Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2. All times are Eastern.
Top pick—Kickass Heroine Overload!
Orphan Black (BBC America, 9 p.m., Saturday): Surprise! The male clones are all weirdo creeps! Sarah, Alison, Cosima, Helena, and all the other Maslanys have their many hands full this week kicking ass (but with their fists), as everyone hunts for some original clone DNA. Caroline Framke wonders if they’ve looked somewhere with, like, beakers and stuff.
Outlander (Starz, 9 p.m., Saturday): Claire and Jamie’s return to Jamie’s ancestral home last week yielded some powerful and unexpected moments. This week, an old Redcoat deserter pal of Jamie’s turns up to keep the drama ratcheted up. Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya’s sure Caitriona Balfe’s Claire can take it—possibly through the employment of ass-kicking.
Saturday Night Live (NBC, 11:30 p.m., Saturday): Sure, Scarlett Johansson is riding high as co-star of the biggest movie of the summer, but Dennis Perkins knows that she’s really only excited that she’s now only one SNL hosting appearance away from the Five-Timer’s Club. That’s pretty kickass! Musical guest Wiz Khalifa just wants her to warn her that Danny DeVito practically lives in there.
Also noted
Other Space (Yahoo): Tune in at noon on Friday for Molly Eichel’s continuing review of the second episode of this delightful sci-fi comedy series from Paul Feig. This week, she has to untangle an episode rife with party games, fudge, and a shape-shifting alien. If anyone can do it, Molly can.
Childrens Hospital (Adult Swim, 11:59 p.m., Friday): The show goes behind the scenes again, expanding the delightfully ludicrous world of the actors of the show within the show. LaToya Ferguson gives it an ‘A,’ so you can guess how it went.
Grimm (NBC, 8 p.m., Friday): A series of killing in town have the monster-hunters wondering if Jack The Ripper is back. Les Chappell says, “Again with Jack The Ripper.”
Comedy Bang! Bang! (IFC, 11 p.m., Friday): Humorous alien incursion Friday continues, as Colin Hanks’ visit to the CB!B! set is interrupted by a legally-distinct-from Alien xenomorph. David Kallison can see the strings.
Elsewhere in TV Club
In a feature sure to make you wonder whether we can ever just relax and enjoy a damned thing (we can’t—it’s our curse), this week’s AVQ&A features various A.V. Clubbers listing pop culture they like but don’t agree with. After that, Mike D’Angelo bucks the trend by bringing us his Scenic Routes examination of the fascinating fantasy sequence in Éric Rohmer’s Chloe In The Afternoon. Then Kristin Yoonsoo Kim’s For Our Consideration examines the changing nature of lead roles for Asian male leads on television, and Kenneth Arthur interviews NFL draftee and Star Wars fan film enthusiast Chris Conley. Could this be the beginning of the prophesied nerd-jock convergence?