Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Sunday, Jan. 15. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
The Good Wife (CBS, 9 p.m.): We love Bitcoin at The A.V. Club. In fact, we’d pay everybody in Bitcoin if we could find a way to make it “legal.” So we’re pleased that tonight’s episode of everybody’s favorite ‘90s throwback legal drama is going to do a whole episode about the wacky virtual currency. David Sims, who is actually the shadowy and secretive Satoshi Nakamoto, inventor of the Bitcoin, will almost certainly call Alicia Florrick and the gang on all their technical inaccuracies.
REGULAR COVERAGE
Once Upon A Time (ABC, 8 p.m.): Hansel and Gretel are here, presumably to eat your house. Oliver Sava doesn’t want to say it, but he thinks the witch was totally justified in punishing those damn kids. Who eats a house? We mean, honestly.
The Simpsons (Fox, 8 p.m.): It’s time for the show to make fun of The Social Network, because when this episode was written, that was the hot movie in theaters. “SpringFace” is a pretty amusing name for a Facebook ripoff, right, Hayden Childs?
Downton Abbey (PBS, 9 p.m.): The estate is turned into a home for the war wounded, which is totally a plot this show is just ripping off from Criminal Minds. When will the British stop ripping off our finest dramas? Meredith Blake wonders.
Family Guy (Fox, 9 p.m.): Brian falls in love with a blind woman who hates dogs, and her senses of touch, smell, and taste never once indicate to her that he’s a short, furry man. Kevin McFarland is sure his brother Seth MacFarlane thought this all out.
Leverage (TNT, 9 p.m.): This episode is entitled “The Last Dam Job,” and it’s too bad it isn’t the series finale. It’s not that Phil Nugent won’t watch more episodes, but that’s the greatest series finale title of all time. They should have saved it!
Shameless (Showtime, 9 p.m.): Frank Gallagher has never been the world’s greatest guy, but his whole plan to find a new “sugar momma,” in the summary’s parlance, may be a new low. Joshua Alston isn’t sure how he feels about all of this.
Angry Boys (HBO, 10 p.m.): HBO—which co-produced this series—has 12 episodes, but is airing them as quickly as possible, perhaps because it fears this is no Summer Heights High. Claire Zulkey seems to be worrying about the same thing.
Hell On Wheels (AMC, 10 p.m.): Despite ordering a second season of this one, it sure seems like AMC just sped the hell through this, rather than working too hard to promote it. Phil Nugent checks the weird chaos that will surely come in the finale.
House Of Lies (Showtime, 10 p.m.): House Of Lies isn’t our favorite new show, but we can say that it’s one of the few new shows we’ve seen to use Cat Deeley in a weird, uncomfortable cameo. We guess that Rowan Kaiser’s got that going for him.
Pan Am (ABC, 10 p.m.): It’s the first ever commercial flight to Moscow! If you’re the sort of person who’s been anxiously awaiting that moment in aviation history, you’re probably one of the few sad this show is soon to disappear. Or Erik Adams.
Californication (Showtime, 10:30 p.m.): Sounds like Peter Berg might turn up in tonight’s episode, and we can imagine 15 years from now, when Kenny Herzog is saying “Californication turned into Entourage so slowly, I didn’t even notice!”
TV CLUB CLASSIC
The Critic (3 p.m.): Nathan Rabin checks out an episode written by a young and hungry Judd Apatow, well before he turned into America’s favorite movie producer and took it upon himself to defend the integrity of the female half of the species.
WHAT ELSE IS ON?
Golden Globe Awards (NBC, 8 p.m.): It’s time for NBC to gain some of the best ratings it will get all year by airing a show where all of the prizes will go to movies and TV shows that will end up airing on other networks entirely. Go, NBC!
Undercover Boss (CBS, 8 p.m.): America’s favorite CEO rehabilitation program returns for a while between seasons of The Amazing Race. Tonight, the guy who runs Diamond Resorts International probably doesn’t know how to make a bed.
Napoleon Dynamite (Fox, 8:30/9:30 p.m.): Rowan Kaiser and Todd VanDerWerff check out Fox’s bright idea to make a nearly eight-year-old movie into the latest show to grace its animation domination bloc. But Tina Majorino! She’s so great.
Gator Boys (Animal Planet, 9 p.m.): Tonight’s episode is entitled “Mama Gator Mayhem,” which is also the title of our unsold board game design, which is basicall Hungry, Hungry Hippos, only you try to stab people grabbing marbles with knives.
Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein (TCM, 8 p.m.): After the first two in the series, this just might be the best movie featuring the original Universal version of the titular monster. (Yeah, yeah, the scientist is Frankenstein, not the monster.)
Groundhog Day (Reelz/G4 8/9 p.m.): This movie is airing twice on two different channels tonight, we propose maximum channel switching when viewing companions go to the bathroom, just to make them think they’re living the movie.
NFL Playoffs: Texans at Ravens/Giants at Packers (CBS, 1 p.m./Fox, 4:30 p.m.): We’re showing our pro-NFC bias here, but good God, could that first match-up be any more boring, especially if you’re not from Baltimore or Houston? Gross.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Fringe (Friday): Noel Murray finds himself reasonably satisfied with this episode of Fringe, which is the one that was originally supposed to close out the first half of the season way back in December. Instead, it became the midseason premiere.