Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Sunday, February 14. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Vinyl (HBO, 9 p.m.): Give or take an animated series about angsty critters, HBO has been largely dormant since 2016 began. But that hiatus comes to a halt with an explosive guitar riff as their first new drama of the year premieres, the (very) long-gestating Vinyl. Terence Winter and Martin Scorsese return to their Boardwalk Empire home and add Mick Jagger to their superstar tag team for this series about a 1970s record label caught in the rising storm of punk, hip-hop, and disco. Between that creative team, an absurdly large and talented cast headlined by Bobby Cannavale, Olivia Wilde and Ray Romano, and HBO’s track record of pouring lots of money into their period pieces, the network’s clearly shooting for its next gold record. Joshua Alston’s sampled the demo, and finds the rhythm to his liking even if it’s not dropping any fresh beats in the early tracks:
If ever an actor, a writer, and a director were destined to work together, it’s Cannavale, Winter, and Scorsese, and Cannavale’s all-consuming intensity shows the collaboration’s explosive potential. They’re clearly like-minded artists, and watching Vinyl is like hearing them drunkenly repeat stories Jagger told them at a stag party. But that’s precisely why Vinyl feels narratively hemmed in by its nostalgia. Boardwalk Empire took a more layered view of the Prohibition ’20s, whereas Vinyl’s main takeaway is that everything used to be cooler, sexier, and more fun. That message will resonate for some, and strike others as a sermon about the redemptive power of rock delivered directly to the choir.
Regular coverage will come from Dan Caffrey, who will hopefully be better than your What’s On Tonight correspondent when it comes to torturing music metaphors.
Also noted
Bob’s Burgers (Fox, 7:30 p.m.): It’s been a painful drought on the Bob’s Burgers front this season, with new episodes mostly popping up when there’s an associated holiday. That trend continues with the show’s Valentine’s Day episode, where Gene’s desire to host the morning announcements may be jeopardized by a past relationship and Tina gets the chance to play Cupid at a fundraiser. Better watch your butts, Alasdair Wilkins cautions Wagstaff boys: Tina with a bow and arrow that she thinks causes love at first sight sounds dangerous.
The Simpsons (Fox, 8 p.m.): The launch of the Frinkiac has officially made Professor Frink the master of the Internet, and tonight he turns his attention to also being the master of love by devising the perfect algorithm to match men and women. Dennis Perkins was on hand to present him the Nobel Prize in science for these achievements, but as this image from the award ceremony shows, it was a bittersweet experience.
The Walking Dead (AMC, 9 p.m.): Speaking of marauding ghouls, The Walking Dead returns from its winter hiatus. As is de rigueur for this show, all hope is lost: Alexandria has fallen to the walkers, the Wolves are running around unchecked, and a new group called the Saviors have reared their heads under the leadership of a mysterious figure named Negan. Whose side are you on, Zack Handlen?
Downton Abbey (PBS, 9 p.m.): “Mrs. Hughes tricks Carson into doing the housework.” With only a few episodes left to go in the series, Emily L. Stephens wonders if anyone’s pitched Julian Fellowes on a multicam sitcom that follows these two through the ups and downs of married life. It’d be like The Honeymooners, only with far better diction on “BANG, ZOOM! Straight to the moon!”
Shameless (Showtime, 9 p.m.): With Lip getting embroiled in a scandal that drags him before the faculty disciplinary committee, Myles McNutt is gearing up to write at least 2,000 words for University Verisimilitude Corner. Shameless turned into a college drama so quickly we didn’t even notice. Frank will be filling the role of the campus quad lunatic.