Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Sunday, December 25. All times are Eastern.

Preacher (AMC, 10 p.m.): Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s series about a Texas reverend possessed by a divine force stands proud and tall in the world of comic storytelling: a glorious and sprawling epic of Western influences, Gothic horror, all manner of perversion and blasphemy balanced with an irreverent and…

Bob’s Burgers (Fox, 8:30 and 9 p.m.): The constant rescheduling and preemption of new episodes of Bob’s Burgers is a familiar pain to its loyal fans, but the plus side of it is the occasional super-sized meal of two episodes at once. And based on the synopses, what a meal it is tonight. There’s a bouncy castle at…

Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Thursday, December 25. All times are Eastern.

One of the underreported TV stories of the past few years—right along with the rise of Univision and Telemundo—has been the resurgence of PBS. Yes, reporters dutifully write about the big ratings Downton Abbey and Sherlock pull every time they surface on American TV, but they mostly ignore the channel’s other…

Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Sunday, April 21. All times are Eastern.

If “Hide” were just a straightforward ghost story, it would still be an effective hour of television. The setting—a dark night on the moors at an abandoned, centuries-old manor—is naturally spooky and atmospheric, and the writing, direction, and actors all fully commit to the ‘70s-style horror, which means lots of…

The Television Critics Association winter press tour for 2013 has been one of defensiveness when it came to most network heads. Brutalized by a fall that reduced everybody’s ratings—but for NBC, which went from “awful” to “not quite awful”—and a world in which the number one scripted drama was on cable and was about…

Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Sunday, December 30. All times are Eastern.

Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Sunday, November 4. All times are Eastern.

Leaving aside that the episode is called “Baby Snatcher,” it’s not a good sign when there are no more pregnancies at the halfway mark on a show about midwives. The baby that is delivered is kidnapped, and the other dies along with its mother due to eclampsia. Of course, everything turns out all right, by which I mean…

Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Sunday, October 21. All times are Eastern.

“Maybe A Baby” is the perfect title for an episode this half-hearted. The episode puts the rest of the series into relief by revealing what happens when a show of modest but well-executed pleasures becomes even thinner. Call The Midwife was never much, but it pulls off its heartwarming chronicle of social medicine…

Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Sunday, October 14. All times are Eastern.

“The Browne Incident” is so light on its feet that I was feeling shortchanged in the tears department until the climax. Its namesake, Chummy Browne, is the new recruit at Nonnatus, which remains so swamped that nobody can finish conversations and people only communicate in the traffic areas of the convent, like…

Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Sunday, October 7. All times are Eastern.

Call The Midwife debuts tonight on PBS at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, 7 p.m. Central and Mountain on most stations, but you should check local listings.

Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Sunday, September 30. All times are Eastern.