Here’s what’s up in the world of television for Thursday, January 9. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
Spoils Of Babylon (IFC, 10 p.m.): This star-studded parody miniseries debuts its first two episodes tonight, in a back-to-back premiere event, the likes of which have not been seen since… yesterday. Erik Adams previewed it for us and promised a certain amount of mannequin-fucking; tonight, David Sims begins his weekly coverage of the series, questing for the elusive comedic gold promised by Tobey Maguire in a compromising position with a piece of plastic. Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, Tim Robbins, Carey Mulligan, Michael Sheen, and Jessica Alba are all also starring in Spoils Of Babylon, which is a send-up of ‘70s-era sweeping dramas about grand families that make a bunch of money and then go to war. It’s the Anchorman for the Forrest Gump coming-of-age story, which could mean, you know, anything at all. Tune in tonight and watch with us—don’t worry, mannequins are purely optional.
REGULAR COVERAGE
The Big Bang Theory (CBS, 8 p.m.): Penny quits her job this week, and she ends up spending a lot of time with Sheldon, who is himself attempting to take a “vacation.” But what’s most worrying is that Bernadette needs to replace one of Howard’s comic books. Oliver Sava just knows that one is going to end in tears.
Community (NBC, 8 p.m.): Someone at Greendale is dropping coins down the backs of people’s pants. Ha ha, someone. Todd VanDerWerff isn’t naming names, but he knows exactly who the penny-dropping culprit is. (No, he doesn’t.) (Yes, he does. And the results will be tragic. More at 11.)
Parks And Recreation (NBC, 8:30 p.m.): Tonight is the 100th episode of Parks And Recreation! And in it, Leslie faces a big decision for her future, because it’s also her last day in office. As she and Ben make plans, Chris and Ann find out the sex of their baby! Alasdair Wilkins doesn’t even care if it’s a boy or a girl, because he settled on buying a bunch of green presents for the baby shower. Because their baby is going to be either gender-neutral or Kermit the Frog.
White Collar (USA, 9 p.m.): Neal’s final assignment from Hagen is going to jeopardize someone else’s life. But we don’t know whom just yet. Kenny Herzog cannot. Handle. The suspense.
The Michael J. Fox Show (NBC, 9:30 p.m.): Leigh and Harris try to keep their new relationshuip a secret from the Henry family. Robert David Sullivan sighs and shakes his head. Won’t these madly-in-love sitcom characters ever learn that nothing is ever secret from Cthulu, the destroyer of all things?
Elementary (CBS, 10 p.m.): Holmes and Watson decide to investigate the mafia because a body is found in a barrel. Myles McNutt found a body in a barrel once, and that did not inspire him to investigate the mafia, but it did prompt him to call the exterminator. (It was the body of a rat. He is very conscientious.)