The RNC faces off against Comic-Con

By Caroline Siede  |  July 21, 2016 | 5:00am
TV Features TV
The RNC faces off against Comic-Con
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Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Thursday, July 21. All times are Eastern.

Top picks

Steven Universe (Cartoon Network, 7 p.m.): Steven Universe continues its run of brand new episodes with “The New Lars.” After inadvertently revealing he’s a huge Ladie (Sars?) shipper, Steven takes an analytical look at Lars’ life. Eric Thurm is more than down for a Big Donut romance between Lars and Sadie so long as Lars gets his act together when it comes to, you know, not being a dick.

Republican National Convention (PBS, 8 p.m.; ABC, CBS, NBC, 10 p.m.): It’s the fourth and final night of the Republican National Convention. Both Ivanka Trump and The Donald himself are slated to speak and the evening is centered around the theme “Make America One Again.” (One what has yet to be determined.) PBS kicks off the coverage at 8 p.m. while ABC, CBS, and NBC join in at 10 p.m. Considering Trump’s over-the-top entrance on the first night of the convention, there’s no telling how he’ll kick off his speech tonight. Perhaps he’ll ride in on the bubble from Wicked.

Live From Comic-Con (Syfy, 8 p.m.): While the RNC is wrapping up, Comic-Con is just beginning. For the first time ever, Syfy is recapping the nerdy weekend-long convention with nightly live telecasts from San Diego. The show is hosted by—of all people—Will Arnett, and it will feature “breaking news, insider party coverage, exclusive content and sneak peeks of the most anticipated films and TV series.” Plus Arnett will interview some of the famous faces in town for the event. The guests for Thursday night’s show include Tony Hale, Alan Tudyk, and the cast of Star Trek Beyond. Perhaps they’ll also enter on the bubble from Wicked.

Premieres and finales

Thirteen (BBC America, 6 p.m.): In the series finale of this BBC America kidnapping drama, Ivy finds herself once again at the mercy of her abductor.

Bones (Fox, 8 p.m.): Much like the Highlander, there can only be one Bones. And since Leonard “Bones” McCoy is returning to the big screen in Star Trek Beyond tonight, Temperance “Bones” Brennan is bowing out in the Bones season finale. The team continues to search for a serial killer called the Puppeteer while Bones battles guilt for failing to catch him. Hopefully that will give her the chance to utter her famous catchphrase, “Dammit, Booth, I’m a forensic anthropologist, not a bloodhound.”

Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge (NBC, 8 p.m.): The six best teams return to tackle “the toughest course to date” in the Spartan season finale. Despite its insane obstacle course, this show will probably still be less taxing to watch than the RNC coverage that follows it.

Regular Coverage

Stranger Things (Netflix, 12 p.m.)

Streaming pick

The West Wing, “2162 Votes” (Netflix): Our real-life election season is a hot mess, so let’s retreat to the far more civil world of The West Wing. By its sixth season, The West Wing had mostly recovered from the departure of Aaron Sorkin and pivoted to a compelling election arc. In “2162 Votes,” the Democratic National Convention struggles to pick a presidential nominee from three candidates, but a moving speech from Matt Santos changes the game. The best part is, no one stoops to accusing their opponent of being in league with Lucifer.

 
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