Worth Watching: ‘Discovery’ Finale, ‘Life in Pieces’ Returns, Regina King on ‘Big Bang’
A selective critical checklist of notable Thursday TV:
Star Trek: Discovery (8:30/7:30c, CBS All Access): If epic space battles are your thing, Discovery’s second-season finale delivers with all thrusters at full. Both Discovery and Enterprise are under assault from Control and the compromised Section 31 fleet, as Michael (Sonequa Martin-Green) and her team prepare to take yet one more leap of faith to save the future. It’s all very grueling, with sacrifices to be made and unexpected alliances to be forged, and when the cosmic dust settles, Season 3 promises to take viewers to a brand new frontier.
The Big Bang Theory (8/7c, CBS): Amy (Mayim Bialik) is usually the calm voice of reason among the geniuses in the sitcom hit, but with the prospect of a Nobel Prize looming, and what this would mean for women should she win, Dr. Farrah Fowler has what is described as a meltdown. Oscar and Emmy winner Regina King returns as college administrator Janine Davis, so maybe she can boost Amy’s confidence with a pep talk.
Life in Pieces (8:30/7:30 and 9:30/8:30c, CBS): Held back until late midseason, the family comedy opens its fourth season with two episodes an hour apart. In the first, the Shorts head to Mexico to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Joan (Dianne Wiest) and John (James Brolin), but the Yucatan resort is a bit more primitive than they’d expected. The second episode introduces Joey King, so terrific in Hulu’s The Act, as Morgan, a pregnant 17-year-old who’s considering placing her baby for adoption with Matt (Thomas Sadoski) and Colleen (Angelique Cabral). But first, a swankier rich couple is vying for Morgan’s attention.
Inside Thursday TV: It’s beginning to feel a lot like Easter. On NBC’s Superstore (8/7c), assistant manager Dina (Lauren Ash) goes on the warpath to track down an unsanctioned Easter Bunny who’s haunting the aisles, while boss Glenn (Mark McKinney) prepares for his church’s Passion play… The CW’s Supernatural (8/7c) presents Sam (Jared Padalecki), Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Castiel (Misha Collins) with a series of suspicious deaths sharing a biblical theme… It’s Easter time on a very moving, though typically irreverent, episode of FX’s Better Things (10/9c), in which Sam (Pamela Adlon) supports eldest daughter Max (Mikey Madison) in her photography vocation, while grandma Phyllis (Celia Imrie) is both a disruptive yet healing presence at her married boyfriend’s family gathering… NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers (12:35/11:35c) expands to 90 minutes so the host can fully respond to the Mueller report while not shortchanging other segments, including Saturday Night Live‘s Leslie Jones reacting to Game of Thrones in “Game of Jones,” and guests including South Bend Mayor and presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg, comedian Amy Sedaris and singer Toro Y Moi.
