Search Party, Adventure Time, Doom Patrol, and The Twilight Zone return

By Allison Shoemaker | June 25, 2020 | 5:00am

TV Lists What's On Tonight

Search Party, Adventure Time, Doom Patrol, and The Twilight Zone return

Clockwise from upper left: Alia Shawkat in Search Party; Adventure Time: Distant Lands—BMO; Colman Domingo in The Twilight Zone; Brendan Fraser in Doom Patrol Photo:

Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Thursday, June 25. All times are Eastern.

Top picks

A TV drought may be looming, but this is one full Thursday. Let’s get through our four (four!) top picks, quick and dirty:

Most Popular

Adventure Time: Distant Lands—BMO (HBO Max, 3:01 a.m., one-hour animated special premiere): “[I]s it any shock that showrunner Adam Muto and his team (including writer Kate Tsang, story editor Jack Pendarvis, and storyboard supervisor Mira Ong Chua) seem to be able to slip back into the vibe so easily? Distant Lands—BMO, the first of the show’s four hour-long HBO Max revivals, takes place in a setting about as far from Finn, Jake, and the Candy Kingdom as it can get, focusing as it does on the space-based adventures of everyone’s favorite self-assured little robot, BMO. But it still feels like Adventure Time, operating on the same blend of dream logic, comedy, and surreal heroism that made the show such a delight and for so long.” Click here to read the rest of William Hughes’ glowing pre-air review.

Can you binge it?: Yes, on both HBO Max and Hulu.

Doom Patrol (HBO Max, 3:01 a.m., second-season premiere, episodes 1-3): “The first season of Doom Patrol—one of the flagship series of the DC Universe streaming service—was an unexpected triumph, one of the best debuts of 2019. Expertly blending superhero action, crass gonzo humor, and pathos, the show broke down fourth walls and comic-book tropes with gleeful abandon, living up to the best of its source material while smartly integrating classical TV storytelling in the mold of Norman Lear. The upcoming launch of HBO Max is a golden opportunity for this savvy and soulful series to find a much bigger audience; too bad, then, that the second season gets mired in the downbeat aspects of the premise. For a show that always managed to stave off its more nihilistic elements with a healthy dose of self-aware humor, the beginning of this latest season descends into darkness as quickly as one of Crazy Jane’s 64 identities, without employing a sufficient counterbalance of fun.” Click here to read the rest of Alex McLevy’s pre-air review.

Can you binge it? Yes, via DC Universe or HBO Max.

Search Party (HBO Max, 3:01 a.m., complete third season): Look for Danette Chavez’s binge reviews of this excellent neo-noir dark comedy, newly arrived on HBO Max, beginning today; reviews will run twice daily until the finale.

Can you binge it? Hell yes you can, and that’s a mighty fine way to spend a weekend, if we might say so. All three seasons live over on HBO Max.

The Twilight Zone (CBS All Access, 3:01 a.m., complete second season): You are now entering the “binge coverage for The Twilight Zone” zone. Noel Murray’s reviews of this reboot, hosted and produced by Jordan Peele and featuring another crop of incredible guest stars (Billy Porter!), will run once per day.

Can you binge it? Yes, both seasons are now alive and well at CBS All Access, which is also home to the original Twilight Zone.

Regular coverage

The Bold Type (Freeform, 10 p.m.): drop-in recap

Wild card

To Tell The Truth (ABC, 10 p.m.): This Anthony Anderson-hosted reboot of the classic game show doesn’t earn a wild card spot because of what it is; it’s not even here because Anderson’s mom—you know, from the phone commercials—is also in on the fun. No, it’s here because we here at What’s On Tonight feel it is our duty to inform you any time Rita Moreno is going to be on television, and tonight, Rita Moreno is going to be on To Tell The Truth. Here she is last week, telling some truths.