Television Premieres and Finales: May 5-11, 2014

Monday, 5/5

24: Live Another Day; Fox. 7 pm CST. Series Return.
Jack's back!
This is one I feel bad for missing originally (kept recording them-- and then the seasons kept building until it got too intimidating to finally start).
So I decided to jump on with this short season-- until I started reading the reviews saying this isn't the strongest comeback.
Maybe I'll wait a month. If I hear things got better, I'll try it OnDemand or later on DVD.

The Tomorrow People (The CW; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.
Sure, it's a typical CW show: hot, young people doing young, hot things-- but it did have a pretty nice mythology going for it, and it also had a near-ludicrous number of surprises that resulted in interesting cliff-hangers nearly every episode.
I liked it. Wasn't my favorite, but it keep me watching.

Bates Motel (A&E; 9 pm CST). Season Finale.
Geez-- over already? I haven't even started watching the season yet...

Louie; FX. 9 pm CST. 4th Season Premiere.


Tuesday, 5/6

Pioneers of Television (PBS; 7 pm CST [check local listings]). Season Finale.

New Girl (Fox; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.
This show had its sophomore slump a year too late.
Hopefully they turn it around next year...

Small Town Security; AMC. 10 pm CST. 3rd Season Premiere.


Wednesday, 5/7

Catfish: The TV Show; MTV. 9 pm CST. 3rd Season Premiere.


Thursday, 5/8

Two and a Half Men (CBS; 8:01 pm CST). Season Finale.

Maron; IFC. 9 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.


Sunday, 5/11

Once Upon a Time (ABC; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.

Rosemary's Baby; NBC. 8 pm CST. Mini-series Premiere.
Just what this Mother's Day needs: a reimagining of the 1967 novel and 1968 film based on it; starring Zoe Saldana.

Penny Dreadful; Showtime. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.

Revenge (ABC; 9:01 pm CST). Season Finale.

Television Premieres and Notables: April 28-May 4, 2014

Monday, 4/28

The Following (Fox; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.


Tuesday, 4/29

Playing House; USA. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.


Wednesday, 4/30

It took a couple of episodes for me to "get it", but I want to give a recommendation to watch Billy on the Street (Fuse; 10 pm CST). That show makes me laugh out loud frequently with Billy Eichner's bombastic, abusive confrontations with people. Keep an eye out for the repeats with Neal Patrick Harris and with Joel McHale. Insane and hilarious.


Thursday, 5/1

Vikings (History; 9 pm CST). Season Finale.


Sunday, 5/4

In The Simpsons' (Fox, 7:00 pm CST) 550th episode tonight, Homer finds himself in a Lego-ized world.

Resurrection (ABC; 9 pm CST). Season Finale.

Just in time for Prom

Television Premieres, Finales,sand Notables: April 14-20, 2014

Monday, 4/14

Warehouse 13; Syfy. 8 pm CST. 5th Season Premiere.

Mom (CBS; 8:30 pm CST). Season Finale.

Bam's Bad Ass Game Show; TBS. 9:30 pm CST. Series Premiere.



Tuesday, 4/15

Pioneers of Television; PBS. 7 pm CST (check local listings). 4th Season Premiere.

Celebrity Wife Swap; ABC. 8 pm CST. Season Premiere.

Fargo; FX. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Doubtful it'll live up to the film, but that's a pretty high bar.
But it has a pretty good start in the acting department with stars Martin Freeman and Billy Bob Thornton.

Awkward; MTV. 9 pm CST. Season Premiere.


Wednesday, 4/16

Unusually Thicke; TVGN. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Alan Thicke finally gets a reality show.


Thursday, 4/17

Community (NBC; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.

The Crazy Ones (CBS; 8:01 pm CST). Season Finale.

Parenthood (NBC; 9 pm CST). Season Finale.


Saturday, 4/19

Billy Crystal 700 Sundays; HBO. 8 pm CST. Special.

Orphan Black; BBC America. 8 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.
And, if you missed season one, watch the marathon that begins at 8 am that'll bring you up to speed.
I haven't watched it yet, but I plan on catching up by the time S2 gets rolling because I've heard good things...

Sex Sent Me to the ER; TLC. 8 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.
I'm only mentioning it because I like the series title.
Do NOT watch this over Orphan Black.


Sunday, 4/20

Signed, Sealed, Delivered; Hallmark. 7 pm CST. Series Premiere.
A look at postal detectives.

Devious Maids; Lifetime. 9 pm CST. Season Premiere.

Salem; WGN America. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
WGN gets in the game with its first scripted drama.
It's about the thing Salem's most famous for...

Television Premieres and Notables: April 7-13, 2014

Monday, 4/7

Inside Comedy (Showtime; 10 pm CST). Season Finale.


Tuesday, 4/8

Justified (FX; 9 pm CST). Season Finale.


Wednesday, 4/9

The Tom and Jerry Show; Cartoon Network. 4:40 pm CST. Series Premiere.

Deadbeat; Hulu. 11 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Tyler Labine stars as a paranormal medium who completes ghosts' unfinished business for them.


Thursday, 4/10

Suits (USA; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.

Alaska State Troopers; National Geographic. 9 pm CST. 6th Season Premiere.


Friday, 4/11

The Neighbors (ABC; 7:31 pm CST). Season Finale.
It's gonna be an even longer summer now (and ABC had better bring this back).


