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| The Fugitive, "The Judgment, Part 2" |
The day the running stopped! Here's what's on television for tonight, Sunday, April 17!
Our Top Pick tonight is the eighth television feast of classic shows that can be found via streaming and in a more traditional manner. The reason for this edition is MeTV's airing of The Fugitive series finale, a landmark moment in television history and still one of the highest-rated broadcasts for a regular series. This time, all the listed streaming classics are available in their entirety. Meanwhile, all shows listed on linear television networks are ones that can't be found through a free or basic subscription streamers. They also have to be official releases, not just someone uploading from their private collection.
Elsewhere, the Walking Dead brings more Fear, the Doctor checks in, FLOTUSes are unleashed, Shining Vale finishes its book, Tournament of Champions crowns a (new?) champ, and Riverdale needs a folk hero.
(All times are Eastern. All listings are new unless otherwise stated. For more listings, visit The Futon Critic or Zap2it.)
ON THIS SITE
Cancellation League (3 p.m.-ish): You can feel the tension building. We are only a few weeks from upfronts. AHHHHH!
Thoughts On (The Films of 1998) (9 a.m.): Paulie
💻 STREAMING 💻
📺 3rd Rock from the Sun (Crackle, now): Disguised as a human family, a group of aliens are sent to Earth to experience and report about life here. John Lithgow doesn't care to revisit his works, but he loves revisiting 3rd Rock. This is a slightly underappreciated '90s sitcom.
61st Street (AMC+, 3 a.m.): Logan begins to question his own department, while Lt. Brannigan presses Moses for a confession. Franklin revisits the crime scene, finding a new angle for the defense.
📺 All in the Family (IMDb TV, now): A masterpiece sitcom because it dared to be bold, brash, but with heart and broke so many boundaries that today are long forgotten. Archie spewing bigotry from his rundown armchair but always wanted to do right by his family. It was a poignant show in its finest hours as the family clashed on all the issues of the day. Like nearly all TV shows, the quality declines after the first 5 years, but that can't allow you to overlook the show's groundbreaking early years.
📺 Doctor Who (BritBox, now): There will be a new Doctor soon, so here is another point to go back and discover another previous Doctor with BritBox's quality selection of classic Who. I suggest the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton), the Galactic Hobo. He is my favorite... after the Fourth. Tomb of the Cybermen or The Web of Fear or The Enemy of the World. Classic Second Doctor.
📺 ER (HBO Max, now): This ensemble medical drama gave television a new kind of adrenaline rush that took further steps to look "cinematic." The emergencies and trauma scenes are full of energy and move fast, but in its quieter moments are a sense of loneliness, seeking purpose, and fostering friendships. Doctors, they're just like us!
Fear the Walking Dead (AMC+, 3 a.m.): With her fevers growing worse and Arnold pursuing her at every turn, Alicia is forced to confront the failings of her past and how she will face her future. Later, when Charlie shows up at the tower unexpectedly, Howard recruits a young Ranger in training to determine the reason for her visit.
📺 Grace Under Fire (Peacock, now): This '90s sitcom is more notorious for how it ended, imploding thanks to its star's, Brett Butler, addictions. The final season isn't good, but the first three seasons are a top-notch working-class about a single mother. The show also doesn't hesitate to tackle issues of the day, too. "You know you love George Bailey, fighting the good fight. Can you imagine what it'd be like to live in a place controlled by corporate greed and lust for power?" "Have you any idea how many Republicans just got elected, Nadine?"
📺 Hill Street Blues (Hulu, now): Low-lit, noisy, rough around the edges and without stars. This police drama is more cliché in modern viewing with its story arcs, pacing, and movements toward realism, but it was a marvel at its debut. Sure, it took a bunch of elements that existed elsewhere, but no series had ever molded them all into one. It's a work (and formula) that has since been copied hundreds of times.
