Shout Factory TV, 12:00 a.m. ET
Beginning tomorrow, all 11 hilarious seasons of
The Carol Burnett Show, which premiered on CBS in 1967 and ran until 1978, will become available as a streaming offering, for the first time, on
the Shout! Factory website and its YouTube channel. To promote and celebrate the launch, Shout! is presenting a 48-hour marathon of
Carol Burnett Show programs, sampling highlights from the entire run. This is day two – and despite the frequent short interruptions and piecemeal approach, these samples are as addictive as potato chips. Bet you can’t watch just one… Hello, there, Mrs. Ah-wiggins!
Public Television, Check local listings
DOCUMENTARY PREMIERE: In Philadelphia on WHYY-TV, this pledge-break documentary special, about the formation and history of George Harrison’s Handmade Films, is broadcast tonight at 9 p.m. ET. In your city, it may already have run, or may run any time through the month of June. But not only will you get snippets from Monty Python and the Life of Brian, Mona Lisa, and The Long Good Friday, but you’ll get Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, and Harrison, too. Check local listings.
BBC America, 9:00 p.m. ET
SEASON FINALE: The body count on this third season of Killing Eve has been both deadly and deceptive. In the past two episodes, I’ve presumed three important characters to have died, only to learn later that all three have survived their brutal assassination attempts – at least for now. But tonight’s the Season 3 finale, and with Villanelle’s two most recent killer-manager handlers convalescing in adjacent hospital beds, the door is open, during regular visiting hours, for a lethal drop-in visit by Villanelle. And with Eve hot on Villanelle’s trail, this season could end with one very populated reunion.
Epix, 9:00 p.m. ET
DOCUMENTARY PREMIERE: This new two-part Epix documentary looks at the music and politics and social changes emanating from the particular California location of Laurel Canyon in the 1960s and 1970s. The musicians profiled, and influences tracked, include Joni Mitchell, The Mamas & the Papas, The Doors, Linda Ronstadt, The Eagles, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
For a full review, see David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower.
HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET
This miniseries may be one of the most depressing TV dramas I’ve ever seen – but it’s so well-acted, and so patiently unfolding, that I’m captivated by it. Mark Ruffalo plays twin brothers: one who has been hospitalized for cutting off his own hand during a psychotic episode, and the other brother, who is trying to handle his post-trauma care. As it turns out, the “sane” brother is almost as haunted as his sibling – and the supporting players, who include Archie Panjabi and Rosie O’Donnell, are delivering impressively strong and sensitive work. Tonight, the two brothers face the administrative board that will determine whether the institutionalized brother is released. Either way, this story is far from over… and I’ll keep watching.
Showtime, 9:00 p.m. ET
Last week’s episode ended with Axelrod (Damian Lewis) using home-turf advantage, and details of memories from his youth, to outmaneuver his competition in charming a hearing board in favoring his bid at a local land grab. But as soon as he tasted victory, he almost choked on the aftertaste of shame, and couldn’t wait to flee the Yonkers neighborhood he had just argued so passionately to help rebuild. It’s a complicated character, a complicated dynamic, and a complicated show – and tonight, he may be battling on another front, as two key figures from his own company may be joining forces to work not for him, but for themselves.
Showtime, 10:00 p.m. ET
The confrontation between the communities intensifies tonight – and caught in the middle is Nathan Lane’s detective, whose investigative trail leads him into a thicket populated by angry Chicanos, scheming Nazis, and meddling demons. And that’s just for starters…
AMC, 10:03 p.m. ET
MINISERIES PREMIERE: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? showed up on ABC in 1999, reviving the quiz show, offering the chance of winning a fortune on live TV, and changing the fortunes of that network in the process. But before that, Millionaire had been developed as an equally popular show in the United Kingdom. And while the U.S. version, hosted by Regis Philbin, carried on for years without scandal, the original British version, hosted by Chris Tarrant, was not so lucky. In its fourth season, in 2001, a British Army major named Charles Ingram went on the show, went all the way to the top prize, but afterwards was accused of cheating by using two co-conspirators in the TV studio to identify the proper answers by secret signals. Quiz, written by James Graham and based on his similarly named play, covers it all – the development of the show, the contestant’s rise to the hot seat, and the subsequent trial. (“Who wanted to be a millionaire?” asks the prosecutor for the Crown in his opening argument. “By God, these three certainly did!”) Graham’s approach allows viewers to serve as jurors themselves, weighing the evidence to decide whether or not Ingram cheated. That’s one reason this Quiz, which continues tomorrow and Tuesday, is so engaging. Another is the top-rate cast: the always watchable Michael Sheen plays Millionaire host Tarrant, Matthew Macfadyen from Succession plays Ingram, and Sian Clifford from Fleabag plays Ingram’s wife. Watch Quiz, and take the opportunity to use a lifeline and phone a friend. They should watch, too…
For some background info on Quiz, see Mike Hughes' Open Mike.
HBO, 11:05 p.m. ET
Last week, John Oliver took the Memorial Day weekend off. Tonight, with so much having happened so far this week (and still happening), I really, really could use his perspective right now. Please.