Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Wednesday, December 9. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
South Park (Comedy Central, 10 p.m.) / You’re The Worst (FXX, 10:45 p.m.): As it turns out, your friendly neighborhood What’s On Tonight contributor is pretty indecisive. So tonight’s toppest of picks is actually two picks for the price of one. Even better, you don’t have to choose between the both of them, even if the tonal shift of going from South Park to You’re The Worst is as jarring as we expect it will be. So first up is the 19th (19!) season finale of South Park, “PC Principal Final Justice.” It’s all been building to this. In his review of last week’s penultimate episode, Dan Caffrey called this an “increasingly epic season…that relies almost entirely on cryptic intentions, shifting allegiances, and general confusion among the characters as they try to unravel who’s really behind the recent madness around town.” Will that be the case in this season finale? “The gentrification of South Park is pricing Randy right out of town. Meanwhile, Kyle’s distrust of Stan has broken their friendship and thrown Kyle into a dangerous alliance.” Sounds like it. Also, a “dangerous alliance,” huh?
Then—after you’ve gone down a Dangerous Alliance spiral and watched South Park—get ready to laugh through your tears with the second season finale of You’re The Worst. And you know what, You’re The Worst? You’re right—the heart is a dumb dumb. (See, the season finale is titled “The Heart Is A Dumb Dumb.” You get it.) Season one ended at a Becca/Vernon social gathering, and it looks like this season will too: “Jimmy attends Becca and Vernon’s baby gender reveal party.” Please say there will be Trash Juice. Please. (It’s Vikram Murthi’s favorite of all the juice.) Meanwhile… The episode synopsis for this remains quite vague, actually. “Gretchen takes care of some unfinished business. Edgar and Dorothy’s relationship reaches a turning point. Lindsay confronts Paul.” Character verbs noun. However, we do know this episode is written by showrunner Stephen Falk and directed by Matt Shakman, so we’re perfectly willing to assume said vagueness is just a way to keep us from being overwhelmed. Is it time for season three yet?
Top pick No. 2: Electric Boogaloo
The Challenge: Battle Of The Bloodlines / The Challenge Aftershow (MTV, 10 / 11 p.m.): “Players face their fears; and the pressure gets to one team.” This is literally every episode of The Challenge, but we’re still hyped for another new episode of The Challenge. Also, if you want to know what actually happens in the episode, just read up on the aftershow: “Cast members discuss the Nany-Cohutta love saga, Jenna and Brianna’s confrontation, and Cara Maria and Thomas’ hook-up.” There we go.
Also noted
Arrow (The CW, 8 p.m.): If you’re looking for some deets (yes, we said deets) within the Arrow midseason finale synopsis, we’re afraid we’ve got some bad news. Arrow knows what it’s doing, and it’s giving us a synopsis that could pretty much be a part of every episode this season: “Oliver makes a bold move against HIVE when the city is attacked. Meanwhile, Malcolm checks in on Thea and leaves her with a warning; and things take a horrible turn when Damien Darhk retaliates in a brutal manner at Oliver’s mayoral holiday party.” Yes, Alasdair Wilkins would argue that the Damien Darhk/mayoral holiday party part may be a new deet (he really loves the non-word “deet”), but come on—Darhk is the ultimate party crasher.
The Middle / The Goldbergs (ABC, 8 / 8:30 p.m.): In the midseason finale of The Middle, “dreading the fact that they are always late to church and end up in the overflow room, Frankie makes the decision to have the family watch a Christmas Eve service on TV from the comfort of the Heck house.” Sure, Frankie. “Comfort.” On the opposite end of the relaxation spectrum, The Goldbergs’ midseason finale has Beverly creating “Super Hanukkah” in order to get her “unenthusiastic family…into the spirit.” The thing is, it’s a little too close to Christmas. This is why Chrismukkah remains the ultimate holiday, you guys. Will Harris is almost on holiday overload, but it’s worth it with The Middle and The Goldbergs.
Modern Family (ABC, 9 p.m.): Everything is having a midseason finale! Everything! For Modern Family, that midseason finale is “White Christmas” (insert joke about how every Christmas is a “White Christmas” on Modern Family here). “In an effort to have the picture-perfect white Christmas she’s always dreamed of, Gloria rents a cabin in the mountains for the whole family to celebrate the holiday. Unfortunately, when they arrive, there are some unexpected factors like the weather and an eccentric random guest, who is already staying in the cabin.” Of course there is. Kyle Fowle, of course there is.
Black-ish (ABC, 9:30 p.m.): Black-ish’s midseason finale is called “Stuff.” We don’t know if you’ve heard, but Christmas has gotten kind of commercialized the last few decades or so. That’s what this episode’s about: “Dre thinks Christmas has become commercialized and is all about ‘stuff,’ and no one loves ‘stuff’ more than his kids. Pops and Ruby think they have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas and come up with a new plan to pare down gifts and spend more time together.” Back in LaToya Ferguson’s day, all kids wanted for Christmas were their two front teeth. There’s a reason she doesn’t much care for kids.