Bid farewell to the Glee seniors—until they’re inevitably, awkwardly integrated into season-four story lines
Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Tuesday, May 22. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
Glee (Fox, 8 p.m.): New Directions prepares to part with the kids that made us care about Glee—and then care a little less, and then outwardly despise, and then finally accept that Rachel, Finn, Kurt, et al. weren’t so much characters as personality types subject to the fickle whims of Ryan Murphy—in the first place. (As such, Will Schuster’s reaction shots are bound to be extra-tearful tonight.) In a rare show of restraint, the episode’s soundtrack indulges in 1990s “class song” staples like “You Get What You Give” and “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life),” but not Todd VanDerWerff’s personal pick, “Graduation (Friends Forever).”
REGULAR COVERAGE
American Idol (Fox, 9 p.m.): The American Idol contenders have been pared down to early frontrunners Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez, cementing this season as the least eventful in the show’s 11-year history. In an attempt to provide some variety, Emily Yoshida’s on the Idol beat for the night.
Frontline (PBS, 10 p.m.): It’s the Frontline Family Smile-Time Variety Hour, with guest host Dr. Perilous Lives Of Cell-Tower Workers and a very special performance of data gathered in an investigation into the expert witnesses in child-abuse cases. Meredith Blake doesn’t appreciate our sarcasm.
TV CLUB CLASSIC
The Muppet Show (noon): The traditional end of the television season even applies to TV Club Classic: Erik Adams concludes his look at The Muppet Show’s second season with a prickly John Cleese and an under-siege Cloris Leachman.