Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Thursday, January 29. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Parenthood (NBC, 10 p.m.): Boyhood’s depiction of the minutiae of growing up earned it big cinematic kudos this year. And while NBC’s Parenthood has never been as high-profile (nor as form-breaking) as Richard Linklater’s film, it has similarly small-scale goals of charting family relationships over time. (Plus, you know, they both have “hood” in their titles.) After six seasons, the often underrated, frequently excellent Parenthood takes its final bow tonight. It’s not one of the most high-profile series finales in recent years, but it’s a bittersweet one for longtime fans of the show, like our own Carrie Raisler. Carrie gets one last chance to weigh in on the series and pick her favorite Braverman before she cranks up Family of the Year’s “Hero” (that great song from Boyhood) and says a tearful goodbye to Parenthood.
Also noted
Scandal (ABC, 9 p.m.): It’s been a long, cold few weeks without the steamy plotting of Shonda Rhimes to spice things up. Thankfully, Shonda Thursdays (or “Thank God It’s Thursday” as ABC insists on calling it) finally returns. Olivia Pope went missing in the winter finale and the winter premiere tracks the kidnapping from Olivia’s point of view. We reminded Joshua Alston of the show’s return and he replied, “It’s handled.”
How To Get Away With Murder (ABC, 10 p.m.): Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya is similarly ready to handle the return of How To Get Away With Murder, whose winter finale was less satisfying than Scandal’s but no less insane. Now that we know #WhoKilledSam, the show can hopefully put its focus where it belongs—on Annalise Keating and the SAG Award winning actress who plays her.
Fortitude (Pivot, 10 p.m.): Although Pivot has marketed itself as a channel for Millennials, its first original scripted program is populated almost exclusively by middle-aged characters (and a 74-year-old Michael Gambon). When a mysterious murder takes place in an isolated Arctic outpost, the local sheriff enlists forensic investigator Stanley Tucci to help solve the case. In her pre-air review, Kate Kulzick found Fortitude an impressive freshman outing so we asked Libby Hill to check in on the show week-by-week to figure out whether this atmospheric drama has a hip, youthful appeal worthy of the Pivot brand.
Regular Coverage
Adventure Time (Cartoon Network, 7 p.m.)
The Vampire Diaries (The CW, 8 p.m.)