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| Hill Street Blues (via Giphy) |
📺 The Honeymooners (Pluto TV, now): Before Archie and Edith Bunker was The Honeymooners. Bus driver Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason) wants a better life, so over the course of 39 episodes, we see him falter every time. Gleason is the reason the show works so well, though his no-nonsense wife (Audrey Meadows) and slow burn neighbor Ed Norton (Art Carney) lift this series to the highest tier.
📺 Maverick (Tubi, now): Television's first antihero was Bret Maverick (James Garner). He and his brother Bart (Jack Kelly) are well-dressed gamblers who move from town to town always looking for a good game and finding some trouble in the Old West.
📺 Remember WENN (AMC+, now): For nostalgia being a big factor in lots of TV properties, this show built on nostalgia is rarely brought up. This AMC-produced '90s dramedy took place in the heyday of radio -- the late 1930s and early 1940s -- as World War II began. It got many critical praise and some awards attention, which is how I noticed it.
📺 The Rockford Files (Peacock, now): Jim Rockford (James Garner) was a maverick. He was a private investigator who had previously spent time in jail and would rather hand over his car keys than fight a bad guy. There aren't many antiheroes who are as charming as Rockford.
📺 Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (Amazon Prime, now): Hosts Dan Rowan and Dean Martin presented the slickest hour of '60 television. It laid the groundwork for all sketch shows to come and continuously broke ground with its subject matter of current events. It is also a landmark in television picture editing.
📺 The Twilight Zone (Paramount+, now): This drama anthology is perhaps the show from television's first decades that survives in our collective pop culture mind today. 60 years later, it still gives viewers a dream for a new era.
📺 Wanted: Dead or Alive (Starz, now): In before they were stars, here is Steve McQueen as Civil War veteran turned bounty hunter Josh Randall, who travels the west capturing fugitives. It's a quality spinoff of the above average Western Trackdown.
WHAT ELSE IS ON
Trivia Quest (Netflix, 3 a.m.)
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| Doctor Who |
EARLY PRIMETIME
⭐📺 The John Larroquette Show (Rewind TV, 7 p.m.): Night Court reunion! This '90s tragicom follows recovering alcoholic John (John Larroquette) as the manager of a city bus station. In this episode, John considers having cosmetic surgery and consults an eccentric plastic surgeon (Harry Anderson).
Malory Towers (BYUtv, 7:30 p.m.): Tensions come to a head between Darrell, Alicia and Sally following a sneezing trick. Gwen gets alarmed when Matron announces a trunk inspection.
⭐📺 Mannix (FeTV, 7 p.m.): A gangster's widow (Jo Van Fleet) hires Mannix (Mike Connors), a private investigator, facing prison on theft and murder charges, as her bodyguard. Definitely one of the best '60s theme songs.
⭐📺 Nash Bridges (Heroes & Icons, 7 p.m.): A smart alecky San Fran cop + get rich quick scheme partner = '90s CBS! In this episode, Nash (Don Johnson) and Joe (Cheech Marin) must transport a protected witness across country to testify in a Federal case, but they soon discover leaks that endanger their lives. USA is still silent about its revival.
⭐📺💲 Whew! (Buzzr, 7 p.m.): In this short-lived 1979-80 game show, contestants "compete in a game of close calls, narrow escapes and split-second decisions in order to correct trivia 'bloopers' for a chance at $25,000."
WHAT ELSE IS ON
America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC, 7 p.m.)
Collector's Call (MeTV, 6:30 p.m.): Wonder Woman
Snapped: Killer Couples (Oxygen, 6 p.m.): Season premiere
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| Whew! (via Reddit) |
🕗 8 P.M. EASTERN / 🕖 7 P.M. CENTRAL
Call the Midwife (PBS): Trixie is assigned to a complicated case involving a paraplegic husband.
Doctor Who (BBC America, 7 p.m.): SPECIAL. In 19th-century China, a small coastal village is threatened by both a fearsome pirate queen and a monstrous alien force. The Doctor engages in a swashbuckling battle with the Sea Devils to save the planet. This is a "bonus edition" as the episode premieres in the afternoon.
