What’s Worth Watching: ‘Mom’, ‘The Big Bang Theory’, ‘Madoff’ and more for Thursday, February 4
Mom (9/8c, CBS): That Bonnie (Allison Janney) really gets around. When she opts to attend a gay AA meeting to avoid her exes all over town, she runs into Jeanine (guest star Rosie O’Donnell)—or as Christy (Anna Faris) remembers her, “Aunt Jeanine”—with whom Bonnie spent two intimate years way back in another day. (“Time flies when you put bourbon on your pancakes.”) O’Donnell’s tart sensibility is a perfect fit for this bawdy sitcom, but as Christy playfully wonders if she now has two mommies, Bonnie is forced to exercise some tough love with her still-smitten old friend.
The Big Bang Theory (8/7c, CBS): Here’s someone we’ve longed to meet: Sheldon’s beloved Meemaw (June Squibb, Oscar nominee for Nebraska). Naturally, her genius grandson (Jim Parsons) is tickled to see her, but when Meemaw clashes with Amy (Mayim Bialik), whose side will he choose?
Madoff (8/7c, ABC): The tone becomes more serious in the conclusion of the two-part miniseries as Bernie Madoff (Richard Dreyfuss) faces the music once his elaborate Ponzi scheme is exposed, and his unknowing family (including Blythe Danner as wife Ruth and Tom Lipinski as son Mark) deals with the consequences. If the movie leaves you hungry for more, ABC News follows up with the hour-long report, Madoff: After the Fall (10/9), anchored by investigative reporter Brian Ross and GMA‘s Amy Robach.
Top Chef (9/8c, Bravo): Always a highlight of any season, this year’s “Restaurant Wars” is a two-parter (concluding next Thursday) with added pressure on the chef-testants. Not only will they have to prepare both lunch and dinner services for the first time, but each chef must work either the front of the house or take on executive-chef responsibility for one of the meals. No playing it safe, as if that’s ever an option.
Inside Thursday TV: The final four teen designers of Project Runway Junior (9/8c, Lifetime) present their collections at New York Fashion Week, with Bella Thorne guest-judging as a winner is announced. … In something of a Super Bowl salute, pro footballer Tim Tebow displays new talents on Spike’s Lip Sync Battle (10/9c), performing to “Eye of the Tiger,” while former Vampire Diaries star Nina Dobrev beckons fans to “Let’s Get It On.” … truTV’s Impractical Jokers (10/9c) also adopts a Super Bowl theme with a “Joker Bowl” special, in which former NFL players weigh in with analysis on the hidden-camera stunts.
