WEDNESDAY

APRIL 22

2015

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

ABC, 8:00 p.m. ET

Jerry Van Dyke has appeared many times on this series as Tag, the father of Patricia Heaton’s Frankie. But tonight, he shows up with a familiar special guest star in tow: His brother Dick Van Dyke, playing Tag’s long-estranged sibling. The two real-life comedy brothers first shared TV time when Jerry guest starred on his older brother’s The Dick Van Dyke Show back in the Sixties – and five decades later, little brother is returning the favor by bringing big brother to The Middle. Dick is 89 now, and Jerry 83, and fans who remember the elder Van Dyke’s classic TV sitcom will get special joy out of one of tonight’s sight gags. It involves an ottoman.

NATURE: "NATURE'S ANIMAL HOMES"

PBS, 8:00 p.m. ET

Part 3. “Animal Cities” is the title of tonight’s concluding episode of this informative Nature miniseries, which examines how creatures interact in the habitats they’ve built for themselves. And wait until you see the possible sequel: “Animal Suburbs.” Check local listings.

NOVA: "INVISIBLE UNIVERSE REVEALED"

PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

It’s the silver anniversary of the Hubble telescope, which was launched into orbit in 1990, and, ever since, has provided moments of technological drama and victory and endless photographs of astoundingly clear and breathtakingly beautiful images of the universe around us. The better the resolution on your TV, the more resolved you should be to tune in. From start to finish, and from source point to your own home display, tonight’s Nova is all about modern miracles of science… and ancient miracles of nature. Check local listings.

BROADCHURCH

BBC America, 10:00 p.m. ET

SEASON FINALE: The series that inspired, and is much better than, Gracepoint concludes Season 2 tonight, in the courtroom, as one of the people in the powdered wigs asks the key question, “Do you find the defendant guilty or not guilty?” For a full review of Broadchuch, see Ed Martin's TV Mix.

THE AMERICANS

FX, 10:00 p.m. ET

SEASON FINALE: Season 3 ends with an episode entitled “March 8, 1983.” That’s the day then-President Ronald Reagan denounced the Soviet Union as an “evil empire” – and it’s also the day, in the lives of Phillip and Elizabeth Jennings (Matthew Rhys, Keri Russell) confront each other on exactly what to do about daughter Paige (Holly Taylor), whose discovery of what her parents do as Soviet spies has put her, as well as them, in danger.

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David Bianculli

Founder / Editor

David Bianculli has been a TV critic since 1975, including a 14-year stint at the New York Daily News, and sees no reason to stop now. Currently, he's TV critic for NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and is an occasional substitute host for that show. He's also an author and teaches TV and film history at New Jersey's Rowan University. His 2009 Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour', has been purchased for film rights. His latest, The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to the Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific, is an effusive guidebook that plots the path from the 1950s’ Golden Age to today’s era of quality TV.

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