What, you didn’t notice that Awkward. came back last week? That’s okay. No, really, it’s fine
Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Thursday, July 5. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
Awkward. (MTV, 10:30 p.m.): Compared to last Thursday’s other, higher-profile comedy premières, it would’ve been totally easy to miss the return of MTV’s blossoming wallflower of a teen sitcom, Awkward. Jenna Hamilton’s totally used to be overlooked, so she forgives you for paying closer attention to Louis C.K.’s blurry dick or Charlie Sheen being a dick. It’s just, you know, Jenna made a big breakthrough on the whole Jake/Matty thing, so maybe you should pay attention to the show as it deals with the humorous fallout of that decision. Carry on like this, and Myles McNutt might have to send you your own “carefrontation” letter.
REGULAR COVERAGE
Wilfred (FX, 10 p.m.): The upside of huge numbers for Charlie Sheen’s Lesser Of Two Evils is bigger ratings for the shows that air after it—so it’s a neat coincidence that Wilfred finds himself newly popular this week. Rowan Kaiser just hopes the character doesn’t get too big for his dog suit.
Louie (FX, 10:30 p.m.): Tonight’s episode hinges on two very different dinners—one with Louie’s daughters, one with Oscar winner Melissa Leo. Nathan Rabin thinks Leo makes it look so fucking easy!
TV CLUB CLASSIC
The Thick Of It (1 p.m.): The prime minister resigns, and during the ensuing madness, Malcolm’s sanity hangs in the balance. Bad for the people in his rampaging path, but good for David Sims and everyone watching along with him.
WHAT ELSE IS ON?
Breaking Pointe (The CW, 8 p.m.): Smarting from the lack of a new Bunheads this week? The last episode of this ballet-centric reality series’ first season won’t exactly be a suitable replacement—but what if you muted the audio and tried to sync the visuals with old Gilmore Girls sound clips?
Saving Hope (NBC, 9 p.m.): Where else are going to see a medical drama dealing with a double-hand replantation tonight? Certainly not on a rerun of House.
Auction Kings (Discovery, 9 p.m.): If Auction Kings episodes weren’t filmed so far in advance, tonight could’ve given us a chance to pool our resources to buy The A.V. Club’s very own Ms. Pac-Man machine. You know, which you’d definitely be invited to play whenever you’re in Chicago… yeah, that’s the ticket!
Kathy (Bravo, 10 p.m.): Kathy Griffin marks the conclusion of her first season as a talk-show host with a visit from colleague Jimmy Kimmel. In light of Kimmel’s past with Sarah Silverman, he now only needs to collaborate with Tina Fey to have worked with all three of the women his former Man Show cohort Adam Carolla thinks are funny.
The Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoisie (Flix, 6 p.m.): After spending Wednesday wallowing in American populism (U.S.A.! U.S.A.!), enjoy some good, old-fashioned, upper-class-skewering, Spanish surrealism (in French!) from Luis Buñuel.
G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra (USA, 9 p.m.): Then again, you can give into your patriotic hangover and enjoy two of the few American products people are still willing to buy: Blockbusters based on recognizable media franchises and Channing Tatum’s abs.
PGA Tour Golf: Greenbrier Classic (Golf Channel, 7:30 p.m.): Tiger Woods looks to improve his chances of removing the stink from the name “Tiger Woods,” going for his fourth tour victory of the year at this West Virginia tournament.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Futurama: Return to the working week with Zack Handlen’s thoughts on the latest Futurama—and one hell of a disturbing episode image. The sight of empty Fry, Hermes, and Amy skins will shock you into working order quicker than five highly addictive cans of Slurm!