Worth Watching: Netflix Revives ‘Lucifer,’ ‘Modern Family’ and Other Finales, ‘NOVA’ Investigates California Wildfires

Matt Roush
28 Comments
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A selective critical checklist of notable Wednesday TV:

Lucifer (streaming on Netflix): Look who’s been rescued from cancellation hell! The quirky supernatural crime dramedy, canceled by Fox after three seasons, is back for a fourth season, picking up in the aftermath of that charming devil Lucifer (Tom Ellis) revealing his Satan face to Detective Chloe Decker (Lauren German). While that relationship sorts itself out, Lucifer must reckon with another strong female who’s as iconic as he is: Eve (Inbar Lavi), the original sinner, who’s got a bone to pick with the demon who got her kicked out of the Garden of Eden oh so many eons ago.

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Modern Family (9/8c, ABC): Anchoring a full night of comedy finales, the Emmy-winning fan favorite wraps its 10th — which we now know to be the next-to-last — season with the birth of Haley (Sarah Hyland) and Dylan’s (Reid Ewing) twins imminent. Before breaking out the cigars, or whatever may be more politically correct these days, the extended family of Dunphys and Pritchetts looks back at how each of them celebrated their own birthdays over the past year.

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NOVA (9/8c, PBS, check local listings at pbs.org): TV’s premiere science program goes “Inside the Megafire,” as journalist Miles O’Brien goes from the scorched earth of 2018’s devastating wildfires in California to researchers’ labs to better understand the physics of fires and how forestry practices, climate change and drought may have contributed to this crisis. O’Brien enlists scientists to explain why these tragic megafires are becoming more common and talks to the people who had to flee for their lives as the flames inexorably spread.

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Inside Wednesday TV: Court TV is back, relaunching to take viewers back inside courtrooms. The prime-time centerpiece, discussing the big legal stories of the day, is Closing Arguments with Vinnie Politan (6 pm/5c), with Court TV’s lead anchor hosting three hours of highlights and discussion with legal experts, journalists and commentators… Jamal (Jussie Smollett) is MIA on Fox’s Empire (8/7c), with mixed signals about whether the scandal-besieged actor will ever return, but the real question dogging the Lyons in the fifth-season finale: Who’s in the coffin?… In the first-season finale of ABC’s Single Parents (9:30/8:30c), Angie (Leighton Meester) confronts her ex-husband Derek (Adam Brody, Meester’s real-life husband) about abandoning her when she was pregnant. This encounter is Will’s (Taran Killam) idea… David Boreanaz directs an action-packed episode of CBS’s SEAL Team (10/9c) in which the Bravo Team goes on a desperate search for Ray (Neil Brown Jr.) when he’s separated from his colleagues in enemy territory in the Kashmir mountains… The hard-luck vampires of FX’s hilarious cult comedy What We Do in the Shadows (10/9c) find themselves on the defensive when an international vampire tribunal judges them for their transgressions. Jemaine Clement wrote and Taika Waititi directed the episode; both are creators and executive producers of the series and starred in the original 2015 film.

LuciferModern FamilyNOVA



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  1. R

    RedCupcake

    Nothing new tonight except SEAL Team. Before that, a few repeats of The Librarians.

    NOVA does a good job of creating an in-depth look at whatever subject they're covering, and I'm sure this current episode will be the same. But I'm wondering how in-depth it really needs to be.... to prevent wildfires, isn't raking all we need to do? Give all Californians aged 17-23 a $7 rake and send them out into the forests. Problem solved!

    :-p

    1

  2. G

    GoldSubmarine

    Good to see NOVA back, but I had to quit on Modern Family during season 6. Wives punching, kicking, slapping, verbally abusing, namecalling, and throwing things at husbands is deeply offensive--played here for laughs, no less--and in what purports to be comedy is absurdly out of place.

  3. G

    GreenElephant

    I'll probably watch "Modern Family" tonight...

