HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET
Two things, in particular, fascinate me about this imported miniseries, which says a lot about our global society and concerns today by imagining their counterparts of tomorrow. What happens politically, in the U.K. and the U.S., in this hypothetical future is so oppressive and depressing, it’s less a speculative drama than a horror film. And creator Russell T. Davies, who resuscitated Doctor Who for the modern era, has had so much fun imagining the technology of the near future, Years and Years is almost like a bastard twin of Black Mirror. (Bastard twin? Okay, that’s a stretch, but The Patty Duke Show gave us twin cousins, and few people complained then…) In tonight’s second episode, the political rise of Emma Thompson’s Viv continues – and Lydia West’s Bethany (pictured) continues to astound and frighten her mother by being an early adopter of invasive new technology. Such as, for example, demonstrating how she’s gotten an implant that turns her into a sort of human phone…
FX, 10:00 p.m. ET
I raved about last week’s Season 3 premiere of Legion – and I’ll keep raving about this show until, and no doubt after, this final season concludes. I’ve seen the next handful of episodes in advance, and they’re a stunningly inventive TV thrill ride. In tonight’s episode, David (Dan Stevens) gets to time travel to alter the world’s future, with the newly introduced Switch (Lauren Tsai, pictured) as his guide.
HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET
SEASON PREMIERE: Sarah Jessica Parker, in her post-
Sex and the City HBO series, returns for Season 3, as her character and her ex, played by Thomas Haden Church, get on with their respective, now diverging lives. And as we rejoin them, his life now includes even more room for his new love, played by former
Ugly Betty player Becki Newton, who this season of
Divorce is promoted to series regular.
For a full review, see David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower.
FX, 10:00 p.m. ET
A future version of Syd (Rachel Keller) fears that the powerful mutant psychic David (Dan Stevens) is the reason the world ends, and travels back in time to kill him before that happens. David, meanwhile, hopes that if he travels back in time himself, he can put things right, and establish a new time line that doesn’t involve destroying the planet. And in the weird world of Legion, it’s quite possible they’re both right… Regardless, this is another stunning episode of Legion...