Worth Watching: Time Jump as ‘Gotham’ Signs Off, ‘Supernatural’ Finale, the NFL Draft
A selective critical checklist of notable Thursday TV:
Gotham (8/7c, Fox): Time flies when you’re drawing the final curtain on one of TV’s most bizarre superhero melodramas. In the series finale, the action jumps ahead 10 years with Gotham’s now-Commissioner Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) requiring help from a certain Caped Crusader (David Mazouz as Bruce Wayne) when the Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) and Riddler (Cory Michael Smith) get up to more mischief — as well as a Jeremiah (Cameron Monaghan) who’s no joke, so to speak. Since Gotham was always intended as an origin story, with the arrival of the actual Dark Knight it’s the appropriate moment to call it a day.
It’s a big night for finales, with Gotham’s followed by the second-season wrap for The Orville (9/8c), as the crew deals with the implications of younger Kelly’s (Adrianne Palicki) decision in the past timeline — in other words, were she and Ed (Seth MacFarlane) ever really a thing?
Supernatural (8/7c, The CW): Wrapping its 14th and (we now know) penultimate season, the long-running horror show throws the three spook-eteers — Sam (Jared Padalecki), Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Castiel (Misha Collins) — into another epic battle, even as Jack (Alexander Calvert) continues to struggle with the powers he absorbed from evil archangel Michael and the DNA from biological father Lucifer. (That’s some family tree.) And we hear that a fan-favorite friend from the past will make a return appearance. Happy hiatus!
2019 NFL Draft (8/7c, ABC, ESPN, NFL Network): TV is going all out this year to make this year’s draft a media spectacle, with ABC joining the prime-time coverage wall to wall for the first time (including coverage starting at 7/6c on Friday). Robin Roberts hosts Round 1 from Nashville, joined on a separate set by co-host Rece Davis, College GameDay analyst Kirk Herbstreit and Monday Night Football’s Booger McFarland. The ABC broadcast will take an up-close-and-personal look at top NFL Draft prospects and feature appearances by celebrity guests including Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback and NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes.
The Twilight Zone (streaming on CBS All Access): Given our turbulent times, it was perhaps inevitable that the iconic anthology’s revival would go political — and so it is in the sadistically allegorical “The Wunderkind.” John Cho stars as an opportunistic campaign manager who sees a comeback in shepherding a social media-savvy 11-year-old (Room’s Jacob Tremblay) in his wacky run for the presidency. As usual in these sinister morality tales, the lesson is to be careful what you wish — or in this case, vote — for.
Inside Thursday TV: CBS’s Young Sheldon (8:30/7:30c) also dabbles in politics, when the diminutive genius (Iain Armitage) decides to run for class president to protest school funds going towards football rather than academics… Things could take a serious turn on CBS’s Mom (9/8c) when Bonnie (Allison Janney) and Tammy (Kristen Johnston) pay a visit to their old foster home, rekindling painful childhood memories. The great character actress Lois Smith is the guest star… An innovative episode of NBC’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine (9/8c) takes place in real time, with subplots including Jake’s (Andy Samberg) search for a hacker who has infiltrated the precinct’s servers… BBC America revs up the long-running Top Gear (9/8c) for a 26th season, with car buffs Matt LeBlanc and Chris Harris off to Norway for some test drives… National Geographic Channel’s documentary special Rookie Moonshot: Budget Mission to the Moon (9/8c) follows the efforts of a privately funded Israeli nonprofit organization, SpaceIL, to land the unmanned spacecraft Beresheet on the lunar surface. Unsurprisingly, it’s not as easy as it sounds.
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O
No show is perfect, and Gotham had a few draggy spots over the years, but overall, they did a very good job-- and it's a hell of a lot better than what Zack Snyder has been doing with Batman since the Chris Nolan era ended.
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I'd put Gotham in my top 5 shows every year it's been on. In fact, I think it was #1 this year without Bates and Fargo as competition.
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Tonight will be the first night that I wont be watching ABC in quite a while. Seems like every night ABC is on in my home this season.
NBC all night , comedies and L&O SVU to cap off the night.
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Is there usually something worth watching on ABC on Thursdays? I'm so busy with the CBS comedies, the NBC comedies, and my shows on Fox that I don't pay much attention.
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My family watches Grey's/S19 and FTP. I occasionally watch Grey's, but more often S19 and FTP.
I have less than zero interest in the NFL Draft. But I'm sure ratings will be ok. -
O
I haven't watched SVU since Chris Meloni left and I heard it's been nothing but sensationalistic mess ever since but I have to give em credit I can't believe this next season it will actually beat Gunsmoke and the original Law and Order as the longest running dramas in television. Also? Mariska Hargitay and Ice T seem to be hanging on, Ice T I'm not surprised because ain't no black actor leaving a paid gig for nothing lol
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Gunsmoke had more episodes though. In those days they churned out much more per season.
Agree, Ice-T smart to stay. Not easy for aging actors , especially minorities.1
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Oh, I forgot about Grey's. See how easily it slips my mind when it's not in my listings? ;-)
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And that's ABC's highest rated drama and currently tied with Idol as the highest rated ABC show currently airing. The Conners tops all, but that of course ended the season a while back.
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it's especially amazing because people forget that Ice-T wasn't there from the beginning. His character didn't come in until the second season but he's so ingrained in that show that I forget that he wasn't there from the start.
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Yeah, it's been on so long who can remember. I only watch it occasionally these days. It's a solid procedural.
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I haven't watched ABC since Designated Survivor left it. And that was the only show I watched on that network.
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Starts up again sometime in June on Netflix. Not sure if you subscribe. If not, try asking a friend or family member for their password in the next couple of months.
You may also get a free trial , but don't waste it now. Wait until June.
Whiskey Cavalier is the most impressive ABC comedy/drama /action/ adventure cocktail. currently airing. But the ratings are even lower than DS was , so likely a one and done.
Try sampling it, it is SO much fun. -
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For the comedy/drama/action/adventure cocktail, I'm going to try Blood & Treasure on CBS, which starts next month. Well, I'm not sure how much comedy there'll be in it, but it sure looks like plenty of action/adventure.
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This isn't in relation to this article, but on Friday, 8pm TCM is airing High Society.... the "original" movie (Philadelphia Story) was on a few weeks ago, and now there's this one. :-)
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Thank you, I've seen both quite recently.
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I'll be watching that too. Did you ever even sample Whiskey Cavalier? Almost everyone who watches it LOVES it. I can't say that about every show I watch.
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R
Supernatural!! Hopefully Jack won't go against the Winchesters. And I already know who the "friend from the past" will be. (Hint: not someone who's dead.) Also SWAT.
BTW, last night's SEAL Team was interesting. Half the story was about the type of struggle that vets go through in dealing with their injuries, and getting help. Sometimes the injuries are things you *can't* see.
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SEAL Team is a show with unexpected gravity and cares about getting things right. It's not a shoot em up adventure like I half expected.
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Yeah, SEAL Team has real (former) SEALS as advisors on the show, for the action sequences. As for the B-story last night, I'm sure they got input from various military personnel or data. I thought the "note" at the end of the episode was apt.
As for a "shoot 'em up adventure," as you say, there are shows for which plot is secondary to the action, and they're simply fun to watch. I call those "popcorn shows," since you just want to watch the action for entertainment's sake and don't have to worry about the storyline. H5-O is one of those shows. Another one that's a step above a popcorn show, but def not the level of SEAL Team is SWAT. Decent story lines, but again, the action is the main focus of that show. (For me, at least.) ;-)
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