    1. C

      CyanCoathanger

      I always liked Dylan. I was so glad they brought him back!

  4. R

    RedQuill

    Tonight...DVR...Survivor, Amazing Race, Modern Family, State of the Union, Happy!...

    (I'm pretty sure...[although my thoughts about the future are usually awry]...I'll watch Happy! first.)

    1. C

      CyanCoathanger

      I usually save Happy! for last so I can take my time with it. There's often a lot of rewinding and playing back scenes to see what I missed the first time.

      1

    2. C

      CyanCoathanger

      Are you keeping up with Amazing Race? I may be the only one, but I really like the Afghanimals! I think they way they mislead the other contestants is hilarious! Next to them, I like Nicole and Victor best. Phil had predicted that Rupert would be in the final 2 or 3. Oops!

  5. O

    OliveBullhorn

    Modern Family, Empire, and now that Lucifer is back on Netflix i'll definitely hit that up.

    1. C

      CyanCoathanger

      One of the few times I wish I had Netflix...I always liked Lucifer a lot.

    2. G

      GoldSubmarine

      Designated Survivor season 3 starts up this summer on Netflix

    3. This comment was removed by its author.

    4. C

      CyanCoathanger

      Yes, that was a favorite too. I'll have to consider it.

  6. C

    CyanCoathanger

    Busy night again! All the ABC comedies plus Whiskey, Riverdale, Amazing Race, Happy!, and In the Shadows!

    1. G

      GoldSubmarine

      ABC all night for me too. After last week's reveal on Whiskey, I wonder where they will go with that?

    2. R

      RedQuill

      Whiskey Cavalier is backing up on my DVR...and may soon be "GONE"...

      To maybe prevent that...what WAS "last week's reveal"???

    3. G

      GoldSubmarine

      OK you asked for it.

      One of the agents is killed and its very emotional for the entire team especially one of the male agents.

      There is a mole in the end.

      Worth watching just this episode. You wont regret it.

      1

    4. G

      GoldSubmarine

      Oh and the mole just might be the actual killer. We don't have all the details yet. The finale is very soon, so we better get answers!

      1

    5. R

      RedQuill

      Thanx Fred...I WILL...(no pun intended)...

    6. G

      GoldSubmarine

      I never mentioned names, this way you will be somewhat surprised. The episode is probably the strongest of the season. Not the funniest obviously but great in every other way.

      1

    7. C

      CyanCoathanger

      The butler did it.

      1

    8. C

      CyanCoathanger

      They don't have many episodes left to find out, do they?

    9. G

      GoldSubmarine

      Probably 2 or 3 at most. Season is over in a few weeks. Whiskey ranked #1 or 2 (along with The Rookie and Madame Secretary) as top "Save Our Shows" polled bubble shows for renewal. It was printed in USA TODAY and released online.

    10. C

      CyanCoathanger

      3 including tonight

    11. G

      GoldSubmarine

      Just received my new TV GUIDE in the mail. So it states that the Whiskey finale is May 22. That's 3 more new eps including tonight.

    12. G

      GoldSubmarine

      Yes

    13. This comment was removed by its author.

    14. C

      CyanCandy

      Don't leave us in suspense, what show is that?

    15. This comment was removed by its author.

    16. C

      CyanCandy

      Thanks. I seem to remember you saying you watched "American Gods"? If so did you watch the 2nd season?

      I thought it wasn't as great as the first season. The story wasn't nearly as engaging and they appear to have cut the budget , the visuals were not as impressive.

    17. This comment was removed by its author.

    18. C

      CyanCandy

      Speaking about comic book adaptations, Amazon Prime Videos is adapting "The Boys" by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, I haven't read it but a friend said it was excellent. It begins on July 26.

    19. This comment was removed by its author.

    20. C

      CyanCandy

      And "Watchmen" on HBO. I hope it's better than the movie. Alan Moore is one of the all time greats.