WEDNESDAY

APRIL 25

2018

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

Hulu, 3:00 a.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: Many series these days return from hiatus between seasons having jumped ahead in their narrative time lines – a year later, three years later, or, in the case of Roseanne, many, many years later. But The Handmaid’s Tale, fresh from its Emmy win as Outstanding Drama Series, returns by picking up right where it left off: With our oppressed heroine, played so powerfully by Elisabeth Moss, being escorted by force from the home where she was assigned (i.e. imprisoned) as a sexual surrogate, and being carted away to an initially undisclosed location. Her destination is disclosed almost immediately as Season 2 begins, and involves her being muzzled and herded, with other rebellious Handmaids, to a familiar Boston landmark, a raised platform, and a string of nooses. Out of the frying pan – and into the new season, in which flashbacks are key and illuminating, and our heroine, June, begins to embrace not only her “old” name, but her new destiny. For my full review on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross, visit the Fresh Air website. And for another full review, see David Hinckley’s All Along the Watchtower.

NOVA WONDERS

PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: There’s a lot that could be called smart and clever in this new six-part spinoff science series from Nova, the super-long-running PBS show. One is to have relatively young scientists address various big questions, and another is to have the chosen hosts be people of color, and to have the majority of them we women. NOVA Wonders is intentionally inclusive, in tone as well as presentation. But while it avoids such unfortunately third-rail topics as evolution and climate change, this new series does devote shows to such selected subjects as “Are We Alone?” and “Can We Create Life?” And the cleverest thing of all about NOVA Wonders may be its title, in which the second word serves as both a noun and a verb. “What Are Animals Saying?” NOVA Wonders… For a full review, see David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower. Check local listings.

SUITS

USA, 9:00 p.m. ET

SEASON FINALE: This is the end of Season 7, and it promises to end with a wedding. Rachel Zane, this show’s paralegal turned attorney, is slated to marry longtime boyfriend Mike Ross. They’ve planned a wedding on this show once before, but it fell through. This one won’t, because the actors playing Rachel and Mike have announced their attention to leave Suits for good after tonight’s season finale. The actor playing Mike, Patrick Adams, is pursuing other opportunities. And the actress playing Rachel, Meghan Markle, has successfully pursued an opportunity of her own, and will go from acting in a pretend televised marriage to getting married, on television, in a very real, and immensely high-profile, ceremony. On May 19, she’ll be at Britain’s Windsor Castle, marrying Prince Harry. For that one, check your local listings… almost any of them.

THE AMERICANS

FX, 10:00 p.m. ET

The summit meeting is getting closer, which means the need for inside intel, on both sides of the Soviet power struggle, is more heightened than ever. Elizabeth and Philip are working the same mission now, but for different sides. And on her side, Elizabeth, with help from her handler, Claudia (Margo Martindale), is getting daughter Paige more and more involved.

ARCHER: DANGER ISLAND

FXX, 10:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: Archer, as an animated secret agent spoof series, was funny enough its first seven seasons. Then, after almost killing its titular spy character in that year’s season finale, returned with Archer and company in an entirely new time and place, and most of the characters with new identities. Turns out Archer was in a coma, and dreaming an entire other world, Singing Detective-style. So Season 8 was a film noir fantasy, and Season 9, starting tonight, continues the start-from-scratch approach with an Indiana Jones approach, and with all the familiar players, once again, taking on unfamiliar roles. Starting with Sterling Archer, who this season is a seaplane pilot, circa 1939. For a full review, see David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower.

BROCKMIRE

IFC, 10:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: For Season 2, Hank Azaria’s on-the-skids baseball announcer Brockmire has worked his way up from the depths just enough to be faced with several new obstanles, opportunities and/or adversaries. He’s now in New Orleans, announcing games for the Atlanta Braves’ AAA team, but jockeying for attention and advancement opposite a new broadcast rival, Raj (Utkarsh Ambudkar), and dealing with an Atlanta Braves PR representative, Whitney, played by Dreama Walker from Don’t Trust the B---- in Apartment 23.

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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.

New From TVWW

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

Hulu, 3:00 a.m. ET

PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

USA, 9:00 p.m. ET

FX, 10:00 p.m. ET

FXX, 10:00 p.m. ET

IFC, 10:00 p.m. ET

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