful to name all of his androids names that won’t clue them in to their essential lack of humanity. He’d like to introduce you to Frank, Joe, Chet, and Trudy, his friends.
Strangers With Candy (3 p.m.): Jerri’s entering a beauty pageant—of course—but she’s struggling with the whole notion of “inner” beauty. After all, why would you even need the stuff when you’ve got outer beauty? Meredith Blake thinks the only inner beauty you need is the occasional duckling rescue mission.
WHAT ELSE IS ON
About Face: Supermodels Then And Now (HBO, 9 p.m.): The Olympics have sent a bunch of shows off into repeat world for the next couple of weeks, but HBO documentaries are always a fairly safe bet for when you’re looking for something to watch. This one appears to be exactly about what its title says.
Off The Hook (Discovery, 9 p.m.): Discovery, meanwhile, is actually debuting a new show right in the middle of the gaping Olympics maw. This one’s about extreme fishing, and if that sounds kind of weird and made up, hey, when’s the last time you bagged a humpback whale? We’re betting never, right?
The Real Housewives Of New York City (Bravo, 9 p.m.): We highly doubt this is going to be one of the “best” options for the night, but, hey, there are slim pickings, and sometimes, beggars can’t be choosers. Tonight, presumably, some rich women get drunk and yell at each other and then other stuff happens.
Locked Up Abroad (National Geographic, 10 p.m.): We’ve always appreciated this National Geographic show for the “truth in advertising” factor. Everything you need to know about it is right there in the title. In tonight’s installment, a California man is… locked up abroad. (Specifically, he’s locked up in Chile.)
Five Came Back (TCM, 8 p.m.): We’ve never seen this gritty little adventure picture from 1939 about a plane that crashes in the deepest reaches of the Amazon jungle and its passengers fight to stay alive, but it sounds like exactly the sort of thing we would enjoy. We’re betting you will, too. (Plus, it’s very short.)
Senna (ESPN2, 8:30 p.m.): One of the most acclaimed documentaries of its year, this film takes a look at the life and times of race car driver Ayrton Senna. The Brazilian was a Formula One champion and revolutionized his sport, yet the film is even more interesting for its glimpses at his personality.
MLB Baseball: Angels at Rangers (ESPN, 8 p.m.): Fear not, pro sports fans! Major League Baseball continues its season, and without Olympic baseball anymore, it’s the only game in town. Tonight, the Angels try to make up a game on the Rangers, whom they are five games behind in the AL West.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Political Animals (Sunday): Been keeping up with this new political soap starring Sigourney Weaver? Molly Eichel has, and she’s mostly annoyed by how it seems to have stranded Ciarin Hinds in an impossible-to-play role that he insists on hamming up. Settle it down, Ciarin! We can see you!