Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Tuesday, August 25. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Public Morals (TNT, 10 p.m.): If you’ve seen any ads for this period crime show and thought, “Wait, didn’t TNT do this exact show, like, two years ago?”, the answer is, no, that one was Mob City, this new show is set in ‘60s-era New York instead of ‘40s-era Los Angeles, and this time Edward Burns is the heroic cop and Neal McDonough is the recurring gangster, instead of the other way round. But anyway, yes, Burns, the self-proclaimed master of low-budj filmmaking, is leading this latest effort to recapture that Mad Men magic with yet another exploration of the simultaneously glitzy and gritty nature of life in the 1960s. While Scott Von Doviak’s pre-air review makes it clear the show itself is nothing special, the promo photos of a bunch of somewhat known actors playing 60s dress-up is reliably fun, so we’re just going to pepper some of those through the rest of this What’s On Tonight and call it a day at that.
Goodness, do we love this dude’s mustache. Just his whole look, honestly. Why don’t we look like this? Everyone should look like this.
Also noted
Playing House (USA, 10 p.m.): This episode sees Keegan-Michael Key’s Mark move in with Emma and Maggie after sustaining an injury. We assume wackiness will ensue, but we’ll admit we’re really struggling to see how having even an injured Keegan-Michael Key as a houseguest would be anything but an absolute delight. For her part, Molly Eichel is just assuming this is going to turn into a shot-for-shot Misery remake, because a solid but obscure show like Playing House really might as well do the craziest shit it can come up with, you know?
Another Period (Comedy Central, 10:30 p.m.): Christina Hendricks’ Chair is up to something, and we’re all about to learn exactly what that something is. Michael Ian Black’s Peepers is the only one who can save the Bellacourts from destruction, since Lillian and Beatrice are too busy trying to sabotage Frederick’s wedding. LaToya Ferguson can’t help but think a little honest communication could go a long way here, but then LaToya Ferguson is hopelessly naïve. She stuck with Scream: The TV Series for four entire episodes, people! (That’s right, Scream: The TV Series. We’re still gunning for you, long after we dropped you from coverage. And yes, we do recognize that, at a certain point, this is far more about us than it was ever about you.)
So period dramas solely exist so that TV can still make smoking look cool, right? Because that’s pretty much all we’re getting from this.
What else is on?
Monica The Medium (ABC Family, 8 p.m.): “Monica and her pals throw a party, where she gets vibes from a stranger and does a reading for him, and later she goes on a blind date in the series premiere of this reality show about a college student who has the ability to communicate with the dead.” So yeah, this show is bullshit. Like, bullshit even by reality TV standards. Definitely hoping that blind date is with a ghost, though.
A Few Good Pie Places (PBS, 8 p.m): So, tune in for this hour of television if you want to see some good places to get pies, like Portage Pie in Westfield, N.Y., and Two Fat Cats Bakery in Portland, Maine…
A Few Great Bakeries (PBS, 9 p.m.): …but whenever you’re ready to stop fucking around and see some great bakeries, this hour of television is waiting for you. Merely above average places like Portage Pie and Two Fat Cats Bakery aren’t going to know what hit them when you all get a load of Columbus Baking Company in Syracuse, N.Y., or Minerva Bakery in McKeesport, Pa.
Six Degrees Of Everything (truTV, 9:30 p.m.): This show promises to trace the connections between Neanderthals and smartphones, and Napoleon and NASA are also included—presumably because all those things were in Apollo 13 with Kevin Bacon. (People tend to forget that Gary Sinise’s character in Apollo 13 was actually Napoleon working under the assumed name of Ken Mattingly. It doesn’t really come up that often in the final cut of the movie, admittedly.)
Dr. No/Goldeneye (BBC America, 8 p.m./10:30 p.m.): A pair of James Bond debuts here, with Sean Connery offering one of the more pared-down takes on the character before his interpretation got (very enjoyably) larger-than life, while Pierce Brosnan pretty much immediately embraces the inherent ridiculousness of Bond after the interesting but poorly received attempts at realism in the Timothy Dalton movies. Both are really good, is the point we’re driving at.
Back To The Future (Sundance, 8 p.m.): Look, we’ve all seen this movie probably countless times at this point, but if we tell you to go rewatch it, are you really going to say no? This movie is the best and most beloved for a reason, is what we’re saying.
UEFA Champions League Soccer: Malmo vs. Celtic (FS1, 9 p.m.): We had to double-check which country Malmo was in, because apparently we aren’t nearly as well-versed in Swedish geography as we thought we were. It’s like we watched all those Wallander episodes for nothing!
Oh yeah, Cerie from 30 Rock is in this thing, too. And just lots and lots of booze, we’re guessing.
In case you missed it
WWE Monday Night Raw: So apparently Jon Stewart is a wrestler now? Good times.