Top pick
The Comeback (HBO, 10 p.m.): Fallen stars are lucky enough if they get another shot at rising to the heavens; The Comeback’s Valerie Cherish (Lisa Kudrow) is that rare celestial being who’s now receiving her second second chance. In case that’s not meta enough for you, tonight’s season premiere represents the real-world second chance for this former one-season wonder, canceled by an indifferent HBO in 2005 only to be revived in part by the cult of Cherish’s unquenchable fervor for Kudrow-powered awkwardness. Room And Bored superfan Joshua Alston praised the first five episodes’ turn toward the dark corners of Valerie’s soul; Oliver Sava is on deck to offer weekly analysis of the actress’ new show-within-the-show, the pay-cable dramedy Seeing Red.
Also noted
The Simpsons (Fox, 8 p.m.): It’s a big night for revivals (credit the rejuvenating power of November sweeps), with the Planet Express shaking off the space rust to invade Springfield. In turn, regular Futurama correspondent Zack Handlen will invade Dennis Perkins’ regular Sunday-night space, mounting the crossover Crosstalk of the century (this one and the 30th century).
The Newsroom (HBO, 9 p.m.): In less welcome comebacks, the first episode of The Newsroom’s second season focuses on the Boston Marathon bombings. We swear it’s the bombing that’s less welcome, not The Newsroom. The A.V. Club likes having the old combination windbag/punching bag around, and we’re glad to welcome Libby Hill to the ACN bullpen.
Getting On (HBO, 10:42 p.m.): Getting On, meanwhile, is dropping out of the regular TV Club rotation—but you should still watch this dark-comedy underdog (a dark horse pick for one of 2013’s best, if we may mix metaphors), and then check back in with Noel Murray’s review of the first three episodes.
Regular coverage
The Good Wife (CBS, 9 p.m.)
Homeland (Showtime, 9 p.m.)
The Walking Dead (AMC, 9 p.m.)
The Affair (Showtime, 10 p.m.)
Is Bob’s Burgers on tonight?
Not this week, and not next week, but the week after that. Tina Belcher feels your pain…
TV Club Classic
The Simpsons (Classic) (3 p.m.): Don your glove of love, because Dennis Perkins is here to take your hand and walk you through “A Milhouse Divided.” Hurting hearts need some healing, after all.
What else is on
The Real Housewives Of Atlanta (Bravo, 8 p.m.): A new season of RHOA brings a new set of catchphrases to the opening credits, the best and most outrageous of which is Phaedra Parks’ “When it comes to my family, I’m the judge and the jury,” because it implies there’s a complete and thought-out Parks family justice system. What’s the appeals process like in this single-person judge/jury setup? Does Phaedra serve as a one-woman supreme court as well?
Finding Bigfoot (Animal Planet, 9 p.m.): Sunday’s TV offerings are reminding What’s On Tonight of things we read earlier in the week, so here’s this excellent longread about a bigfoot hoaxer and the intrepid scientist who seeks to prove him wrong. Either way, you’re more likely to catch a glimpse of a Sasquatch in that article than you are in season four of Finding Bigfoot.
Pants On Fire (Disney XD, 7 p.m.): In a high-concept comedy worthy of Adam Sandler’s Funny People character (with a plot that’s almost the same as Sandler’s Disney comedy, Bedtime Stories), Disney Channel stars are trapped in a nightmare universe where every lie they tell comes true, and none of them grows out of their cable roots to become Adam Sandler.
Groundhog Day (Sundance, 7:45 p.m.): One high-concept that wouldn’t be so bad to be stuck in: A scenario where everyday you wake up to find that at least one movie channel is re-running Bill Murray’s epic stay in Punxsutawney purgatory.
Sleeping Beauty (ABC Family, 8 p.m.): Before it was an excuse to stick cheekbone prostheses on Angelina Jolie, the story of Sleeping Beauty made for one of Disney’s dreamiest, most haunting animated classics.
A Cookie Cutter Christmas (Hallmark, 8 p.m.): Hallmark, a network that specializes in churning out holiday movies with industrial efficiency, beats you to the joke with its newest Christmas movie.
Sunday Night Football: Bears at Packers (NBC, 8:20 p.m.): As if this season hasn’t been bad enough for the Monsters of the Midway, here they travel to Lambeau Field to be potentially crushed by their greatest rivals during a national broadcast.
Tomorrow in TV Club
Can you tell us how to get, how to get to Sesame Street Week? Certainly: Just point your browser to avclub.com tomorrow, when we kick off our celebration of Sesame Street’s 45th anniversary with an Inventory of the pioneering children’s programs great pop-culture moments, a salute to one of its most important emotional lessons, and the beginning of themed Hear This and Watch This runs. In the spirit of saluting great kids’ shows of the past, we’re also running an interview with Paul Reubens, who talks about the recent Pee-wee’s Playhouse Blu-ray release and the upcoming Pee-wee Herman movie. Though, all apologies to Pee-wee, the secret word for the rest of the week is “Sesame.” (You know what to do whenever somebody says the secret word, don’t you? That’s right: Read all of our Sesame Street Week content!)
In case you missed it
Over The Garden Wall (Friday): Kevin Johnson looks back at the full run of this delightful Cartoon Network miniseries, a beguiling fantasy with an Adventure Time pedigree and a blend of whimsy and the macabre that reaches all the way back to the brothers Grimm (so you might want to reach back to last Monday and watch the whole thing yourself).