What’s On: ‘Big Bang’ Sets Up a Sheldon Triangle in the 10th Season Finale
The Big Bang Theory (8/7c, CBS): With the girlfriend away, the lab rat’s in play. Though Amy (Mayim Bialik) is staying Skype-connected to Sheldon (Jim Parsons) while away at Princeton for several months, the oblivious genius seems to be easy prey for a former grad student-groupie, Ramona (Riki Lindhome), who’s getting awfully chummy with him. At least what’s the gang thinks, observing in shock that Sheldon doesn’t reach for the Purell when Ramona touches his hand. Should Amy be worried? It’s a terrific ending to the enduring hit comedy’s 10th season.
Mom (9/8c, CBS): You weren’t expecting a conventional Mother’s Day episode, I hope. It’s rarely smooth sailing with this mother-daughter duo, and the fourth-season finale is no exception, as Christy (Anna Faris) comes to Bonnie’s (Allison Janney) aid when her mom runs afoul of the IRS. They reach out to Ray (Leonard Roberts), the brother Bonnie never knew she had, in hopes even this fractured family connection can save the day.
Scandal (9/8c, ABC): Now that the evil threat of Peus has been extinguished, in a curiously anti-climactic fashion, it’s time for outgoing President Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) and the gladiators of OPA to do some soul-searching during this transition period. Jake (Scott Foley), however, is still busily digging into what Peus and his murderous Mata Hari were up to during their bloody power play.
Inside Thursday TV: The CW’s Riverdale (9/8c) ends its first season with Archie (KJ Apa) growing closer to Veronica (Camila Mendes), and me feeling farther removed from the original Archie comics than ever. … The outspoken and often controversial Charles Barkley is the tour guide on a cross-country exploration of American Race (9/8c), with four episodes over two nights (concluding Friday) looking at this polarizing subject from a variety of perspectives. … It’s a showdown between Shonda Rhimes scene-stealers on Spike’s Lip Sync Battle (10/9c), as Scandal’s Bellamy Young takes on How to Get Away With Murder’s Matt McGorry. While it may be unfair to pre-judge, I’m much more excited to witness her version of “Born This Way” than watching him “Shake Your Groove Thing.”
