Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Sunday, August 4. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
The Killing (AMC, 9 p.m.): You can never really kill The Killing, which returned from cancellation for a third season that jumped forward a year in time and introduced a new central case. The show has yet to be renewed for a fourth season, so this could be the final hurrah for Detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder. In the season three finale the detectives deal with the emotional fallout from the end of their case and receive a new assignment. Phil Dyess-Nugent hopes his next assignment will involve a little less murder but just as much Peter Sarsgaard.
REGULAR COVERAGE
True Blood (HBO, 9 p.m.): This week’s episode not only features a vampire camp but also Anna Camp. Luckily, Carrie Raisler has already reviewed a show called Camp so she is more than qualified to give her thoughts on tonight’s episode.
Dexter (Showtime, 9 p.m.): Dexter keeps tabs on a young psychopath. Joshua Alston keeps tabs on Dexter. Our readers keep tabs on Joshua Alston. Which mean our readers should watch out for that young psychopath who is presumably completing the circle and keeping tabs on them…
Falling Skies (TNT, 9 p.m.): The season three finale promises an epic battle, a family reunion, and the arrival of new interstellar players. Evil!Les Chappell will be stepping in for Les this week so read at your own risk.
Newsroom (HBO, 10 p.m.): The preview for this week’s episode features Jim saying, “Everything about it felt right, but if it was insulting, I still don’t care.” Todd VanDerWerff likes to imagine Aaron Sorkin has this line embroidered on all his throw pillows.
Ray Donovan (Showtime, 10 p.m.): Mickey Donovan throws a housewarming party and offers drugs and alcohol to Ray's underaged children. Sonia Saraiya would like to remind everyone to just say no, live about the influence, remember D.A.R.E, and apply whatever other generation-appropriate anti-drug campaign may be useful in situations like these.
TV CLUB CLASSIC
Farscape (11 a.m.): Talyn destroys a Plokavian ship and the crew is put on trial where they each tell a different story as to what happened. Alasdair Wilkins can spot a Rashomon homage from a mile away, and, depending on who you ask, he either is a big fan of or really hates the multi-perspective structure.
Saturday Night Live (1 p.m.): The streak of Five-Timers Club Members continues this week with Buck Henry who went on to host the show 10 times in four years. Phil Dyes-Nugent checks in on Henry’s first appearance alongside musical guests Bill Withers and a pre-“Mickey” Toni Basil.
The Simpsons (3 p.m.): This week’s episode, “Homer Badman,” features a candy convention, Dennis Franz, and a gummy Venus di Milo. Funnily enough, one time David Sims punched Dennis Franz at a candy convention in order to steal his gummy Venus di Milo. (Dramatization may not have happened.)
WHAT ELSE IS ON?
Ride-iculous (Travel, 8:30 p.m.): Travel Channel’s newest show highlights “thrill rides for adrenaline junkies.” The première features New Zealand’s SkyJump and the Vomitron in Kissimmee, Fla. We’re mostly just excited we get to use the word “Vomitron.”
Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives (Discovery, 9 p.m.): Discovery Channel’s 26th Annual Shark Week kicks off with the search for the megalodon, a huge prehistoric shark that may or may not be still living off the coast of South Africa. Is Discovery Channel mad that SyFy stole some of its shark-thunder with Sharknado? Let’s just say the SyFy execs should probably stay away from any megalodon-shaped packages they receive in the mail this week.
Princesses: Long Island (Bravo, 9 p.m.): Perhaps the season one finale of this Bravo reality TV show will end with its six women thoughtfully discussing the pros and cons of the show’s depictions of Jewish culture. More likely, it will end with them screaming at each other in hopes of topping the scene that is being hailed as “the most epic emotional breakdown yet on reality television.” (Now there’s a meaningful title.)
The Shed (Food, 10 p.m.): In the première of this reality show about a Mississippi BBQ joint, a bride wants a whole hog and crawfish at her wedding, and Mama Shed tries to bake a cake in the barbecue cooker. We’d make a joke, but we’re too overwhelmed by all the possibilities: Hog wild? Pig out? Hogwash? Babe: Pig In the City?
Independence Day (TNT, 6:30 p.m.): It’s quite possible that TNT is only airing this movie on August 4th because some intern accidentally wrote the airdate as 8/4 instead of 7/4. Or it’s possible that TNT loves Bill Pullman's epic speech so much the network has decided to air this movie on the fourth of every month, “the day when the world declared in one voice, ‘We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We’re going to live on, we’re going to survive.’ Today (August 4th) we celebrate our independence day!”
The Women (TMC, 11:30 p.m.): Even though some of its depictions of women may feel outdated, George Cukor’s 1939 film is still far superior to the 2008 Meg Ryan remake. Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, and Rosalind Russell lead the all-female cast; over the course of the film, not a single male is seen onscreen—not even in a portrait.
MLB Baseball: Braves at Phillies (ESPN, 8 p.m.): It's a peaches vs. cheesesteaks battle as the Atlanta Braves face off in their third game against the Philadelphia Phillies. We’d tell you more, but we're writing this from the distant past when none of the games have happened yet and movies still cost a nickel!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Doctor Who (Classic): While trying to (finally) return Tegan to Heathrow Airport, the Doctor misses by about 300 years and the TARDIS team winds up in 17th-century England. Christopher Bahn is pleased to finally report the real cause of the Great Fire of London. (Hint: It was the Fifth Doctor.)