Sci-Fi Comedy in Hulu’s ‘Futurama’ & ‘Solar Opposites,’ Terminator Escapism in ‘End Times,’ Bachelorette’s Men Tell All

As a kid, I was fascinated by the sci-fi flick (now camp classic) Fantastic Voyage, where a crew is miniaturized and injected into a human body. A clever episode of the animated future-schlock comedy merges Voyage’s shrinkage gimmick with a broad parody of Dune, when the Planet Express gang downsizes to explore their voracious pet Nibbler’s litter box, teeming with brain-sucking parasitic sandworms and dung (pronounced dune-g) beetles. “Every living creature here is a total barf bag,” laments Leela (Katey Sagal), whose mission is to eradicate the worms before the hyper-intelligent Nibblonian is reduced to “the IQ of a Boston terrier.”

Season Premiere

More animated sci-fi yuks in Season 4 of the aliens-on-Earth comedy, with Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens joining the voice cast to take over the lead role of Korvo (replacing series co-creator Justin Roiland, who departed following charges of domestic abuse). The 11-episode season drops all at once for binge-viewing, with a Valentine’s Day special set for 2024. Highlights include the Solars (Korvo joined by Sean Giambrone’s Yumyulack, Thomas Middleditch’s Terry and Mary Mack’s Jesse) getting a pet dinosaur—how Flintstones of them—and in an espionage spoof set within the Wall, Cherie (Christina Hendricks) rescuing her stolen baby.

10/9c

Would you want to bring a baby into a wacky post-apocalyptic world where the last penguin just committed suicide? Former warlord Freya (Geraldine Viswanathan) isn’t so sure, though her ex-warrior mate Sid (Daniel Radcliffe) is delighted, itching to spread the news to everyone in Boomtown. Neither, however, are prepared for the suburban baby frenzy unleashed by Morris (Steve Buscemi) at a baby shower. Elsewhere, pet-sitting killer robot Tai (Karan Soni) takes Scraps (Jon Bass) along on a jaunt back to 2023 for a routine Terminator-style mission to assassinate a future robot-resistance leader, only to be waylaid by a visit to an escape room.

Special

8/7c

It’s a ritual most bachelorettes are lucky enough not to have to endure. With one week to go before the season finale, “The Men Tell All” when 13 of Charity’s rejected suitors return to rehash the season’s highs and lows, probably not all that charitably. Former Bachelorettes Trista Sutter, Desiree Siegfried and Deanna Pappas show up to give Charity advice and a pep talk. And before it’s over, the franchise’s first “Golden Bachelor,” 71-year-old Gerry Turner, makes a special appearance.

INSIDE MONDAY TV:

• Son of a Critch (8/7c, The CW): Young Mark (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) should be excited when he’s picked to appear on TV with Prince Charles and Princess Diana on their Canadian visit. But he’s too worried about being outed as a Monarchist to his family.
• Crime Scene Kitchen (9/8c, Fox): The final three teams sift clues for two bakes in the cooking competition’s season finale, with a $100,000 grand prize at stake.
• 90 Day: The Last Resort (9/8c, TLC): Five 90 Day Fiancé couples on the brink of breaking up travel to a couples retreat for group therapy and resort activities to test their relationships.
• Secrets of Playboy (10/9c and 11/10c, A&E): The exposé closes its second season with back-to-back episodes that focus on non-traditional models, including women in uniforms (police and military), and later those who challenged the typical standards of beauty including July 1987’s Ellen Stohl, the first woman with a disability to pose.