Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Thursday, July 30. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Review (Comedy Central, 10 p.m.): Review was one of the breakout comedies of last year with our own Erik Adams calling it “the funniest TV debut of 2014.” And while we were remiss in not offering TV Club coverage of the first season, we’re correcting that misstep with weekly reviews of its sophomore one. In the season two premiere, Forrest MacNeil fights with strangers, blackmails his girlfriend, and uses a glory hole. Emily L. Stephens, meanwhile, tries not to think about the irony of reviewing a show about reviewing things.
Also noted
30 For 30 (ESPN, 8 p.m.): David Kallison checks in on the second season finale of 30 For 30. The episode centers on skydiver Nick Piantanida, who set out to break the world record for highest parachute jump. A word to the wise: Those who prefer their sports-related stories to be inspirational might want to skip this one.
Married (FX, 10:30 p.m.): It’s been a weird summer for Judy Greer, who popped up in thankless roles in Tomorrowland, Jurassic World, and Ant-Man (not to mention last summer’s Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes). Thankfully, Married remains the one place where she can actually put her comedic skills to good use. Tonight Lina and Russ go on separate dates while Dennis Perkins watches.
Comedy Bang! Bang! (IFC, 10:30 p.m.): While it might be a bit early to call this a Carly Rae Jepsen resurgence, the pop star is certainly doing her best to reclaim some of her “Call Me Maybe” popularity. First she snagged Tom Hanks for her “I Really Like You” music video, and now she’s earned a coveted place on Scott Aukerman’s couch. We dispatched David Kallison to bring us all the details on the “Jepsenaissance.”
Regular Coverage
Under The Dome (CBS, 9 p.m.)
Rectify (Sundance, 10 p.m.)
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (FX, 10 p.m.)
TV Club Classic
Futurama (10 a.m.): Those who follow Zack Handlen on Twitter already got a glimpse of his thoughts on the gender-bending episode “Bend Her.” (Spoiler: It isn’t “a bastion of cultural sensitivity.”) That means his review will certainly be a must-read, as will his thoughts on the less controversial Bender adventure, “Obsoletely Fabulous.”
Elsewhere in TV Club
Just in time for the return of Review, we sit down with star Andy Daly to chat about his character’s inability to say no and his own stance against working with apes.
Elsewhere, Les Chappell has a pre-air review of Strike Back’s final season. He writes:
Above all… the rapport between [Michael] Stonebridge and [Damien] Scott remains the bedrock of the show, and that dynamic remains unshakeable going into their final mission. [Actors Philip] Winchester and [Sullivan] Stapleton continue to be effortlessly charming together, men who’ve been through so many impossible situations that it’s second nature for them to crack wise in the middle of a scenario where survival is questionable. (That chemistry is so solid, in fact, that one hopes someone at NBC is smart enough to engineer as many crossovers between Blindspot and The Player as possible.)
Then Nathan Rabin once again returns to TV for a My World Of Flops about the musical police procedural Cop Rock. And we have an interview with former TV golden boy Jason Segel about playing David Foster Wallace in The End Of The Tour.
What else is on?
We Bare Bears (Cartoon Network, 6:30 p.m.): Cartoon Network’s newest series We Bare Bears continues its run of new episodes. We’ll have a review covering the full week up tomorrow, but for now just enjoy the antics of “Panda’s Date.”
The Astronaut Wives Club (ABC, 8 p.m.): The Gemini missions go off without a hitch while the Apollo program “kicks into high gear.” That confirms your What’s On Tonight correspondent’s suspicions that this season has been building to the Apollo 1 tragedy. After all, you don’t cast JoAnna Garcia if you don’t plan on using her ability to go from perky to heartbroken at the drop of a hat.
AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute To Steve Martin (TCM, 8 p.m.): For those who missed the original airing of this special on TBS, check out a TCM rebroadcast in which stars like Jack Black, Tina Fey, Steve Carell, and Sarah Silverman salute comedy icon Steve Martin.
DeGrassi: The Next Generation (TeenNick, 9 p.m.): It’s the third to last episode of DeGrassi on TeenNick before the show leaps over to Netflix. The season finale airs on Friday with a bonus two-hour special set for Sunday.
Extreme I Do’s (TLC, 10 p.m.): TV Guide bills this new show as a look at the “fairy-tale weddings” that happen in places like “a Hawaiian volcano, an Alaskan glacier and Tennessee mountains.” Mostly, this makes us question what fairy tales TV Guide has been reading.
Wreck-It Ralph (Disney, 9 p.m.): Those longing for some video game nostalgia would be better off skipping Pixels and just rewatching the delightful Wreck-It Ralph instead.
Father Of The Bride (TCM, 9:30 p.m.): After airing a tribute to Steve Martin, TCM celebrates the actor by showing a movie that in no way defines his career.
Golf: Utah Championship (Golf, 6:30 p.m.): This tournament mostly made us aware (and confused about) the fact that there’s a place in Utah called Thanksgiving Point. And thanks to Wikipedia we now know it’s home to the “Taj Mahal of dinosaur museums” and a yearly reenactment of the first Thanksgiving. Of course, one of those things makes way more sense than the other.
In case you missed it
Key & Peele: Key & Peele continues its fifth and final season with an episode ominously called “Severed Head Showcase.”