The Borgias brings the politics of Catholicism, the boobs of the Renaissance to your Easter Sunday
Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Sunday, April 8. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
The Borgias (Showtime, 10 p.m.): Showtime’s latest nudity-delivery-device-disguised-as-historical-drama makes frequent attempts to break out of its self-imposed ghetto—most born on the back of Jeremy Irons’ strong performance as corrupt pope Rodrigo Borgias. The fact that the heart of a better show beats within The Borgias is enough to get The A.V. Club’s attention, so we’re bringing it into our regular review rotation, along with bright-eyed, bushy-tailed AVC contributor Les Chappell. He’s the new guy, so treat him nicely—let’s keep the floggings on the small screen, shall we?
REGULAR COVERAGE
The Amazing Race (CBS, 8 p.m.): The next step of the race brings the contestants within spitting distance of Mount Killimanjaro, but they don’t have to climb Africa’s highest mountain? Scott Von Doviak considers downgrading the show to The Surprising, But Not As Amazing As If They Had To Climb Killimanjaro Race.
The Killing (AMC, 9 p.m.): Nearly every other site on the Internet has written off Veena Sud’s frustrating murder mystery—but not The A.V. Club. Brandon Nowalk will see the investigation into Rosie Larsen’s death to the bitter end—which could be closer than previously assumed, considering the rating’s for last week’s second-season première.
Game Of Thrones (HBO, 9 p.m.): Tyrion eases into his role as the Hand of the King—and while we’d all rather watch him use his own hand to leave red marks all over Joffrey’s face, it’s still exciting to see Peter Dinklage’s character ascend to a position of power. Todd VanDerWerff knows what comes next, but he’s keeping the spoilers away from David Sims’ newbies review.
Celebrity Apprentice (NBC, 9 p.m.): In what sounds like a more tragic scenario than what probably plays out onscreen, one of the celebrities goes missing during this week’s challenge. Margaret Eby keeps a candlelight vigil until the day when all B- to C-List celebrities are free to have their tantrums in full view of the Apprentice cameras.
Nurse Jackie (Showtime, 9 p.m.): Tonight, Showtime’s “Casual Misogyny Hour” (Californication plus House Of Lies) gives way to the network’s bread-and-butter “Strong-But-Troubled Female Power Pack.” The programming bloc is down one show due to the loss of The United States Of Tara, but Phil Dyess-Nugent is watching to make sure Edie Falco’s self-medicating Nurse Jackie protagonist picks up the slack.