Fox, 8:00 p.m. ET
Tonight’s new episode turns the spotlight on one of my favorite occasionally recurring character: Comic Book Guy. Consider tonight’s installment of The Simpsons a limited special edition…
PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET
The last time Glenda Jackson starred in a miniseries on this umbrella series that imports dramas from the U.K., the series was called
Masterpiece Theatre, and Jackson starred as
Elizabeth R in 1971 – the very year that
Masterpiece Theatre launched on PBS. Now, 50 years later, the series is called simply
Masterpiece, and Jackson is playing a woman looking for her missing best friend – while, at the same time, slipping deeper into dementia.
Check local listings. For a full review, see David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower.
Showtime, 9:00 p.m. ET
Last week, Shameless presented the first episode in its series-within-a-series special event called Shameless Hall of Shame. On holiday weekends, the broadcast networks pretty much go on their own holidays – but cable and streaming keep going. Which is good news, and why there’s a fresh episode of Shameless Hall of Shame, in which it pulls highlights from 11 seasons of this wonderful show, focusing on specific characters and relationships. Last Sunday, the opener in this pandemic mother-of-invention treat, was devoted to Ian and Mickey, and showed off the intense yet playful acting of Cameron Monaghan and Noel Fisher as the often-feuding, now-married characters, Tonight, the focus shifts to Gallagher neighbors and pub owners Kev and V (a.k.a. Veronica), played by Steve Howey and Shanola Hampton. They’re two of my favorite supporting players on this show, and Hampton never fails to inject at least as much energy as anyone else in her scenes. Which, given this show’s excellent cast, is saying something grand.
Showtime, 10:00 p.m. ET
Hope Davis was positively frightening as the grieving mother and vengeful mob moll in last week’s episode, causing death with only a whisper. In the proper ear – but still. Also terrific last week: Margo Martindale, as the mother-in-law of Bryan Cranston’s New Orleans judge. And tonight, the presence of both women becomes even more of a factor.