Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Tuesday, April 20. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Cruel Summer (Freeform, 9 p.m., series premiere, back-to-back episodes): Who doesn’t want a little psychological thriller in their diet now and then? It’s good for the digestion—and if it comes with some ’90s fashion flashbacks, so much the better.
Freeform’s latest, which comes from executive producer Jessica Biel (who was also an EP for The Sinner), centers on a geeky teenager (Chiara Aurelia) who transforms into a popular America’s Sweetheart type following the disappearance of the town’s previous queen bee (Olivia Holt). Its story spans three successive summers, is told through shifting points-of-view, and is all-but-guaranteed to have a killer soundtrack. What more could a TV viewer want? Perhaps only to read Saloni Gajjar’s pre-air review, which will appear on the site later today. And a quick heads-up: After this week’s double-length premiere, the show will air at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays.
Regular coverage
Supergirl (The CW, 9 p.m.)
Big Sky (ABC, 10 p.m.): time-slot premiere
Wild cards
Time for another wild card lightning round.
Queen Sugar (OWN, 8 p.m., series finale): Farewell, sweet Bordelons.
Sasquatch (Hulu, 3:01 a.m., complete limited docuseries): An investigative journalist digs for the truth behind haunting story he once heard: that of three men being torn limb from limb by Bigfoot.
Chopped 420 (Discovery+, 3:01 a.m., complete first season): It’s 4/20, so here’s Chopped, but with weed. A rotating panel of judges includes Chef Esther Choi and Drag Race alum Laganja Estranja.
Cinema Toast (Sho.com, 3:01 a.m., complete first season): A collection of top-tier directors make new things from old things in this “post-modernist reinvention of older movies that turns pre-existing imagery from the public domain on its head to tell brand new unique stories.”
Philly D.A. (PBS, 9 p.m., series premiere): This docuseries from Independent Lens looks at “the tumultuous first term of Philadelphia’s unapologetic D.A.,” civil rights attorney Larry Krasner.
5 Comments
Was last week’s Big Sky review/recap even posted? I had assumed it was dropped from regular coverage–I can’t find it anywhere (and it’s not under that show’s page for its other reviews)
Why the ’90s? “Cruel Summer” was an ’80s song.
The show will be a bunch of 90s kids having 80s nostalgia even though the 80s were only 1-10 years ago. “God, remember jelly bracelets, Skylar?” “Uh, yah, that was only, like, 2 years ago, Bethany!”(Skylar was never seen again)
People do still listen to music that came out in the past. If it were the other way around, that would be a pretty major goof. People still listening to a song that was a recent hit? Not really a mistake.
I saw “Cruel Summer” and was certain I’d be reading something about Daniel LaRusso or Bananarama. Or at least the Valley circa 1984.