Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Friday, August 16, and Saturday, August 17. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
Phineas & Ferb (Disney Channel, 8 p.m., Friday): We have been led to believe we have some fans of Phineas & Ferb in the house. Is that correct? (What’s On Tonight stands off to the side and politely waits for cheers. Then it steps up to the microphone and lifts a hand to its ear.) We can’t hear you! (The cheers grow in volume, and What’s On Tonight smiles.) Now, do we have any Marvel comics fans in the house? (Even more cheers, this time from some of you in Squirrel Girl costumes.) All right! We’re going to have a review of the new Phineas & Ferb/Marvel crossover for you later today by Gwen Ihnat! How does that sound? (The entire arena vibrates with the volume of cheers.)
REGULAR COVERAGE
Comedy Bang! Bang! (IFC, 10 p.m., Friday): If any of you are Community fans—and we know that’s a bleak prospect when you’re at The A.V. Club—then you may enjoy tuning in for tonight’s episode, which will feature that program’s Gillian Jacobs. David Sims refuses to call her anything but Britta. It’s weird.
Strike Back (Cinemax, 10 p.m., Friday): Section 20 launches an assault on downtown Bogota, even as we launch Myles McNutt’s assault on biweekly reviews of the series, just as we described in last week’s What’s On Tonight, so please stop bugging us on Twitter about how we’ve “stopped covering the show.”
Borgen (LinkTV, 1 a.m., Saturday): Last week, Troels saw his ultimate triumph, only to have a mysterious photographer take photos of him in a compromising position. Todd VanDerWerff has seen television before, and he’s willing to bet those photos will never again enter the storyline, not once.
TV CLUB CLASSIC
The Larry Sanders Show (1 p.m., Friday): In an episode helpfully entitled “End Of The Season,” the show within the show reaches the end of its season, just as the series itself reaches the end of its third season. And with that, the waiting game begins to see when Kyle Ryan will find time for reviews of season four!
Wonderfalls (3 p.m., Friday): In an episode written by series creator Bryan Fuller and directed by big cheese Todd Holland, Jaye deals with the fallout from letting Heidi and Eric get back together, then has angst-y moments. Les Chappell knows the episode’s called “Cocktail Bunny,” so at least there’s that.
The Twilight Zone (1 p.m., Saturday): Zack Handlen reviews an episode called “I Dream Of Genie” this week, but it sadly doesn’t star Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman, which was a real disappointment to him. We didn’t have the heart to break it to him that Samantha totally could have taken Jeannie any day.
Doctor Who (Classic) (3 p.m., Saturday): This week, Christopher Bahn reviews “The Reign Of Terror,” which is sadly just the Doctor Who serial—completed with two animated reconstructions of missing chapters—and not Christopher reviewing the actual Reign of Terror, which would have been cool.
WHAT ELSE IS ON
Friends (TV Land, 8 p.m., Friday): Pretend it’s still the 1990s, Bill Clinton is still president, and you still live with your parents and have all your needs provided for by watching this marathon of one of the most popular sitcoms ever made. There are some good episodes, too! Like “The One With The Jellyfish”!
Say Yes To The Dress (TLC, 9 p.m., Friday): TLC’s surprisingly popular show about selecting just the right wedding dress begins its latest season with the usual cascade of gowns. Have you been thinking about what the right dress for you might be? We have been, and then we’ve been crying about it all night long!
Wander Over Yonder (Disney Channel, 9 p.m. Friday): Despite the fact that this sounds like a long-delayed spinoff of Petticoat Junction, it’s actually about an alien named “Wander,” who presumably does exactly what his namesake suggests and does so “Over Yonder.” Sounds like riveting television.
Top 50 Crush-Worthy Artists (Fuse TV, 10 p.m., Friday): All we’re going to say is that if The Who is on here, then One Direction had better be on the list but much higher, because we are the FIERCEST FANBASE, AND WE WILL CLAW OUT YOUR EYES WITH OUR MAGICAL LASERBEAM FINGERNAILS!!!
Baby Sellers (Lifetime, 8 p.m., Saturday): Sadly, this is a movie where Kirstie Alley plays a corrupt adoption agency owner, who uses a massive criminal network to procure babies for parents who will pay any price and not a movie where Kirstie Alley plays a baby version of Peter Sellers. Too bad!
Being Human (BBC America, 10 p.m., Saturday): The original British version of this series comes to a close, and Phil Dyess-Nugent is there to see what happens when a show ends with its original main cast scattered for the hills. Phil was surprised to find that, hey, mostly good things happen. Who’d’a thunk?
Hot Fuzz (BBC America, 8 p.m., Friday): Prepare for The World’s End by watching the last film Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg united for, a gleeful spin on buddy cop action-comedies, set in the most docile little town you’ll ever come across—except for the fact that people keep getting beheaded there.
Mildred Pierce (TCM, 8 p.m., Friday): You might think this was the HBO miniseries that won Kate Winslet her Emmy on her merciless path to EGOT, but you’d be wrong. It’s the original film version of the tale, starring Joan Crawford, who won an Oscar for the role, and directed by Michael Curtiz.
Anna Karenina (HBO, 7:30 p.m., Saturday): This Keira Knightley vehicle—directed by Joe Wright from a script by Tom Stoppard—was ultimately a bit of a disappointment, but no one can ever tell you it didn’t look super pretty. And if that’s the sort of thing you like, then you just might like this movie, too.
NFL Football Exhibition: Buccaneers at Patriots (Fox, 8 p.m., Friday): This vaguely football-like product is sure to entertain and delight your family for ages to come, featuring as it does America’s two favorite teams, the Patriots and the Buccaneers! Make sure to get out all your Buccaneers game gear tonight!
Gymnastics: P&G Championships (NBC, 8 p.m., Saturday): McKayla Maroney is expected to compete at this event, which means you can break out your memories of the summer of 2012, when you folded your arms and tried to look displeased as well as she did. And everything will be happy again!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Wilfred (Thursday): Dwight Yoakam is back, and dark gamesmanship will surely follow. Also, Rowan Kaiser had to sit this week out, so Kenny Herzog took over for him, and as you may have guessed, dark gamesmanship followed, as is sure to happen whenever Kenny takes over an assignment from someone.