Saturday, 4/12

Comedy Underground With Dave Attell; Comedy Central. midnight. Series Premiere.


Sunday, 4/13

Nurse Jackie; Showtime. 8 pm CST. 6th Season Premiere.

Californication; Showtime. 8:30 pm CST. 7th Season Premiere.

Mad Men; AMC. 9 pm CST. 7th Season Premiere.

Years of Living Dangerously; Showtime. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.

Not many will get it; but those who do will know it's awesome...

Television Premieres, Finales, and Notables: March 31-April 6, 2014

Monday, 3/31

How I Met Your Mother (CBS; 7 pm CST). Series Finale.
The end is here for a show I really loved early on in its run. I liked the actors/characters and the scripts quite a bit (I especially loved how the plots played with time and circled-back on themselves; not unusual nowadays, but practically unheard of nine years ago).
But as the show drug on, it started to lose itself a bit. This season has been a bit of return to the unknown and surprises. That was another thing I liked: it was unpredictable; something not many CBS comedies are.
The show really never was about the mother for me, but I do like they took time to bring her into the show this season. She seems like a good fit for who Ted has become.
So, yeah, I'll miss this show-- even though I know it's time for it to be done.

Friends With Better Lives; CBS. 8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
I don't know much about it other than it stars James Van der Beek and Kevin Connelly.


Tuesday, 4/1

Lab Rats; Disney XD. 6 pm CST. 3rd Season Premiere.

Cougar Town (TBS; 9 pm CST). Season Finale.

Inside Amy Schumer; Comedy Central. 9:30 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.


Wednesday, 4/2

Trip Tank; Comedy Central. 9:30 pm CST. Series Premiere.


Thursday, 4/3

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (ABC; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.
Don't expect it to come back next year...

Community (NBC; 7 pm CST) gives us a another odd episode; this time, the gang is animated G.I. Joe style.

Short Poppies; Netflix. 11 pm CST. Series Premiere.


Friday, 4/4

Unforgettable; CBS. 7 pm CST. Mid-season Premiere.

Raising Hope (Fox; 8 pm CST). Series Premiere.
Like many quirky shows, the shine has been dulled a little over the years, but it really hasn't been because of the actors. I'm especially going to miss Martha Plimpton and Garrett Dillahunt, who absolutely killed in their roles.

Continuum; Syfy. 8 pm CST. 3rd Season Premiere.


Sunday, 4/6

Game of Thrones; HBO. 8 pm CST. 4th Season Premiere.
I really have to start watching this show...

Shameless (Showtime; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.

Turn; AMC. 8 pm CST. Series premiere.
Espionage in the Revolutionary War era.

River Monsters; Animal Planet. 8 pm CST. 6th Season Premiere.

Cutthroat Kitchen; Food Network. 8 pm CST. 3rd Season Premiere.

Ax Men (History; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.

Silicon Valley; HBO. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Mike Judge brings us this show about a small group of programmers who design a game-changing algorithm and have to decide if they're going to sell it to the company they work for or or try to go on their own with it.

Veep; HBO. 9:30 pm CST. 3rd Season Premiere.

I want to live here

Television Premieres and Notables: March 24-30, 2014

Monday, 3/24

The Fosters (ABC Family; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.


Tuesday, 3/25

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox; 8:30 pm CST). Season Finale.

Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge; Syfy. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.


Wednesday, 3/26

Psych (USA; 8 pm CST). Series Finale.


Thursday, 3/27

Surviving Jack; Fox. 8:30 pm CST. Series Premiere.



Sunday, 3/30

Call the Midwife; PBS. 7 pm CST (check local listings). 3rd Season Premiere

The Walking Dead (A&E; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.
It's been an especially slow (but worthwhile) season, so I'm pretty apprehensive about what the season finale will be like (and, you know, after last week's episode, I'm wondering if they will write an even more gut-wrenching ending).

Masterpiece Classic: Mr. Selfridge; PBS. 8 pm CST (check local listings). 2nd Season Premiere.

Television Premieres and Notables: March 16-23, 2014

Monday, 3/17

Adventure Time (Cartoon Network; 6 pm CST). Season Finale.

Dancing With the Stars; ABC. 7 pm CST. 18th Cycle Premiere.


Tuesday, 3/18

Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe; ABC. 7 pm CST. Special.
In lieu of an Agents of SHIELD episode this week, we get a peek into the MCU.
Hopefully it'll be more than fluff because this is an amazing story about a studio that took a big chance with some (at the time) B-level characters and tied them together to make something astounding.

Storage Wars; A&E. 8 pm CST. 5th Season Premiere.

Rizzoli & Isles (TNT; 8 pm CST).

Chopped; Food Network. 8 pm CST. 20th Cycle Premiere.


Wednesday, 3/19

The 100; The CW. 8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
After they nearly destroy the Earth, humanity has moved to space stations surrounding the planet. Now, after nearly a century, they're wondering if the planet is inhabitable again, and to find out, they send 100 juvenile delinquents down to check it out.
I'm guessing things won't go well as it's a series and not a movie/mini-series...

Doll & Em; HBO. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Dolly Wells and Emily Mortimer star in this comedy about a movie star who hires a friend to be her assistant.


Saturday, 3/22

DaVinci's Demons; Starz. 8 pm CST. Season Premiere.


Sunday, 3/23

Drop Dead Diva; Lifetime. 8 pm CST. Season Premiere.

Girls (HBO; 9 pm CST). Season Finale.