Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Tuesday, April 24. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
Glee (Fox, 8 p.m.): One week after shoring up its healthy track record with episodes structured around a single album, Glee moves to rockier thematic grounds: an episode-length tribute to a pop icon. The show couldn’t convert the spectacle of Michael Jackson’s videography into its own brand of flash in February, so here’s hoping its Whitney Houston homage follows in Houston’s footsteps and relies more on pure performance. (Or just plays Amber Riley’s version of “I Will Always Love You” on a loop.) Todd VanDerWerff gets so emotional, baby, every time he thinks of Glee.
REGULAR COVERAGE
Cougar Town (ABC, 8:30 p.m.): The cul-de-sac crew taps into the spirit of the season — tax season, that is — with an episode that’s all about money. Given that most people hate tax season, Ryan McGee isn’t betting his tax return on this being the half hour that finally initiates America’s love affair with Cougar Town.
New Girl (Fox, 9 p.m.): Here at The A.V. Club HQ, it’s hard to say if we’ve become invested in Schmidt and Cece’s relationship, or if we’ve just grown fond of the characters and enjoy the dynamic they’ve shared in recent episodes. Either way, there’s a major threat to that dynamic tonight, and Erik Adams is here to hold your hand should things go horribly wrong.
The Voice (NBC, 9 p.m.): Who will survive to see the semifinals? Who will be forced to sing for their lives? And most importantly: Will Carson Daly look like he gives half a rip about any of it? Emily Yoshida prepares to read Daly’s every wince and thousand-yard stare.
Frontline (PBS, 9 p.m.): Now this is where you can get people to care about finances: on PBS, in a Frontline two-parter about the U.S. economy’s slow crawl back from the brink of collapse in 2008. Meredith Blake occupies “Money, Power, And Wall Street.”
TV CLUB CLASSIC