Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Friday, June 5, and Saturday, June 6. All times are Eastern.
Top Pick
Sense8 (Netflix, 3:01, Friday): The three-headed sci-fi/fantasy entity that is J. Michael Straczynski and the Wachowskis bring us this series about an eight-headed protagonist. Eight people around the globe find themselves telepathically linked, and have to go on the run from shady types who see an eight-person hive mind as a threat. Rowan Kaiser’s only got the one head, but he’s pulling triple-duty—after Friday’s review of the premiere, he’ll be bringing binge-watchers a satisfying Monday, Wednesday, Friday review schedule until the end. Meanwhile, Joshua Alston’s on hand with a TV Review overview of the first few episodes. (It is our understanding that Josh, too, has only one head.)
Also Noted
Other Space (Yahoo): Semi-intrepid captain Stewart finds himself visited by an alien in his dreams—but only if they’re dirty dreams. Meanwhile definitely intrepid (and scary) Karen has to go through an HR seminar for slapping someone. Molly Eichel’s been mostly on board with this low-key sci-fi comedy series from Paul Feig, so look for lots of strange, strange laughter.
Adventure Time (Cartoon Network, 6 p.m., Friday): Oliver Sawa says a big, sad, animated goodbye to Adventure Time, as he reviews the two-part season finale.
Childrens Hospital (Adult Swim, 11:59 p.m., Friday): Megan Mullaly’s Chief takes a vacation—at the hospital. LaToya Ferguson never rests, although when she does, it is curled up in a little box next to the AV Club office boiler, so she gets it.
Orphan Black (BBC America, 9 p.m., Saturday): With only three episodes left, the clone-on-clone action heats up, as Rachel makes a deal with Sarah that—shocker—comes with a catch. Caroline Framke is pacing herself for the big sprint to the finish line, perhaps secretly wishing there were Framke clones around once in a while.
Power (Starz, 9 p.m., Saturday): Joshua Alston was lukewarm about this Starz series about entrepreneur Omari Hardwick’s attempts to balance his double life as drug kingpin/nightclub owner last season. (A “C-” is pretty much the dictionary definition of “lukewarm.”) Still, he’s back to see if the show managed to retool what worked with his TV Review of the start of season two.
Elsewhere in TV Club
Everyone’s weird family gets an airing in this week’s AVQ&A, where your favorite AV Clubbers reveal what pop culture they thought was universally loved—only to realize it was just some eccentric family thing. Then, Ryan Vlastelica runs down a filmography no one has to be sheepish about, with his Primer on the works of filmmaker Billy Wilder. After that, get ready for some anger, as AV Clubbers follow up the recent list of least skippable Beatles songs with its opposite number, an A.V. To Z dissing an alphabet’s-worth of their least-favorite Beatles tracks. (Some of them…may shock you.) A.A. Dowd gives you a Watch This, recommending the oddball animated Chicago 10, where the likes of Hank Azaria, Nick Nolte, Roy Scheider, Jeffrey Wright, and Mark Ruffalo perform the verbatim transcripts of the titular landmark political trial. That’s a lot of reading for your weekend, but, wait—there’s more! On Saturday, Joel Keller scores a great Random Roles with actor Barry Bostwick, where, no doubt, his feelings about being called “asshole” for the last four decades will be revealed.
What else is on
One Direction—Where We Are: Live From San Siro Stadium (Showtime, 9 p.m., Friday): The One Direction-ers are now four (Zayn, we hardly knew ye), but relive the band’s glory days as the fab five with this concert filmed last summer in Italy.
Tyler Perry’s For Better Or Worse (OWN, 9 p.m., Friday): In this fourth season summer finale, a young girl shows up claiming to be Marcus’ daughter. On a related note, Tyler Perry would like you to know that sex outside of wedlock is bad.
The Messengers (CW, 9 p.m., Friday): “The Messengers weigh the pros and cons of being angels.” Sample dialogue: “So, how many of us wish we had genitals? Let me get a head count…all of us, right.”
Strange Empire: Rise Of The Women (LMN, 9 p.m., Friday): The Canadian series about a trio of tough women banding together for survival in the lawless Old West of the Canadian/American border continues. This week—men are jerks, and also very dusty.
The Equalizer (Starz, 9 p.m., Friday): You know, at a certain point, the “annual action movie that’s slightly beneath Denzel Washington” just becomes “the new Denzel Washington movie.”
Preach (Lifetime, 10 p.m., Friday): In Lifetime’s newest reality show, four women who believe that God has granted them the power to perform miracles are exploited by a reality show-hungry public and/or exploit said public in order to get a TV deal. Or reality shows are the one, true God. One of those. Joshua Alston drew the assignment to give this one the once-over.
Bitten (Syfy, 11 p.m., Friday): In this two-hour second season finale, Elena and her werewolf pals head for their final showdown with the witches. Who will live? Who will die? Who will—well, those are the two options.
Vice (HBO, 11 p.m., Friday): The HBO newsmagazine series (a.k.a.: Vice, The Soul-Crusher) returns with an in-depth examination of the problem of sexual assault on college campuses, and how college administrators seem less concerned with that than their U.S. News & World Report ranking.
NHL Playoffs: Blackhawks at Lightning (NBC, 7:15 p.m., Saturday)
Double Daddy (Lifetime, 8 p.m., Saturday): Sure, it’s no Mother, May I Sleep With Danger, but that’s a solidly silly title for this Lifetime movie about a high school girl who discovers that, not only is she pregnant, but her sort-of boyfriend has knocked up another girl at school as well, thus making him a…Double Daddy.
The Summoning (TV One, 8 p.m., Saturday): Paula Jai Parker (True Blood) brings her dead husband back to life with a mysterious medallion in this TV One original movie. As with all resurrections brought about by mystical gizmos, this will undoubtedly work out just fine.
When Calls The Heart (Hallmark, 8 p.m., Saturday): More hearty melodrama on the Canadian frontier. This week—chicanery besets the town’s only eatery, possibly threatening their poutine supply.
Dino Death Match (National Geographic, 9 p.m., Saturday) & Jurassic CSI (National Geographic, 10 p.m., Saturday): NetGeo cashing in on that Jurassic World hype? That is a shocking suggestion, sir or madam.
[Open on a dead triceratops, mangled and partially eaten]
Jurassic CSI cop: “So, what do you figure?”
Jurassic CSI technician: “Looks like another drug overdose.”
Jurassic CSI cop: [Sighs. Eats technician. Puts on sunglasses with some difficulty.] That’s why you’re…extinct.
[YEEEEAAAHHHHHH]
In case you missed it
Hannibal: Molly Eichel has never been happier to see a cannibalistic serial killer come back into her life. Well, maybe once.