Just as we’re mourning the imminent departure of TV’s best comedy (“The Big Bang Theory”), we get some good news:
TV’s best new comedy (“What We Do in the Shadows”) has been renewed for next season. Read more…
It was another celebration – one of many in the final “Big Bang Theory” season – and Kevin Sussman seemed apologetic.
“I have to go,” he said quietly. “I’ve got an audition.”
Auditions used to bring futility and frustration. “As a struggling actor, I couldn’t get any work,” he said.
But now things should be different: He’s Stuart on “Big Bang.” The show is – as Warner Brothers TV chief Peter Roth said in the celebration — “the longest-running multi-camera comedy in television history.” Read more…
1) “Mom” season finale (9 p.m.) and “The Big Bang Theory” (8 p.m.), CBS. Most of the attention goes to next week’s series finale for “Big Bang,” TV’s best comedy. (Tonight, Leonard’s mom arrives with deceptive sweetness and Stuart and his girlfriend overstay their welcome.) But let’s not overlook “Mom,” another terrific comedy. CBS hints that Bonnie and Adam might elope. Read more…
The CBS News shake-up is now official. This morning, the network announced that:
— Norah O’Donnell (shown here in the old days, with Charlie Rose and Gayle King) will lead the evening newscast, replacing Jeff Glor. She starts this summer as anchor and managing editor, moving the operation from New York to Washington, D.C.
— King is now clearly the senior figure in the morning, with both of her co-hosts leaving. One was John Dickson, who becomes a “60 Minutes” correspondent; the other was O’Donnell. The new look – with Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil taking their spots – starts May 20. Read more…
1) “Modern Family” season finale, 9 p.m., ABC. This is the sort of episode “Modern Family” savors, bouncing through several small stories. It’s almost time for Haley and Dylan to have their twins; that causes others to recall the birthdays that came during this hectic year. It wraps up the 10th season; only one more remains, for a top series (shown here with last week’s graduation episode) that once won five straight Emmys for best comedy series. Read more…
It was sort of your typical “Saturday Night Live” — sometimes clever, sometimes not
.An opening sketch (“Endgame” vs. “Game of Thrones”) was so-so. A song by host Adam Sandler – recalling when he was fired from “SNL” – was sharp and funny. There were more ups and downs … leading into a “Weekend Update” that crackled with sharp lines.
And then the show vaulted to another level: For the first time in 24 years, “Opera Man” was there. Read more…
1) “Fosse/Verdon,” 10 p.m., FX. On a rainy weekend, some remarkable people gather at a beach house. There’s Bob Fosse, who recently was briefly in a mental institution … his wife, Gwen Verdon … his girlfriend, Ann Reinking … Verdon’s boyfriend … and two gifted writers, Neil Simon and Paddy Chayefsky. The idea is to comfort the widowed Simon, but other agendas surface. People want Fosse to do a movie or do a musical or just rest. Beautifully directed by Tommy Kail, this ends with a jolt. Read more…
1) “State of the Union” debut, 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT), Sundance. “This is a ridiculous conversation,” Louise (Rosamund Pike) says. It is, but it’s also quite wonderful. She and Tom (Chris O’Dowd) are in a pub, waiting for their first marital-therapy session. She’s a doctor; he wrote about music until that market vanished. They skirt around subjects, in a ridiculous/sublime way. This is a series of ten 10-minute shows, one per weekday, for two weeks. Cleverly written by Nick Hornby, it’s perfectly played. Read more…
For a time in 1986, fear encased Europe.
A fire raged at a nuclear plant, in the Ukraine city of Chernobyl. Hundreds of people were hospitalized’ 30 died soon, thousands had lingering deaths. The health impact remained for generations.
But there’s more. Kary Antholis, HBO’s mini-series chief, recalls the pitch from writer-producer Craig Mazin: “He said, ‘You have no idea …. It was hours away from devastating millions of lives and wreaking havoc on the European continent.’” Read more…
1) “World of Dance” finale, 8-10 p.m., NBC. Last week, the show picked its four divisional winners. Now they compete for the million-dollar top prize, alongside one wildcard pick. In the first two seasons, that prize went to hip hoppers; this time, both of the team winners are hip hop – Vpeepz, from the Philippines, in junior (17 and younger), the Kings, from India, in upper. For small groups (1-4 people), both winners are contemporary – Ellie & Ava (shown here), junior; and Briar Nolet, upper. Read more…
Best-bets for July 23: stars of “SNL,” WNBA 
Best-bets for July 24: moon, movies and murder 
Best-bets for July 23: adventures on Earth and beyond 
