Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Sunday, July 8. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
Rev. (Hulu, 6 p.m.): We’re in the mood for questioning religious beliefs this weekend, as is Rev., which ends its first season on Hulu (nearly two years after the same finale aired on the BBC) with a doubting Adam. You can deny him three times, but Todd VanDerWerff will have a review for you at 6 p.m. sharp.
REGULAR COVERAGE
Ultimate Spider-Man (Disney XD, 11 a.m.): Dr. Strange helps Spidey pierce the veil and discover the reason everyone in New York City has fallen asleep. It might have something to do with Nightmare, who’s voiced by Mark Hamill—a casting that sends chills good and bad down Oliver Sava’s spine.
True Blood (HBO, 9 p.m.): “Let’s Boot And Rally” declares the newest installment of True Blood, indicating its intention to binge on supernatural tawdriness, vomit it all up, and dive right back in. Carrie Raisler will bring the bucket.
Falling Skies (TNT, 9 p.m.): Blame it on The Simpsons, but sometimes we read the title of this show as “Falling Skis,” which conjures images of a ragtag group of survivors terrorized by airborne sporting equipment. We haven’t had the heart to tell Les Chappell until now.
Longmire (A&E, 10 p.m.): The titular lawman suspects a death attributed to a bear attack might actually be a killing committed by human hands. It gladdens Zack Handlen’s heart to know Longmire isn’t the type to let anti-ursine bias stand in the way of justice.
The Newsroom (HBO, 10 p.m.): If his HBO bosses won’t speak truth to power, at least Aaron Sorkin will—in methodical, verging on preachy terms. Scott Tobias looks forward to the day when Jeff Daniels covers the 24-hour period when HBO was going to make a Fox News movie.
Weeds (Showtime, 10 p.m.): Just how committed is Weeds to keeping Nancy a non-entity during its final season? Committed enough that she doesn’t headline any of this week’s three storylines. Myles McNutt settles for enjoying Kevin Nealon’s latest financial misadventure.
Episodes (Showtime, 10:30 p.m.): In Episodes’ exaggerated Lalaland, if Matt LeBlanc ruins your marriage, he buys you a car. David Sims wonders what LeBlanc bought himself when he ruined his own film career with Ed.
Metalocalypse (Cartoon Network, 12:15 a.m.): Now that Abigail has effectively Yoko’d Dethklok, it’s time for the guys to find follow-up solo projects. Phil Dyess-Nugent can’t wait to buy Murderface’s album of children’s songs.
TV CLUB CLASSIC
Doctor Who (Classic) (11 a.m.): With each subsequent Dalek serial, it seems like Davros is pared down to smaller and smaller pieces—to the point where he begins “Revelation Of The Daleks” as nothing more than a head in a jar. Christopher Bahn would still vote for Davros’ head over Richard Nixon’s head in a future election, however.
South Park (Classic) (1 p.m.): Introducing David Hasselhoff as Mr. Garrison’s new face, opening the door for future photo-headed South Park characters as Saddam Hussein, pre-“Taco-Flavored Kisses” Ben Affleck, and that time Phil Dyess-Nugent pasted his own face onto one of the goth kids.
WHAT ELSE IS ON?
Big Ang (VH1, 9 p.m.): Finished with keeping the peace among tangentially mob-affiliated wackos,Mob Wives star, bar owner, and spray-tanned Big Mouth Billy Bass Angela “Big Ang” Raiola spins off into her own half-hour.
Inspector Lewis (PBS, 9 p.m.): The continuation of the long-running British cop show Inspector Morse plays out its fifth season on Masterpiece Mystery, initiated by the death of an Oxford English professor—who was probably just shocked to death by a dangling preposition or something.
Oprah Builds A Network (OWN, 9 p.m.): Or, Oprah Winfrey Stems The Bleeding. Winfrey takes a boldly candid look at her troubled network’s first year, an inspiring tale of an inspirational network that ought to inspire the pants of Marcus Gilmer.
Getting Married To The Moonies (TLC, 10 p.m.): TLC expands upon Sisters Wives exponentially, profiling three young, arranged couples who travel to South Korea to participate in a mass wedding officiated by Reverend Sun Myung Moon. Farihah Zaman now pronounces you man and wife (and man and wife and man and wife and man and wife and man and wife and man and wife and man and wife and man and wife).
Casino (Spike, 7 p.m.): Clocking in at 2.37 “fuck”s per minute, Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas in the desert” epic puts Spike’s Standards And Practices in a vice and turns the handle 398 fucking times.
The Bank Dick (TCM, 8 p.m.): W.C. Fields in the role he was born to play: Egbert Sousé (it’s pronounced “Soo-say”), a wry (or is it “rye”?) drunk given to colorful dialogue, talking his way into jobs for which he’s wildly unqualified, and hating children.
MLB Baseball: Yankees at Red Sox (ESPN, 8 p.m.): When is the Sunday-night game of the week not New York-versus-Boston in ESPN’s eyes? Then again, given the way the Sox have been playing lately, network honchos are probably wishing the Yankees were visiting Baltimore, Chicago, or Arlington.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Babylon 5: Rowan Kaiser revisits the episode that made him a Babylon 5 fan—and while it’s not the greatest episode of the series, it’s not an affection-wrecking disappointment, either.