Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Friday, May 22, and Saturday, May 23. All times are Eastern.
Top Pick
Jen Kirkman: I’m Gonna Die Alone (And I Feel Fine) (Netflix, 3:01 a.m., Friday): Maybe you enjoyed funny lady Kirkman on Home Movies, or The Pod F. Tompkast, or Drunk History, or @midnight, or on one of her many, many standup appearances. Well, enjoy her comedy stylings all consolidated on her new comedy special alongside our own Les Chappell, on hand to count all the laughs. (That’s what reviewing a comedy special is, right?) Meanwhile pre-game with Kirkman’s latest AV Club interview.
Also noted
Other Space (Yahoo): Michael and Tina are trapped together on a planet whose timey-wimey weirdness makes them think they’re stuck there for eight months. Meanwhile Art stages a robot revolt on the ship with the aid of a vengeful coffee maker. Molly Eichel assures us it all makes delicious, hilarious sense.
Grace And Frankie (Netflix): Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya finishes off her binge-watched survey of this Jane Fonda/Lily Tomlin series with her review of the finale going up at 7 p.m. on Friday. The online storytelling model has had some interesting effects here, according to Kayla:
Too often on sitcoms, characters move on from conflicts too easily for the sake of moving the story forward. The most believable and relatable sitcom conflicts are ones that have long-term consequences for the characters, but that kind of drama can be hard to sell in the framework of a sitcom, where conflicts tend to wrap up by episode’s end. The Netflix model allows for more serialization and longer arcs, andGrace And Frankie has used that structure to craft really relatable conflict.
Comedy Bang! Bang! (IFC, 11 p.m., Friday): Silicon Valley’s Thomas Middleditch is Scott and Reggie’s guest, no doubt patiently explaining that they just have to unplug the router and then pug it back in. David Kallison also suggests taking the cartridge out and blowing on it.
Childrens Hospital (Adult Swim, 11:59 p.m., Friday): Sy’s new girlfriend is a “professional interventiomalist” who decides to make some big changes around the hospital. While LaToya Ferguson concedes that that hospital could use all manner of improvements, she’s relatively certain things will stay as agreeably loopy as ever by the end.
Orphan Black (BBC America, 9 p.m., Saturday): All the Maslanys are in various types of danger as usual. Sarah’s in the clutches of the boy-clones, Helena’s on the run, Cosima’s clearly being set up by that sexy masseuse, Rachel’s still aphasic from that whole “eye poked out” thing, and Alison is…still dealing drugs with Donnie? This week, Paul swings into action, tracking down what the hell the boy clones are doing to those women they’re having sex with. Caroline Framke says, “Oh, Paul’s back. Super.”
Elsewhere in TV Club
With the long Memorial Day weekend coming, the AV Club, as ever, has you covered, with our best and brightest giving you their picks for the series you should binge-watch until you have to go back to work. Remember—doing stuff outside is for dopes! Then, some of those same best and/or brightest ask why we can’t have nice things in this week’s AVQ&A about great movies that spoil everything on the way out the door with bad last lines. And, as ever, our man in Cannes, Ignatiy Vishnevetsky reports back with the best and worst he’s seen at the famously glamorous film festival while we sit at home eating grilled cheese and binge-watching old TV shows. Nope—nobody’s jealous, Ignatiy, not at all. Not to be outdone, Caroline Framke reports in from the first ever RuPaul’s DragCon in glittery, fabulous Los Angeles.
What else is on
The Other One: The Long Strange Trip Of Bob Weir (Netflix, 3:01 a.m., Friday): Grateful Dead fans rejoice, as Dead co-founder Weir’s life gets the documentary treatment. In keeping with the Dead’s musical legacy, the film will be far, far too long, and slightly out of tune.
500 Questions (ABC, 8 p.m., Friday): In the newest primetime game show, the smarties have to answer questions all week without getting three wrong in a row. Also, they don’t get bathroom breaks, can’t eat or drink, and are blasted in the face with a fire hose at random intervals. Wait, getting a message from the network—apparently those last details are not correct in any way. Apologies.
The Lincoln Awards: A Concert For Veterans & The Military Family (PBS, 9 p.m., Friday): A night of entertainment for the troops, featuring what you call a seriously diverse lineup, including Alec Baldwin, Aloe Blacc, the American Military Spouses Choir, Arturo Sandoval, Nick Jonas, Gavin DeGraw, Gregory Porter, Harvey Keitel, Jerry Lewis, J.R. Martinez, Rob Riggle, and Whitney Cummings.
The Messengers (CW, 9 p.m., Friday): The angel gang (that’s what they’re called, right?) hunt down the second Horseman Of The Apocalypse, which seems to indicate they’ve taken out one already. Good work, angel gang! Good hustle out there!
Lost Girl (Syfy, 10 p.m., Friday): This episode of everyone’s favorite current Canadian succubus series is titled “Clear Eyes, Fae Hearts,” which can only suggest the full title is “Clear Eyes, Fae Hearts, Can’t Suck.”
The Shawshank Redemption (AMC, 10 p.m., Friday): We avoid violating the “Shawshank Redemption must by playing somewhere on cable at all times” act for one more week.
Best In Sex: 2015 AVN Awards (Showtime, 11 p.m., Friday): “These movies can help people—they can…”
When Calls The Heart (Hallmark, 8 p.m., Saturday): The city gal turned country teacher has doubts about her new life when an old friend from the big city comes to visit and asks, “What are those, cows? Seriously? Ew.” Unrelated: How many crossover viewers are there between When Calls The Heart and The Heart, She Holler, do you think? Like 45, 50 per cent?
Kidnapped: The Hannah Anderson Story (Lifetime, 8 p.m., Saturday): In 2013, a 16-year-old girl was kidnapped, so Lifetime, naturally, made a movie about it. The real Anderson has said this this TV movie of her ordeal is exploiting her and not telling the truth about what happened. Lifetime—television for women, everybody!
Playoff central:
NBA: Cavaliers at Hawks (TNT, 8:30 p.m., Friday)
Warriors at Rockets (ESPN, 9 p.m., Saturday)
NHL: Rangers at Lightning (NBCSN, 8 p.m., Friday)
Ducks at Blackhawks (NBC, 8 p.m., Saturday)
In case you missed it
Wayward Pines: Matt Dillon’s hapless detective continues to blunder into all the creepy secrets a sinister, mysterious town can muster in this series that Alex McCown keeps finding sufficiently weird.