Convinced it doesn’t have enough Ridiculousness, MTV orders up some Adorableness

Alyson Hannigan debates the Adorableness of internet videos as All American closes out its third season

TV Lists Ridiculousness
Convinced it doesn’t have enough Ridiculousness, MTV orders up some Adorableness
James Davis Screenshot: Adorableness

Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Monday, July 19. All times are Eastern.


Top pick

Adorableness (MTV, 7p.m.): Ridiculousness has long since taken over MTV. The Rob Dyrdek-hosted program, in which he watches YouTube and social media videos with panelists to gauge their, you know, dominates the cable network’s schedule, and has even led to three spin-offs. There’s Deliciousness, which sees Tiffani Amber Thiessen making fun of various culinary “fails,” and the intentionally misspelled Messyness, hosted by Jersey Shore representative Snooki. Now comes Adorableness, a kind of antidote to the mockery that runs through all the other shows in the -ness franchise. Hosted by comedian James Davis, Adorableness will focus on cutesy videos from the internet, which will be “aww-ed” over by the likes of Alyson Hannigan, The Daily Show’s Dulcé Sloan, and perennial RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Ross Mathews. How will this differ from walking over to a friend/spouse/stranger in a coffee shop to show them a TikTok compilation video of babies laughing? We’re not sure, though there will probably be considerably less “Leave me alone, I’m busy/who are you?”

Regular coverage

The Bachelorette (ABC, 7 p.m., season-three finale): Now that Katie is down to her final six suitors, Gwen Ihnat dives back into The Bachelorette dating pool to see who makes it to hometowns week (probably not you, Brendan).

Wild card

All American (The CW, 8 p.m., season-three finale): For three seasons, April Blair’s CW series has combined a potent coming-of-age tale with a sports drama. The story of Spencer James (Daniel Ezra, who continues to turn in a remarkable performance) began with the gifted athlete, who grew up in Compton, trying to figure out how to navigate the privileged environs of Beverly Hills High after he’s recruited by football coach Billy Baker (Taye Diggs). Throughout the series, Spencer has wrestled with being thrust into the position of being a “representative for the Black community.” In season three, Spencer returned to South Crenshaw High, and showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll expanded the narrative to reflect the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement. The season-three finale, “In These times,” airs tonight. The complete season will be available July 27 on Netflix, but you can already catch up on seasons one and two.

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