TV shows, new DVDs, movies and books you’ll want to check out this week!
(All times Eastern.)
MONDAY, April 25
The National Parks: America’s Best Idea
In honor of the 100th anniversary of the National Parks Service (coming in August), this rebroadcast of Ken Burns’ six-episode series from 2009 chronicles the uniquely American idea of our special outdoor places that were set aside not for royalty or for the rich, but for everyone (9 p.m., PBS).
National Parks Week 2016: Celebrate in 10 of the Most Gorgeous Parks Across America
Turn: Washington’s Spies
Season three of the Revolutionary War spy thriller begins with tension building toward one of the most notorious events in American history: the treasonous defection of Benedict Arnold and espionage on both American and British sides (10 p.m., AMC).
TUESDAY, April 26
Chopped Junior
Little chefs with big ambitions once again take over TV’s Chopped kitchen on season two of this kid-sized cooking competition, vying to appease the taste buds of celebrity judges (including Sarah Michelle Gellar, Tony Hawk, Ali Larter, Ailson Sweeney and Christine Taylor) and bring home a $10,000 prize (8 p.m., Food Network).
Sarah Michelle Gellar on No Kid Hungry, Breakfast and Buffy
Top Gear
The popular series featuring exotic supercars, extreme stunts and over-the-top global road challenges returns for a new season with hosts Tanner Foust, Adam Ferrar and Rutledge Wood pushing themselves—and their rides—to the limit (9 p.m., History).
WEDNESDAY, April 27
Heartbeat
A case brings back memories for Alex (Melissa George), Jesse (Don Hany) and Millicent (Shelly Conn) as they fight to save a heart transplant patient when she sustains devastating injuries in a car crash (8 p.m., NBC).
The Goldbergs
Cast members Wendi McLendon-Covey, Jeff Garlin, George Segal and Sean Giambrone host this special edition of hilarious behind-the-scenes footage, bloopers and outtakes, plus interviews and a spotlight on the retro-riffic decade of the ’80s that defines the series (8:30 p.m., ABC).
Wendi McLendon-Covey Dishes on The Goldbergs
THURSDAY, April 28
Scandal
As Mellie (Bellamy Young), Susan (Artemis Pebdani) and Hollis (Gregg Henry) prepare to meet with Florida’s governor and vie for her political endorsement, a spin war between Olivia (Kerry Washington) and Abby (Darby Stanchfield) threatens to keep their candidates grounded (9 p.m., ABC).
What Has Kerry Washington Learned from Being Olivia Pope?
2 Broke Girls
When a law firm courting Randy (Ed Quinn) for a job invites him and Max (Kat Dennings) to dinner at a hip new restaurant, the menu’s exotic new cuisine causes quite a stir (9:30 p.m., CBS).
2 Broke Girls‘s Beth Behrs: I’m ‘Genuinely Best Friends’ with Costar Kat Dennings
FRIDAY, April 29
Celebrity Name Game
Celebrity guests on tonight’s all-new episode of the fast-paced identity-discovery game, hosted by Craig Ferguson, are actor Gilles Marini (from TV’s Brothers & Sisters and Switched at Birth) and former NBA player Rick Fox (check listings, syndicated).
What Happens When a Joke Bombs? Craig Ferguson On Just Being Honest
Danger Mouse
The world’s raddest rodent secret agent is back! Action and comedy collide in an all-new reboot of the classic British cartoon series—the first across-the-pond ’toon to air on Nickelodeon in the ’80s—with the voices of Alexander Armstrong, Kevin Eldon, Stephen Fry, Shauna Macdonald, Lena Headey and narrator Dave Lamb (begins streaming today on Netflix).
SATURDAY, April 30
Jazz at the White House
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama host this hour-long primetime special featuring an array of artists from around the world paying tribute to the American art form of jazz, with performances by Chick Corea, Aretha Franklin, Pat Methey, Sting, Trombone Shorty and dozens of others (8 p.m., ABC).
National Treasure: Jazz, America’s Musical Melting Pot
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
Watch the all-star tribute performances and other highlights as Cheap Trick, Chicago, Deep Purple, N.W.A and Steve Miller enter the hallowed hall in front of an audience of admirers and musical heavyweights (8 p.m., HBO).
SUNDAY, May 1
American Country Countdown Awards
Luke Bryan, Florida Line, Thomas Rhett, Kelsea Ballerini, Cam, Dan + Shay, Florida Georgia Line, Sam Hunt, Martina McBride, Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood and other hit-makers take the stage live in Los Angeles to honor the best country music of the past year, based on the American Country Countdown radio show (8 p.m., Fox).
Photos: The Faces of Country Music Fans May Surprise You
Penny Dreadful
Season three of the popular Showtime series returns with regulars (Josh Hartnett, Timothy Dalton, Eva Green, Harry Treadaway) and newcomers (Patti Lupone, Shazid Latif) jumping into the pulpy psychological mash-up of fictional characters including Dorian Gray, Dr. Jekyll and Victor Frankenstein (10 p.m., Showtime).
