THURSDAY
APRIL 7
2016

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

CBS, 8:00 p.m. ET

Tonight’s new episode deals with reality vs. virtual reality. On the one hand, Sheldon tries the latest virtual-reality system – which seems redundant, because he’s always in his own little world anyway. But in the real world, in an actual camping trip with Leonard and the girls, Sheldon reveals a secret of Leonard’s which makes the trip even more awkward than it might have been otherwise.

 
  
 
 

Fox, 8:00 p.m. ET

SERIES FINALE: Fifteen seasons, and it comes down to this. As part of this two-hour last lap for American Idol, many previous winners and prominent also-rans are scheduled to return to perform live, including Carrie Underwood, Fantasia, Katharine McPhee, and Kelly Clarkson, who got very emotional when visiting, and singing, earlier this season. But then it’s time to crown the final idol – and last night, when finalists Trent Harmon and La’Porsha Renae sang for their votes, it turned out to be the closest Idol battle in years. I still think Renae will win, and deserves to, but Harmon’s encore performance of Sia’s “Chandelier” was so emotional, and so beautiful, he definitely could pull off an upset and win this thing. Either way, Idol is all but guaranteed to end the way it began, by discovering a singer who will make a big mark in the music business.

 
  
 
 

CBS, 8:31 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: This CBS series is back for a new season, and maybe they’ve sharpened the writing enough during the hiatus to make it more watchable. Thomas Lennon and Matthew Perry star as Felix and Oscar, respectively, and tonight’s plot involves the duo listening surreptitiously to their arguing neighbors, and trying to intervene to smooth things over. At least the episode’s title is amusing: “All about Eavesdropping.” Maybe that’s a good omen…

 
  
 
 

NBC, 9:00 p.m. ET

In promos for this new episode, Liz is shown preparing to walk down the aisle and marry Tom – but also in the promos, there’s a lurking Red (James Spader) about to crash the proceedings. Which makes the promo even funnier, when it alludes to Game of Thrones by calling this a “Red wedding.”

 
  
 
 

CNN, 9:00 p.m. ET

Last week’s premiere of The Eighties turned out to be the second-highest-rated series premiere in CNN history. (A good sign for those who already are looking forward to The Nineties.) Tonight, an examination of that decade continues, and tonight’s topic is The AIDS Crisis. Young adults, in particular, may be stunned by the ignorant and vehement initial reactions generated by the discovery and identification of HIV and AIDS. Welcome to The Eighties.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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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.