This week, Fringe season three comes to an explosive end. Adventure Time has an epic two-part story. Pirates attack on Doctor Who! Josh Holloway comes to Community! Lois Lane gets superpowers! But most of all, Thor comes to Syfy!
Plus Lady Gaga, real-life megapiranhas, retro torpedos, Ben Edlund directing Supernatural, Bugs Bunny at the DMV, and Candice Bergen on House. Television is ready to rock your world this week, and we've got all the clips and details!
Top image: Patricia Velasquez in Almighty Thor.
Today:
Syfy is showing Stargate Universe and Sanctuary episodes all day during the day, to help get you caught up for the evening's excitement.
The best cartoon series you're not watching, the Cartoon Network's Adventure Time with Finn & Jake, is having a special two-part episode. That's right: a whole half-hour! It runs from 8 to 8:30, and the episodes are "Mortal Folly" and "Mortal Recoil." Here's the plot synopsis:
The evil Lich has been freed and it's up to Finn and Jake to hunt him down before he regains the power to spread his evil over Ooo. Fed-up with his failed attempts at winning over Princess Bubblegum, Ice King captures her and pesters the guys for their blessing. Part-two continues with Princess Bubblegum being dropped in the Lich's vat of evil energy. She's taken back to the Candy Kingdom to recover, only to mutate into an evil creature bent on destruction. Finn and Jake must fight to bring her back to normal. Will they succeed?
Seriously, this show specializes in doing weird, fun little 15-minute stories — so a 30-minute story is an epic for them. Can't wait! And here are a couple of clips!
Also at 8, there's a new Chuck, "Chuck Vs. Agent X":
CHUCK'S BACHELOR PARTY GETS OUT OF HAND WHEN SOME UNINVITED GUESTS ARRIVE - RAY WISE GUEST STARS - Chuck (Zachary Levi) and Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) put aside spy work to have a weekend of debauchery, but Awesome's (Ryan McPartlin) plans for Chuck's big night don't go quite as expected. Meanwhile, Ellie's (Sarah Lancaster) investigation into her father's computer leads to a life-changing discovery.
Also at 8 PM: A new House on Fox ("Changes") — featuring Candice Bergen as Cuddy's mom.
The Cartoon Network has new Regular Show at 8:30. And then there's The Problem Solverz at 8:45 ("Funny Facez".)
At 9 PM, NBC has a new episode of The Event, "Us or Them." Worst. President. Ever.
The White House grapples with the unfolding tragedy as Sterling (Zeljko Ivanek) continues the investigation into his primary suspect. Sophia (Laura Innes) manipulates the traitor inside the White House, confirming the suspicions of Chief of Staff Peel (guest star Roger Bart, "Desperate Housewives"). Leila (Sarah Roemer) and Michael (Scott Patterson) attempt to rescue Simon (Ian Anthony Dale), but at tremendous personal risk. Elsewhere, Sean (Jason Ritter) and Vicky (Taylor Cole) try to identify Sophia's secret courier before it's too late.
Also at 9 PM, there's a new Stargate Universe on Syfy, "Blockade":
The drone ships block Destiny's access to viable power sources, forcing the crew to put themselves at risk by navigating the ship into a superhot star.
And then at 10 PM, Sanctuary is also on Syfy: "Magnus reaches out to Hollow Earth for help when Will suddenly begins transforming into a mysterious, scaly creature."
Tuesday:
Syfy is showing Stargate: SG-1 all day long — until 6:30 PM, when it suddenly turns into Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. That's a rude transition for you.
At 7:30 PM, the Cartoon Network has the Spring premiere of Scooby-Doo: Mystery Inc., with "Mystery Solvers Club State Finals." Apparently the episode has been on Amazon and iTunes since January, but it's only just now airing on television.
The Mystery Inc. gang has been invited to compete in the annual TEEN MYSTERY SOLVER'S CONVENTION. A weekend affair where mystery solving teams from around the country compete to solve a mystery.
That's followed at 8 PM by the series premiere of a new Cartoon Network show, The Looney Tunes Show. In which:
Bugs and Daffy haven't changed - but their living situation has. Bugs is as brazen, sarcastic and ahead-of-the-game as ever, and Daffy, despite his narcissistic, sociopathic and paranoid tendencies, is Bugs' best friend and seemingly permanent houseguest. No longer confined to seven-minute shorts, their larger-than-life personalities (and egos) offer an irreverent, comical take on our modern world and introduce a whole new realm of possibilities. Now Bugs and Daffy can wreak as much havoc at the grocery store or the DMV as they once did in the forest.