The Equalizer (CBS): McCall's vigilante work further complicates her personal life when she is forced to ask her ex-husband to help with a gunshot victim.
⭐📺💲 Password Plus (Buzzr): In this revised version of the Goodson-Todman game show, celebrity-contestant teams must guess words from one word clues given by their partners, with each "password" a clue to the "password puzzle." Tom Kennedy hosts.
Power Book IV: Force (Starz): SEASON FINALE. Decisions are made by those closest to Tommy, which could leave him powerless. When the gangs face off, truths come to light, shifting the power of the drug game.
Riverdale (The CW): To get the town of Riverdale out from under Percival's grip, Archie, Jughead, and Betty devise a plan to turn Archie into a modern-day folk hero by performing a series of impossible feats. Mission: Impossible Folk Hero.
Saints & Sinners (Bounce TV): A dangerous secret comes to light as Rex and Ella make life or death moves.
When Calls the Heart (Hallmark Channel): Mayor Hickam decides that Hope Valley needs to get back to its hopeful, joyous roots and decides to host Hope Valley Days, a collective celebration inspired by giving, fun, hope, and love.
WHAT ELSE IS ON
90 Day Fiancé (TLC): Season premiere
American Idol (ABC)
Breaking the Band (Reelz): Bon Jovi
Lost Cities of the Bible (Science): Special
Tournament of Champions (Food Network): Season finale
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| All in the Family |
🕘 9 P.M. EASTERN / 🕗 8 P.M. CENTRAL
The First Lady (Showtime): SERIES PREMIERE. "In the East Wing of the White House, many of history's most impactful and world-changing decisions have been hidden from view, made by America's charismatic, complex and dynamic first ladies." The series follows Eleanor Roosevelt (Gillian Anderson), Betty Ford (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Michelle Obama (Viola Davis).
From (Epix): Boyd and Sara journey deeper into the forest than Boyd has ever gone, encountering new and terrifying mysteries. Do they find a wall and this is all tied to The Village? Jim's confidence in the radio tower begins to wane.
⭐📺💲 Match Game (Buzzr): Don't be like many of the recent queens on RuPaul's Drag Race, who I guess don't know the basis of the iconic Snatch Game. You need to know about this quintessential daytime game show and the personalities who made millions tune in each day. Especially Charles Nelson Reilly.
NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS): The team investigates the kidnapping of Master Sgt. Boomer, a military working dog. OH NO THEY DIDN'T! THEY KIDNAPPED A DOGGO!
Ruby and the Well (BYUtv): Ruby discovers a wish from beyond the grave that needs to be fulfilled. Daniel fights for the preservation of the wishing well, but the development company has other ideas.
Sanditon (PBS): Lennox and Colbourne's rivalry over Charlotte comes to a head. Edward's manipulation of Esther takes a dark turn. Alison realizes what she has been missing.
⭐📺 That '70s Show (Laff, 9:30 p.m.): Red's reaction to Kitty's announcement that she is pregnant isn't what she hoped for. Kelso fails to take the news of Hyde and Jackie in good stride.
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (HBO): While Buss clashes with West over the coaching staff, Paul calls in a favor from Pat Riley. On the road for the first time, Earvin attempts to reconnect with loved ones in Lansing, before heading to Boston to square off against longtime rival Larry Bird.
WHAT ELSE IS ON
Fear the Walking Dead (AMC): "Follow Me" linear premiere
The Food That Built America (History): Popcorn
💲 Weakest Link (NBC)
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| Match Game (via Tenor) |
🕙 10 P.M. EASTERN / 🕘 9 P.M. CENTRAL
Before We Die (PBS): With Christian out of action, Hannah and Billy are at a loss and it begins to look like the Mimicas will get away with their crime.
