Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Monday, April 9. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
How I Met Your Mother (CBS, 8 p.m.): Maybe it’s just that we watched the show’s last five episodes over the weekend and maybe it’s just that tonight’s episode is about Star Wars and we like Star Wars and maybe it’s just that nothing else is on on Mondays, but we’re pretty pleased this show is back again, and it’s not often you can say that for a show that’s seven seasons old. Donna Bowman checks out the guys gathering together to watch the entire Star Wars trilogy in one evening, which is apparently a tradition we’re just being introduced to now, in true sitcom fashion.
REGULAR COVERAGE
Adventure Time (Cartoon Network, 7:30 p.m.): This is sort of burying the lede, we know, but we’re adding this show, just like we said we would. Tonight, five short stories explore the five senses, and Oliver Sava is reminded that his favorite sense is one of utter desperation.
The Voice (NBC, 8 p.m.): Do the rest of you do awesome kickboxing moves when the theme song singers go, “This is The Voice”? So that’s just us? That’s… good to know. We probably won’t be sending Emily Yoshida our YouTube videos of our awesome kickboxing moves for her critiques then. Sorry, Emily.
2 Broke Girls (CBS, 8:30 p.m.): Caroline and Max participate in a clinical drug trial to raise money to help Caroline’s father. Wait. Why are they going out of their way to help him? Why does so much of the show revolve around him if we don’t see him? When will Todd VanDerWerff finally curse God and die?
Being Human (Syfy, 9 p.m.): Somebody on Twitter was trying to tell us that this is Syfy’s new Battlestar Galactica, only a little more down to Earth. We have to admit we’re a little skeptical of that, given Phil Dyess-Nugent’s reviews, but we’re guessing that the second season finale’s not the time to find out.
House (Fox, 9 p.m.): A semi-pro hockey player is the patient of the week in this episode, and we’re going to guess that this is all stealth promotion for the new Seann William Scott hockey comedy, Goon. That’s not incredibly likely, but Zack Handlen would probably rather be watching Goon. Just a few more, Zack!
RuPaul’s Drag Race (Logo, 9 p.m.): What with Wynonna Judd and all of the contestants donning dog-inspired couture, this has the potential to be the greatest episode of television ever. Oliver Sava points out that what puts it over the top is the fact that it’s called “The Fabulous Bitch Ball.”
Smash (NBC, 10 p.m.): Uma Thurman joins the show for a handful of episodes, because if anybody’s known for their singing ability, it’s Uma Thurman. We’d like to take this opportunity to introduce Uma to Noel Murray. Uma? Noel. Noel? Uma. We could do this all night and never stop thinking it was funny.
TV CLUB CLASSIC
Batman: The Animated Series (1 p.m.): Catwoman joins forces with the Ventriloquist in this week’s episode, and Oliver Sava will be there to record the historic peace accords. We’re guessing there will be handshakes and flashbulbs and plenty of opportunities for hilarious cat puns and pull-quotes.
WHAT ELSE IS ON
Inside The Actors Studio (Bravo, 8 p.m.): Guess what, everybody? Glee is back on Tuesday night, and you can celebrate by watching James Lipton grill the cast on what their favorite and least favorite words and colors and other things are. We’re going to learn so much about them together, Glee fans.
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations/Hotel Impossible (Travel, 9 p.m.): Travel Channel brings around a new season of the show in which Anthony Bourdain travels around to rant at people, then debuts a new series that’s basically Kitchen Nightmares set in rundown hotels. They could run for years in LA alone!
Fatal Encounters (Investigation Discovery, 10 p.m.): It’s yet another show in the “hey, can you believe that we nearly died/actually did die” genre for Investigation Discovery, a network that seems to air only shows in that genre. You can imagine just how excited we are about this latest slight variation.
Meat Men (Food, 11 p.m.): Okay, we’re not so excited about the new reality shows listed above, but we can’t deny that we’re excited for this new series, set in a New Jersey butcher’s shop. Speaking of which, why can’t we call it a butchery? Doesn’t that sound like that word should be able to be used like that?
Joy Ride (FMC, 9 p.m.): J.J. Abrams was one of the folks who brought this tale of three young people, the open road, and a crazy-ass trucker who wants to kill them. We haven’t seen this one since renting it in a hotel room, but we seem to recall it has a nice buildup and a terrible finale. Oh, that J.J. Abrams!
The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down A Mountain (Flix, 9:30 p.m.): Hey, whatever happened to Hugh Grant? There was a time when his stammer-y Britishness was the very picture of the guy we all wanted to be just like. Granted, that stammering was much less attractive when we tried it.
MLB Baseball: Brewers at Cubs (ESPN, 7 p.m.): Go, Brewers! You almost made it last year! And even though you lost Prince Fielder, and even though Ryan Braun is… embattled, to say the least, we’re going to say you can pull it off! And even if you can’t, you should be able to beat the damned Cubs.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Nurse Jackie/The Big C (Sunday): Doesn’t it sort of feel like Showtime debuted these two without really bothering to promote them at all? Phil Dyess-Nugent checks in on them both to find out if Laura Linney’s cancer’s still in remission and if Edie Falco’s character will ever suffer consequences for anything ever.