Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Tuesday, April 14. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Justified (FX, 10 p.m.): Tonight marks the end of one of television’s finest—and, more than that, just coolest—shows, as Raylan Givens and Boyd Crowder enter the final act of their battle for Harlan County. Justified has been many things over its six seasons: seriocomic exploration of the criminal mind, rollicking mix of action and suspense, endless repository of quotable dialogue, loving tribute to Elmore Leonard. (We guess that last one kind of covers all the rest, now that we think about it.) Past reviewer Noel Murray checks in with a For Our Consideration about what set Justified apart from its more self-serious prestige show contemporaries, while Alasdair Wilkins will be on hand later tonight to give the show the Viking funeral it has so completely earned.
Normally, this would be Person Of Interest’s spot, but, nah, the people’s top pick tonight is Justified, and we are not hearing arguments about this. So then, here’s a video of every last son of a bitch Raylan Givens has shot in his time in Harlan. And by “every,” we actually mean “just in the first two seasons.” It’s still nearly five minutes long!
Person Of Interest(CBS, 10 p.m.): All right, now let’s talk about Person Of Interest. Tonight has all the makings of a fine outing, as Reese is going to try to solve a homicide case that the late, lamented Detective Carter was never able to close. (We can only assume this is why Carter faked her death and is now undertaking a deep-cover infiltration of Empire Entertainment.) Also, we hope Alexa Planje doesn’t mind if we turn this What’s On Tonight into an impromptu Justified video retrospective. We did seasons one and two, so let’s move onto season three with a look-in at the immortal Wynn Duffy, the (h)armless Robert Quarles, and maybe the single most badass thing Raylan ever said.
Also, also noted
The Flash (The CW, 8 p.m.): It’s time for another superhero team-up, as Felicity Smoak and Brandon Routh’s Ray Palmer—alias the Atom, although he’s really more the Blue Beetle, or possibly a low-rent Iron Man—head to Central City to get some technical support from STAR Labs. And, because it wouldn’t be a superhero team-up without the superheroes squabbling, Barry isn’t all too pleased with these visitors, but that’s mostly because he’s pretty sure there’s a traitor in his midst. Scott Von Doviak is also pretty sure there’s a traitor at The A.V. Club, but we’ve got him convinced he’s just paranoid.
Younger (TV Land, 10 p.m.): We neglected to include this show in last week’s listings, but yes, this Sutton Foster-starring sitcom is indeed a part of the TV Club rotation. Tonight’s episode finds Hilary Duff’s Kelsey celebrating an author acquisition with lots and lots of tequila, which is bound to end well. We’re guessing Alexa Planje won’t mind if we again hijack the capsules for one of her TV shows so that we can share another Justified clip. So, uh, you heard about how Boyd Crowder is an outlaw? Well, let the man tell you himself. It’s better when he does it, anyway.
And now, a musical tribute to Tim Gutterson, just because
What else is on?
Little Person: Boston Strong (Discovery Life, 8 p.m.): Even if the title sounds like it’s the end result of a particularly weird round of reality television mad libs, this might at least contain the kernel of a legitimately uplifting story. The hour-long documentary chronicles Juli Windsor, who in 2013 was less than a mile away from becoming the first person with dwarfism to finish the Boston marathon when the bombs went off at the finish line.
King Of The Hill (Cartoon Network, 8 p.m.): A pair of amorously inclined episodes tonight, as “Sug Night” finds Hank having dreams about grilling naked with Nancy Gribble, while “Dang Ol’ Love” explores what happens when incorrigible playboy Boomhauer finds the woman of his monogamous dreams.
Botched (E!, 9 p.m.): There may not be much of interest on tonight, but what there is just happens to be as exploitative and crass as you could ever hope for. To wit: “Season 2 begins with reality star Tiffany ‘New York’ Pollard asking the doctors to fix her botched boobs.” Oh, Botched. Never change.
Arranged (FYI, 10:15 p.m.): This latest reality shows built around a non-traditional—or, depending on your perspective, extremely traditional—marriage looks at a teenage Romani couple whose first time spent alone together comes on their wedding day. Eh, still probably better than Botched. We still don’t feel great about this, so let’s be reminded of the time Raylan Givens took down a particularly stupid criminal. Like, stupid even by Crowe family standards, which is really saying something.
Predator/Predator 2 (IFC, 8 p.m./10:30 p.m.): We’ve never seen Predator 2, but Predator is pretty much perfect at being Predator, so if it’s even half as successful at being Predator, this is a fine double feature. (Look, we’re not totally sure what that means either. We’re mostly just thinking about how much better Justified season five would have been if the main villain had been the Predator. An Arnold-led team of commandoes is one thing, but we’re willing to wager the Predator would get more than he bargained for in Harlan County!)
Ernest Goes To Jail/Ernest Scared Stupid (Flix, 8 p.m./9:30 p.m.): This is also a double feature, and frankly it could have only benefited from the addition of one or more Predators.
NBA Basketball: Wizards at Pacers/Clippers at Suns (TNT, 8 p.m./10:30 p.m.): The regular season is winding down, and the Pacers are looking to lock up the final Eastern Conference playoff berth with a win against the listing Wizards. Meanwhile, the red-hot Clippers are jockeying for some last-minute playoff positioning against the long-since faded Suns.
In case you missed it
Justified: We’re cheating a little bit here, we realize, but let’s go all the way back to March 16, 2010, for Scott Tobias’ review of the Justified series premiere. That’s how it all began. Come back tonight to see how it all ends.