⭐📺 Emergency! (FE TV): A '70s drama that was a Chicago Fire/Chicago Med of its day with a focus on fire station paramedics and the doctors and nurses at a nearby hospital. In this episode, "a doctor is asked to cure a foreign dignitary or risk the nation's welfare."
⭐📺 The Hogan Family (Rewind TV): In this series highlight, when the girl who gave David his first kiss ten years earlier arrives with her family to stay with the Hogans for a college visit, sparks between them resume, and David considers consummating the relationship. Valerie Harper was still on the show at this point.
Shining Vale (Starz, 10:15 p.m.): SEASON FINALE. The shocking end of Pat's book is revealed while the Phelps family fights for their souls, individually and as a family.
S.W.A.T. (CBS): When a series of deadly explosions hits oil derricks across Los Angeles, the team must hunt down an activist-turned-terrorist.
Transplant (NBC): Bash faces an ethical dilemma, caught between a gang member with a gunshot wound and the police officer looking for him.
WHAT ELSE IS ON
61st Street (AMC): "The Hunter and the Hunted" linear premiere
Uncensored (TV One): Erica Campbell
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (Bravo): Matt Rogers, Karen Huger
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| Emergency! (via Tumblr) |
💤💤😴💤💤
⭐📺 The Adventures of William Tell (Classic Reruns TV, 11 p.m.): I have no idea what episode is airing on this barely available OTA netlet, but the 14th-century-set British show follows the adventures of the celebrated marksman (Conrad Phillips) and his nemesis, Gessler (Willoughby Goddard).
⭐📺 Archie Bunker's Place (Antenna TV, 4 a.m.): In setting up the 1982 spinoff Gloria, Archie Bunker gets a visit from his daughter, who is now a single mother and looking for a new direction in life.
⭐📺 The Fugitive (MeTV, 2 a.m.): SERIES FINALE. Lt. Gerard agrees to work with Kimble for 24 hours to prove his innocence, because someone who may have been there when his wife was killed, posted bail for the one-armed man.
⭐📺 Daniel Boone (INSP, 3 a.m.): "Rumors circulate that the British are employing Indians to fight for them. Daniel (Fess Parker) becomes personally involved when he gets word his wife Rebecca has been taken by an Indian raiding party."
⭐📺 Dear John (Rewind TV, 3 a.m.): Mostly forgotten, Antenna TV and now its sister, Rewind have brought this '80s/'90s sitcom in frequent rotation. It stars Judd Hirsch as a man who lost everything when his wife divorced him. With a support group he attempts a new life chapter. Tonight, is the three-part episode "Love Stories," which chronicles each cast member as they find a new relationship.
⭐📺 Kojak (Get TV, midnight): Who loves ya, baby? It's a femme fatal, Kojak (Telly Savalas). "After a top mobster's wife kills her husband, she turns her charm on to Kojak and Crocker."
⭐📺 Profiler (Start TV, 1 a.m.): A piece of NBC's Thrillogy lives! (Does anyone remember that Saturday night marketing?). At Christmas time, still recuperating from Coop's (A Martinez) death by a serial killing couple, elite detective Sam Waters (Ally Walker) decides to attend a college reunion. However, that heats up when one friend in Sam's friend circle is murdered.
⭐📺 The Wild Wild West (MeTV+, midnight): While Jim West (Robert Conrad) gets a shave at the barbershop in this sci fi Western, he becomes anesthetized by a hot towel and awakens in a fun-house. West encounters the demented Dr. Loveless (Michael Dunn) with his latest invention: a powerful mechanized man. It's death for everyone!
WHAT ELSE IS ON
Game Theory with Bomani Jones (HBO, 11:30 p.m.): Season finale
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO, 11 p.m.)
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| The top rated broadcasts in the 5 years following the Fugitive's finale. |
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Key Sources: The Futon Critic; IMDb; J-Archive; TV Passport; Zap2it
⭐: Top Pick
💲: Game show
🎥: Movie
📺: Throwback
✔️: Video/gif/photo included
Happy watching, everyone!
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