‘Cleaning Lady’ Finale, More Secrets of the Chippendales, ‘Julia Child Challenge,’ ‘Neighborhood’ Crossover
Fox’s The Cleaning Lady mops up a mess of intrigue in its season finale. A&E exposes Secrets of the Chippendales Murders in a limited docuseries. Home chefs try to live up to the example of the legendary Julia Child in a Food Network competition. Stars of The Neighborhood appear in Bob Hearts Abishola in a crossover.
The Cleaning Lady
Adding to the cliffhangers in this nail-biting thriller is the concern that Fox has yet to renew the series for a second season. But there’s already plenty of peril for Thony (Elodie Yung), who’s trying to make a deal with the FBI’s Garrett (Oliver Hudson) to help a distrustful Arman (Adan Canto). A sting operation is put into place, but Arman’s antipathy toward the feds could derail everyone’s best-laid plans.
Secrets of the Chippendales Murders
The dark side of the iconic male-dance troupe has become a popular TV topic, with previous exposés on 20/20 and discovery+ and inspiring an upcoming movie. A&E piles on with a four-part docuseries which takes another deep dive into this twisted story of greed, arson, murder, Mafia shakedowns and an FBI sting. And to think we once imagined it was all about watching hot men dance half-naked.
The Julia Child Challenge
The legendary French Chef Julia Child is suddenly in vogue again, nearly 20 years after her death in 2004 at 91. A new series about Julia, starring Sarah Lancashire and David Hyde Pierce, premieres on HBO Max later this month. But first, a cooking competition invites eight home-chef superfans to put their own twists on Child’s classic dishes, hoping to impress head judge Antonia Lofaso and guest judges Michael Voltaggio and Francis Lam. The first challenge involves one of Child’s signature meals: sole meuniere. The ultimate winner will get to live their dream with an all-expenses-paid three-month course at Le Cordon Blue, Child’s alma mater.
Bob Hearts Abishola
The CBS comedy neighborhood just got a little cozier. The Neighborhood stars Cedric the Entertainer and Tichina Arnold make cameo appearances as Calvin and Tina Butler in an episode where Bob (Billy Gardell) has second thoughts about shooting a TV commercial for MaxDot when the director (B Positive’s Briga Heelan) suggests the Wheeler family become the focus of the ad. What could possibly go wrong?
Inside Monday TV:
- America’s Got Talent: Extreme (8/7c, NBC): One of the over-the-top acts will be crowned champion in the season finale, walking away with a $500,000 prize. Travis Barker and Avril Lavigne perform “Bite Me” to add to the festivities.
- The Bachelor (8/7c, ABC): Clayton makes his final choice—or does he? Jesse Palmer gathers a panel of Bachelor Nation fan favorites to dissect the action live.
- The Gilded Age (9/8c, HBO): In the penultimate episode of the deluxe period drama, the focus shifts to Newport, Rhode Island’s famed playground for the rich. Just another enclave for the ambitious Bertha (Carrie Coon) to try to win over.
- NCIS (9/8c, CBS): Agent Parker’s (Gary Cole) past comes back to haunt him when the team heads to Philadelphia to investigate a Navy petty officer’s death.
- The Good Doctor (10/9c, ABC): The power struggle at St. Bonaventure intensifies when hospital owner Salen (Rachel Bay Jones) realizes more of the surgical staff is joining demoted department chief Lim (Christina Chang) in her attempted insurrection.
- Better Things (10/9c, FX): Having just survived a heart attack as Moishe Maisel in the season finale of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Kevin Pollak nearly has another meltdown in his recurring role as Sam’s (Pamela Adlon) exasperated brother, trying to give his sister a reality check on her finances. “Are you a grown-up?” he wonders. Good question.