Do you want to see Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck at the DMV?
After you watch Bugs Bunny jump the shark, watch the National Geographic Channel hunt down the Megapiranha in an all-new episode of National Geographic Explorer at 10 PM.
Piranhas - the stuff of nightmares and legends. Theyre infamous for how fast they can devour prey, and are known to attack in groups of up to 100. Now, a team of scientists is heading to the Amazon to investigate a piranha mystery of immense proportions. A fossil of a giant jaw fragment has been identified as an ancient piranha, but with a terrifying twist: the tooth belonged to a fish seven times the size of existing piranha species.
Wednesday:
Another all-day marathon of Stargate SG-1 on Syfy.
At 9 PM, Discovery Channel has another new Mythbusters, "Torpedo Tastic":
In this episode, MYTHBUSTERS has the opportunity to tackle two of their favorite things: explosives and wine. First, Adam and Jamie attempt to clarify whether or not the world's supposed first torpedo, built in the 1320s in Syria, could really have obtained success after traveling 800 feet along the water's surface. The pair heads to a lake to test this significant historical event using their own torpedoes, which have been fashioned with the same dimensions and designs as the very first torpedo. Tory, Kari and Grant set out to solve a recent tragedy which involved the explosion of a semi-truck filled with wine. Although the occurrence of this accident is no myth, the trio investigates what could have caused the corks of the wine bottles to pop off like machine guns. Wine fans are advised to look away!
And here's a sneak peek:
Click to view
Also, the second episode of South Park season 15 is on Comedy Central at 10 PM.
Thursday:
Syfy is once again showing Stargate SG-1 all day long, and then there's the usual run of five Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes in the evening.
Once again, NBC has a new Community at 8 PM, at the same time as a new Big Bang Theory on CBS. How to choose between them? This time, Penny is using Bernadette to spy on Leonard and his girlfriend on BBT. Meanwhile on Community, Lost's Josh Holloway guest stars as a friendly game of paintball turns out to have greater significance than anybody realized. (Could it be paintball... by the Numbers?)
There's also a new Vampire Diaries on The CW at 8 PM, "The Sun Also Rises." And honestly, if you're letting the "Twilight: The TV series" stigma keep you from watching this show, you're missing one of the most insane, unpredictable and thrilling pieces of television being made right now. I only wish there was a science fiction show on television that had TVD's ability to keep the plot twists both surprising and believable, week after week. Here's what happens this week:
With the arrival of the full moon, Elena (Nina Dobrev) tries to prepare for whatever Klaus (guest star Joseph Morgan) has planned and Tyler (Michael Trevino) faces his second transformation. The terrifying events quickly spin out of control, despite an unexpected act of courage. Finally, Damon (Ian Somerhalder) admits the truth to Stefan (Paul Wesley) about a terrible new development they must face.
And then there's also a new Nikita on The CW at 9 PM, "Betrayals":
After Michael (Shane West) learns that Percy (Xander Berkeley) has ordered Divison to kill anyone who could decrypt the black boxes, he sends Nikita (Maggie Q) in to save the last person on the list, a CIA cryptographer named Malcolm (guest star Rich Sommer). Nikita kidnaps Malcom and takes him to Ryan (guest star Noah Bean) for protection. Meanwhile, Percy turns on Alex (Lyndsy Fonseca).
Also at 9 PM, National Geographic has the third season premiere of Known Universe, "Surviving Outer Space."
The human body thrives on the welcome confines of Earthbut in space, survival becomes a tense, daily challenge. Micro-gravitys effects on daily human activity, from eating to sleep to sex, are just beginning to be understood. But these are only the start of our problems well also explore how the vacuum of space and its near-zero pressure can kill us within minutes, if not seconds. And the ultimate space executioner may be the ever-present dangers of solar radiation. How will we overcome the odds and survive space.
Friday:
Syfy's Stargate: SG-1 marathon continues during the day.