READ ALL ABOUT IT
It began as a best-selling novel written by a U.S. Army surgeon about his experiences in the Korean War, became an Oscar-winning movie and then morphed into one of the most beloved, awarded, iconic TV shows of all time. Dale Sherman’s MASH FAQ (Applause) serves up everything a fan could ever want know about the world of M*A*S*H, including before-and-after chapters on the TV cast members, famous guest appearances, lists and trivia.
Michael Schulman, a contributor and arts editor at the New Yorker, chronicles the life of one of America’s most lauded actresses in Her Again (Harper), a thoroughly researched biography that traces Meryl Streep’s career from her suburban New Jersey roots, up the rungs of the Hollywood ladder and finally to today’s pinnacle of award-winning achievement.
Just ahead of the May 6 movie release Captain America: Civil War comes Marvel’s Captain America: The Ultimate Guide (DK) by Matt Forbeck. It’s packed with full-color illustrations and jammed with information about the red, white and blue Avengers leader’s friends, enemies, allies, associates, storylines, adventures and battles, from his beginnings in 1941 to the present. Marvel Comics founder Stan Lee provides the foreword.
NEW ON DVD & BLU-RAY
Natalie Portman goes wild, wild West in Jane Got a Gun (Anchor Bay Entertainment) as a frontier wife who turns in desperation to a lover from her past (Joel Edgerton) to help her defend her wounded outlaw husband (Noah Emmerich)—and her family—from the vicious leader of a gang (Ewan McGregor) who wants to kill them all.
Cary Grant: The Vault Collection (Universal Studios Home Entertainment) features 18 films, all released between 1932 and 1936 (including his debut, This is the Night), showing how the young man born Archibald Leach transformed into the dashing debonair silver-screen icon as he honed his comedic timing and sharpened his dramatic chops alongside Mae West, Charles Laughton, Gary Cooper, Randolph Scott and other major Hollywood stars of the era.
A surprising new cross-generational duo is born with the pair-up of Zac Efron and Robert De Niro in Dirty Grandpa (Lionsgate Home Enertainment), a riotously raunchy road-trip comedy about an uptight young lawyer tricked into taking his grandpa along on a spring-break trek. Aubrey Plaza from TV’s Parks and Recreation, Julianne Hough, Danny Glover and Dermot Mulroney also appear. Available on digital HD Tuesday, April 26.
A great way to remember Glen Campbell, now dealing with the ravages of Alzheimer’s, in happier times is with The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour Country Special (Shout! Factory), a delightful collection of two episodes of his 1969 network variety series featuring guest performances by Johnny Cash, June Carter, Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and Minnie Pearl.
And if you’re still in a country frame of mind, time-travel back even farther, to 1962, when an Ozark mountain clan invaded Hollywood and took over primetime for almost a decade. The Beverly Hillbillies: The Official First Season (CBS Home Entertainment/Paramount Home Media) includes 36 digitally remastered episodes, including an extended version of the rarely seen pilot, which introduced the Clampetts, Jed (Buddy Epson), Granny (Irene Ryan), Elly May (Donna Douglas) and Jethro (Max Baer Jr.) to the world.
Buckle up. Kevin Hart and Ice Cube are back as mismatched cops in Ride Along 2 (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment). This misadventure takes them to Miami and picks up Olivia Wilde, Ken Jeong, Sherri Shepherd and Tyrese Gibson for the ride. Extras include gags and gaffes, a look behind the scenes, commentary and more.
Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick and Betty White made the TV Land series Hot in Cleveland—about a group of “aging” Hollywood veterans who find second career winds when their plane makes an emergency landing in Ohio, where they decide to remain—a hit for six hilarious seasons. Now you can laugh all over again with this Complete Series collection (Paramount Home Media), a 17-disc package that includes all 128 episodes of the show, which aired from 2010 to 2015.
THIS WEEK AT THE MOVIES
From the TV team of Key & Peele comes Keanu, a hilariously ribald tale of two friends (Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele) who hatch a crazy plan to retrieve a stolen kitten by posing as drug dealers for a street gang.
Sylvester Stallone, Rosario Dawson, Bella Thorne, John Goodman, Paul Giamatti, James Arnold Taylor and David Kaye provide the voices for Ratchet and Clank, an animated family film about two heroes who band together with a group of space rangers to stop an alien from destroying the galaxy.
Sylvester Stallone Wants To Move Behind The Camera
Chick flick alert: Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Annison and Britt Robinson headline the cast of Mother’s Day, the Gerry Marshall-directed comedy of four intersecting stories that all (somehow!) come together on One Special Day.
Kate Hudson on what it is Like to Have Goldie Hawn as a Mom
In Green Room, starring Patrick Stewart (like you’ve never seen him before!), Imogen Poots and Anton Yelchin, a punk rock band is forced into a vicious fight for survival against a group of maniacal skinheads after stumbling up a brutal murder scene at a remote nightclub.
Why Is Patrick Stewart Starring in his First Comedy Series at 75?
A thief (Vince Vaughn) wanted by various thugs and hit men hopes to stay alive long enough for his life insurance policy to kick in and pay out for his daughter (Hailee Steinfeld) in the action-comedy Term Life.
Is Hailee Steinfeld Focusing More on Music or Acting?
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