The Mindy Project finishes its third season with that old sitcom standby, the baby daddy lineup
Here’s what’s up in the world of television for Tuesday, March 24. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
The Mindy Project (Fox, 9:30 p.m.): The show wraps up a fun third season with its usual mix of relationship drama and general wackiness, with Mindy’s pregnancy dominating the proceedings. In particular, a mistaken belief that the paternity of Mindy’s baby is in question leads to one character assembling a lineup of Mindy’s ex-boyfriends to figure out who the father was. That sounds more or less exactly like what happened on one of the It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia season finales, which we bring up not to suggest any lack of originality but rather to wonder: Are those the only two shows to do this fairly specific plotline, or is it actually a super common way for shows to end their seasons, and we just never noticed? Crap, should we be pitching some kind of trend piece about this? Gwen Ihnat already beat us to it, didn’t she?
The people’s top pick, now and forever
Person Of Interest (CBS, 10 p.m.): In tonight’s episode, “Reese protects a bounty hunter.” We’re curious to see just where this particular bounty hunter fits on the grand bounty hunter spectrum, which basically runs from Dog the Bounty Hunter to Boba Fett, although both are entertaining characters that get less cool the more you learn about them. Even so, do you think there’s any chance that Reese is actually going to be straight-up protecting the actual Boba Fett? Alexa Planje is pretty sure the Sarlacc Pit doesn’t have a social security number for the Machine to turn up, but otherwise the theory is solid.
Also noted
Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC, 9 p.m.): Your loyal What’s On Tonight correspondent must admit that it just isn’t possible for him to keep up to date on every show that airs on Tuesday nights, so he relies on helpful episode synopses to provide the kind of concrete details that can make for compelling capsules like the one you’re reading right now. So then, let’s see what specific things are going to happen this week, specifically: “The team are bewildered by a recent shocking revelation as they face a difficult decision.” Well, that was useless. Oliver Sava is on his own for this one. (Though the episode is called “Love In The Time Of Hydra,” so at least that’s awesome.)
Justified (FX, 10 p.m.)This show, on the other hand, your correspondent does tend to stay pretty up on, what with it being a show he reviews and all. (And yes, writing these things is oddly dehumanizing.) So, this episode’s description ought to make much more sense: “Raylan cracks downs on his informants.” Hmm, so Raylan is going to be a dick to criminal lowlifes in pursuit of justice? Yeah, that could describe any episode, honestly.
Kroll Show (Comedy Central, 10:30 p.m.): Like The Mindy Project, Kroll Show also wraps up its third season, but unlike The Mindy Project, which is only somewhat on the bubble for a renewal, this is definitely the last episode, as Nick Kroll is wrapping up the show this year. At least the show figures to go out on a high note, with Rich Dick Wendy converting to Judaism with a Bris managed by PubLIZity and with George and Gil playing the ultimate prank. Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya thinks the episode title has it right: Truly, “This Has Been Such An Amazing Experience.”
Regular coverage
Community (Yahoo!, 3:01 a.m.)
Bloodline (Netflix, 7 p.m.)
Fresh Off The Boat (ABC, 8 p.m.)
The Flash (The CW, 8 p.m.)
iZombie (The CW, 9 p.m.)
Elsewhere in TV Club
The great Eddie Izzard does a Random Roles with Will Harris, in which he helpfully explains the difference between his turn as a psychotic villain on Hannibal and his new role as a psychotic villain on Powers:
That’s a very psychopathic thing, on Hannibal, whereas it’s very animalistic for Wolfe. He does take and consume, which actually harkens back to cannibalism in the old days, from what we know of it. But people would conquer enemies and then cannibalistic behavior would happen, and that was to absorb their powers and strength and whatever. But it also apparently used to be done within family, to keep everything within the family… and this is historic of how humans did things, which is curious. But Wolfe just inhales these powers, in a very visceral way. So, yeah, strength, speed, absorption… essentially that he can take from other people, so if he does eat and take in other Powers, he gets their powers as well. So it can be just a myriad of powers. That’s why it’s a confusing truckload. It’s just dangerous.
What else is on?
King Of The Hill (Cartoon Network, 8 p.m.): Holy crap, are tonight’s reruns good. First up is “Meet The Propaniacs,” in which Bobby and Hank bond over propane-themed comedy, all while Peggy loudly insists the correct troupe name is the Propane Maniacs. And then, in one of the show’s most important episodes, Nancy Gribble steps out on her lover John Redcorn by sleeping with her husband, Dale. These both might be top 10 episodes, honestly.
James Baker: The Man Who Made Washington Work (PBS, 8:30 p.m.): This 90-minute documentary examines the career of longtime Washington insider James Baker, featuring interviews with former presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. Feels like it might have been a better use of their time to ask them about those two awesome King Of The Hill episodes, but sure, James Baker is a fine topic, too.
Redrum (ID, 9 p.m.): “A white supremacist is murdered in his home, and the perp could be anyone.” Anyone, you say? Oh man, what if the murderer turns out to be us? White supremacist or not, that’d be such an ignominious comedown from that time we were named Time’s Person of the Year.
Surviving Marriage (A&E, 10 p.m.): “A couple on the brink of divorce after several incidents of infidelity are left stranded for five days on a secluded South Pacific island in the premiere of this series, which finds them relying on each other to navigate challenges and overcome obstacles.” We’d like to officially request that whichever channel is A&E’s biggest rival airs the counterprogramming Yeah … We Just Decided To Pay For Some Freaking Marriage Counselling, And Now Our Marriage Is Fine … Not Great, Maybe, But Fine. That has “cultural phenomenon” written all over it.
If Loving You Is Wrong (Own, 10 p.m.): This Tyler Perry-created soap opera kicks off its second season, and we know absolutely nothing about it beyond the description of the season premiere, reproduced here in its entirety: “Marcie makes a scene at Brad’s birthday party after learning of Randal’s affair.” Okay, we’re officially hooked. Seriously, you guys, why must Marcie make Brad pay for Randal’s misdeeds? As someone who has had more than his fair share of lousy birthdays, your What’s On Tonight correspondent is full-on Team Brad here.
I Am Number Four/Magic Mike (Spike, 7:30 p.m./Oxygen, 10 p.m.): Hey, you remember when Alex Pettyfer was almost a thing? No, of course you don’t. But let these two movies remind you, and then forget all about that to focus on the general greatness of Matthew McConaughey in Magic Mike.
God’s Pocket (Showtime 2, 8:30 p.m.): One of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s two posthumous starring vehicles, this John Slattery-directed drama didn’t get quite the attention of A Most Wanted Man—which was damn excellent—perhaps because it came out earlier, thus losing out on that “final film” status, and because its title doesn’t double as a perfectly melancholy epitaph for how audiences view Hoffman. Still, even if the story of God’s Pocket isn’t all that strong, it’s hard to resist the charms of a cast that features Hoffman, Christina Hendricks, Richard Jenkins, John Turturro, Eddie Marsan, and more.
NBA Basketball: Spurs at Mavericks (TNT, 8 p.m.): Sitting sixth and seventh in the crowded Western Conference playoff race, San Antonio and Dallas are teams drifting in different directions, with the defending champs rounding into shape after a season of playing possum while the Mavericks struggle to recapture their early-season offensive magic. As such, you’d figure San Antonio should be favored here, but pretty much any game featuring western playoff contenders has the potential to be absolutely bananas, so this is worth paying attention to.
In case you missed it
Better Call Saul: It feels like it’s been a while since we pointed out how good this show is. Let Donna Bowman rectify that.