Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Friday, September 25 & Saturday, September 26. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Guardians Of The Galaxy (Disney XD, 9:30 p.m., Saturday): Marvel has perhaps inevitably spun off its surprise hit film about a raccoon guy, tree guy, green lady, burly monster guy, and Pratt into an animated series. Sure, none of the film’s movie star and former pro wrestler cast is on board for all the fractious team’s comical, universe-despoiling adventures, but it does feature voice actor all-stars like Will Friedle (Batman Beyond) and Kevin Michael Richardson (Gravity Falls, everything else). Resident animation expert Kevin Johnson’s on board to review the first two episodes, and he says there’s some promise here. Sure, his first review was just a thousand words of “I AM KEVIN! I AM KEVIN? I AM KEVIN: I. AM. KEVIN.” and so forth, but he was persuaded that was a little too inside. Plus he wasn’t getting paid. Anyway—HE IS KEVIN!
Also noted
The Amazing Race (CBS, 8 p.m., Friday): Season 27 of this reality/competition/get on each others’ nerves in exotic locations series continues, as the still-talking-to-each-other teams are whisked off to Rio de Janeiro to fins a solution to Brazil’s crippling poverty and social injustice. Or, a beanbag. Whichever.
Doctor Who (BBC America, 9 p.m., Saturday): Alasdair Wilkins was guardedly complimentary of last week’s premiere, as is only wise in evaluating the front part of any Doctor Who two-parter. With Davros back and Missy acting all crazy and oddly jealous and all, it’ll be seen whether this back end to the opener can really take off. What is not up for debate is this:
Blunt Talk (Starz, 9 p.m., Saturday): There’s presumably hilarious awkwardness when Walter’s estranged son comes to Los Angeles for a visit. Meanwhile, Celia has family drama of her own to deal with. Brandon Nowalk continues in his appreciation for this show’s highly dysfunctional family of newspeople himself, especially proud, cricket bat-happy papa Patrick Stewart.
Survivor’s Remorse (Starz, 9:30 p.m., Saturday): Cam has trouble with his new line of sneakers and a reporter. Joshua Alston has little trouble believing, as he has all season, that this episode will be pretty good. (Also, speaking of trouble, Josh’s review of last week’s episode will accompany this one—don’t think of it as Josh’s computer destroying his life, think of it as you getting a double-feature review this week!)
Elsewhere in TV Club
Coming soon to a (computer) screen near you, your favorite AV Clubbers make their picks for the best movie trailers they’ve ever seen in this week’s AVQ&A. Then Marah Eakin takes us on a Walkthrough of Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s upcoming season and last season’s finale “Johnny And Dora.” (Sure, technically, show writer Luke Del Tredici helps Marah out.) And, speaking of, Will Harris runs the show’s Joe Lo Truglio and Stephanie Beatriz through the TV Club Questionnaire.
What else is on
Last Man Standing (ABC, 8 p.m., Friday): In this season five premiere, a tornado is heading for the Baxter family home. Good luck, tornado—nothing can uproot Tim Allen from network television.