It's the penultimate episode of Smallville! And the anticipation is written on our skulls like an Omega symbol. Here's what happens in "Prophecy":
JOR-EL GIVES LOIS SUPER POWERS; KARA RETURNS - Clark (Tom Welling) takes Lois (Erica Durance) to the Fortress to get Jor-El's (voiced by Terrance Stamp) blessing for their marriage. Jor-El bestows a unique wedding gift on the couple – he gives Lois Clark's super powers so she can see what it's like to be him for a day. Unfortunately, the Toyman (guest star Chris Gautheir) has returned to Metropolis, so Lois must go up against the notorious villain instead of Clark. Meanwhile, Oliver (Justin Hartley) searches for the Bow of Orion, which he believes will remove the Omega symbol from his skull, and runs into Kara (guest star Laura Vandervoort), who is also on a mission to stop Darkseid.
Then at 9 PM, The CW has a new Supernatural — and really all I have to tell you is "written and directed by Ben Edlund." Yes, the creator of the Tick and Bad Horse, and the writer of "Jaynestown." But here's the synopsis:
Castiel (Misha Collins) tells Sam (Jared Padalecki), Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Bobby (Jim Beaver) about the war in Heaven and how he and Raphael became enemies. Bobby believes Castiel is hiding something, but Dean refuses to believe it.
And then at 9 PM, Fringe has its season finale, and we find out just what the future holds.
As the thrilling third season propels to a climactic close, questions will be answered as Peter confronts his destiny and a beloved team member meets an untimely demise.
At 10 PM, Camelot is back on Starz with "Three Journeys":
Camelot's knights must defend the castle from dangers found beyond the borders. Guinevere travels alone to meet her father, and Arthur follows secretly.
Saturday:
The Hub is having its random grab-bag of Transformers and G.I. Joe cartoons as usual from 7 to 9 PM.
At 9 PM, BBC America has the third episode Doctor Who season six, "Curse of the Black Spot." Here's what happens:
The TARDIS is marooned onboard a 17th-century pirate ship whose crew is being attacked by a mysterious and beautiful sea creature, as the time-travelling drama continues. Becalmed and beset by cabin fever, the pirates have numerous superstitious explanations for the Siren's appearance. The Doctor has other ideas but, as his theories are disproved and every plan of escape is thwarted, he must work to win the trust of the implacable Captain Avery and uncover the truth behind the pirates' supernatural fears – and he must work quickly, for some of his friends have already fallen under the Siren's spell...
And that's followed by the Graham Norton Show episode featuring David Tennant and Catherine Tate.
But what if you've seen Thor in the movie theater, and you haven't gotten enough Thor yet? Syfy has you covered, with a new original movie at 9 PM, Almighty Thor — and here's a sneak peek.
In Almighty Thor, a volcanic fissure bursts open in the fortress of Valhalla, freeing the demon God Loki (Richard Grieco), who steals the Hammer of Invincibility. Loki plans to obliterate Los Angeles using the Hammer — and Thor (Cody Deal) is the only one who can stop him.
That's followed at 11 PM by another Syfy original movie, 2009's Thor: Hammer of the Gods. Yes, it's a double fea-Thor.
And if Thor and Doctor Who aren't enough for you, HBO is showing a special presentation of the very science fictional Lady Gaga live at Madison Square Garden. Find out why they call her "Mother Monster," and just why gay unicorns are so great.
Sunday:
Syfy is showing Eureka episodes all day, and Warehouse 13 episodes all evening. Huzzah!
Fox has its usual animated bloc from 7:30 to 10, with new episodes of American Dad, The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, Family Guy and Cleveland Show. Most notably, the new Simpsons episode is called "Homer Scissorhands," in which Homer opens a hair salon — while Milhouse gets a new love interest.
HBO's Game of Thrones continues at 9 PM with "Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things."
Ned looks to a book for clues to the death of his predecessor, and uncovers one of King Robert's (Mark Addy) bastards. Robert and his guests witness a tournament honoring Ned. Jon takes measures to protect Samwell (John Bradley) from further abuse at Castle Black; a frustrated Viserys clashes with Daenerys in Vaes Dothrak; Sansa (Sophie Turner) imagines her future as a queen, while Arya envisions a far different future. Catelyn rallies her husband's allies to make a point, while Tyrion finds himself caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The Science Channel is still re-showing all the original episodes of Joss Whedon's Firefly, with special segments featuring physicist Michio Kaku, at 9 PM and 10 PM.
And then at midnight, there's a new Superjail! on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.
Sources: Futon Critic, TV Guide, and various TV studio press releases.