Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Sunday, November 24. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
Getting On (HBO, 10 p.m.): HBO is finally jumping on the medical show bandwagon—about a decade too late—with a new comedy set in the extended-care wing of a rundown hospital. Laurie Metcalf, Alex Borstein, and Niecy Nash star in what is likely to be a critical hit that never finds an audience. In his pre-air review, Todd VanDerWerff has good things to say about this American adaptation of a successful British series, and now Sonia Saraiya is taking over regular coverage. It’s really just too bad the show missed the medical-drama heyday of 2006—when E.R., House, Grey’s Anatomy, and Scrubs were all on TV at the same time.
REGULAR COVERAGE
The Simpsons (Fox, 8 p.m.): Lisa’s best friend turns out to be a Republican! Dennis Perkins doesn’t see political affiliations, but he’ll do his best to follow along.
Bob’s Burgers (Fox, 8:30 p.m.): It’s Thanksgiving at the Belcher’s but Bob’s perfect turkey gets dumped into a toilet. Pilot Viruet’s seen worse.
The Walking Dead (AMC, 9 p.m.): This week’s episode, “Dead Weight,” looks to be another Governor-centric story. Has the show’s former villain really reformed? Zack Handlen’s been taught never to trust a man with an eye-patch and a history of homicide.
Boardwalk Empire (HBO, 9 p.m.): In the season four finale, Al Capone and Johnny Torrio “come to an agreement” in Illinois. Genevieve Valentine hopes they politely talk things out over coffee and strudel.
Homeland (Showtime, 9 p.m.): Don’t let Todd VanDerWerff’s railings against Brody fool you, he’s actually a huge Brody/Carrie shipper. And his secret Homeland Tumblr is going to exploded with .gifs when the two finally reunite under “difficult” circumstances.
Family Guy (Fox, 9 p.m.): An episode called “Life Of Brian” has a lot to live up to; Monty Python’s 1979 film of the same title is a comedy classic. Eric Thurm will do his best to “Look On The Bright Side Of Life” in his review.
The Good Wife (CBS, 9:30 p.m.): This week’s episode is called “Whack-A-Mole,” so David Sims hopes Alicia and co. will forgo the courtroom to head to the arcade. Alicia would be great at Mrs. Pacman.
American Dad (Fox, 9:30 p.m.): All Stan wants is a Thanksgiving full of football viewing. If there’s one A.V. Club staffer who understands, it’s Kevin McFarland.
Masters Of Sex (Showtime, 10 p.m.): Estabrooks keeps an eye on Masters and Johnson, Sonia Saraiya keeps an eye on Estabrooks, and your What’s On Tonight correspondent keeps an eye on Sonia. Uh-oh, we’ve said too much.
TV CLUB CLASSIC
Doctor Who (1 p.m.): Alasdair Wilkins continues his revisit of the rebooted show’s first season with a pair of episodes set in the year five billion and 1869, respectively. If that doesn’t illustrate the scope of the show, we’re not sure what would.
The Simpsons (Classic) (3 p.m.): After the first part of “Who Shot Mr. Burns?” aired in 1995, Fox ran a contest where fans could dial 1-800-COLLECT to guess the culprit and win the chance to be animated on the show. No one guessed the right answer, however, but that’s only because Erik Adams was too busy watching the 1995 classic Waterworld to enter.
WHAT ELSE IS ON?
American Music Awards (ABC 8 p.m.): The 41st annual American Music Awards will feature performances from Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Imagine Dragons, One Direction, and Macklemore. Expect lots of jokes about twerking immediately followed by a bunch of people twerking “ironically.”
Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited (BBC America, 8 p.m.): BBC America wraps-up its retrospective on the Doctors of Doctor Who with a look at the current 11th Doctor, played by Matt Smith. Smith regenerates into Peter Capaldi on Christmas day, so this seems like the perfect time to celebrate the big-chinned Time Lord.
Carol Burnett: The Mark Twain Prize (PBS, 8 p.m.): Funny lady Carol Burnett is honored with the 16th Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Julie Andrews, Tiny Fey, Maya Rudolph, and Martin Short help pay tribute to the comedy legend who made wearing curtains seem like the funniest thing in the world.
Ja’mie: Private School Girl (HBO, 10:30 p.m.): Chris Lilley returns as Ja’mie King, the bitchy private school girl of We Can Be Heroes and Summer Heights High. Presumably audiences have made up their minds about whether they like Lilley’s 39-year-old-man-as-a-teen-girl shtick and can tune in or tune out accordingly.
The Lincoln Lawyer (TNT, 8 p.m.): Before he transformed his body to play an HIV-positive drug-dealer, Matthew McConaughey was simply an “ethically challenged lawyer” trying to defend a playboy Ryan Phillippe from murder charges. Ah, simpler times.
The Wizard Of Oz (TBS, 8 p.m.): Break out Dark Side Of The Moon (and maybe a little something else) to enjoy TBS’ double screening of The Wizard Of Oz.
Sunday Night Football: Broncos at Patriots (NBC, 8:20 p.m.): Star quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady face off on the field for the 14th time. We like to imagine they hang out away from the game too—just ordering in Thai food, sipping Chardonnay, and gossiping about other players. Boys will be boys.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Doctor Who: While the 50th Anniversary special of Doctor Who, “The Day Of The Doctor,” might not have neatly wrapped up every single mystery and plot hole from the show’s 34 seasons, there was still a lot to like. Alasdair Wilkins shares his thoughts on the three-Doctor adventure!