Table of Contents
For those like myself who still haven’t cut the cord, here is a selection of cable and network TV shows, movies and specials that broadcast this week, April 1-7. Details and times are subject to change.
Monday
AMERICAN IDOL 8 p.m. on ABC. At this point in the season, most contestants are headed home. But for a lucky handful, the journey continues. This week, the famed singing competition show will reach its final showcase round, where the remaining hopeful vocalists have one last chance to impress the judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie and earn a spot in the Top 24.
Tuesday
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (1995) 8 p.m. on TCM. Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant are just a few noteworthy names to star in Ang Lee’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s first novel. “Mr. Lee is after something more broadly accessible, a sparkling, colorful and utterly contemporary comedy of manners,” Janet Maslin wrote in her review for The New York Times. “He achieves this so pleasantly that ‘Sense and Sensibility’ matches the Austen-based ‘Clueless’ for sheer fun. Not bad, considering that these characters respond to any awkward social circumstance by talking about the weather.”
PAWN STARS DO AMERICA 8 p.m. on History. Step out from behind the glass and join Rick Harrison, Corey Harrison and Austin Russell (known as Chumlee), the proprietors of Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas, as they pound the pavement in search of unique items with supreme historical — and monetary — value. The family-owned and -operated shop was made famous when “Pawn Stars” first premiered on History in 2009 and fans have been lining up in front of the store to take a peek inside ever since. From the Vegas Strip to all corners of the United States, their search for collectibles continues. While you may not always see them strike a deal, you’re always guaranteed a chuckle and a reminder that all that glitters is not gold.
TWISTER (1996) 8 p.m. on AMC. “Dorothy and Toto Had It Easier,” reads the headline of the review of “Twister” for The Times. Shall we compare the tornado that gingerly transports Dorothy — and her little dog, too — from Kansas into the land of Oz to the Oklahoman superstorms in this film that explode diesel trucks, turn barns into toothpicks and level entire towns within seconds? While there’s no shortage of courage or brains in Dr. Jo Harding (Helen Hunt) and Bill Harding (Bill Paxton), two spirited storm chasers, heart is the element in question here, with a divorce looming much like the darkening clouds in the distance. Keep a weather eye on the horizon as they navigate their failing romance and battle against the forces of nature.
Thursday
BLADE (1998) 7:58 p.m. on Syfy. If you dare to tune in to this movie, expect to fall teeth first into the underbelly of a gritty, desaturated dystopian mid-’90s metropolis, where every scene is muted in cyan, and red is the only color shown in its richest, purest form. Blade (Wesley Snipes) — adapted from the original Marvel comic character — is half-human and half-vampire. Caught between worlds, this leather-clad, heavily armored and fully loaded slayer hunts, sets fire to and evaporates every fanged creature in his way to keep evil forces at bay. As war rages between humans and vampires — and a power struggle unfolds among the nightwalker ranks — house music pumps just as hard as the blood. Be prepared: Heads will roll, stakes will fly and the essence of garlic will fill the air.
Friday
KILL BILL: VOL. 1 (2003) 5:30 p.m. on BBC America. A former assassin (Uma Thurman) is shot down — to the tune of “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down),” sung by Nancy Sinatra — on her wedding day and spends the next four years in a coma. When she finally awakens, vengeance on the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, the team of assassins that betrayed her, is all she seeks. If you’re looking to cross something else off your list, continue the evening with KILL BILL: VOL. 2 (2004), which follows at 8 p.m. on BBC America.
Saturday
WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN 8 p.m. on Fox. Tables are broken, rivalries unfold in real-time and (metaphorical) lines are drawn. Superstars like Bianca Belair, Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso and Roman Reigns will fill the arena as the crowd roars with each punch thrown. You may even imagine the sweet, sweet fragrance of spandex, sweat and popcorn wafting in the air. Tune in for the ultimate professional wrestling experience that “is one part gladiator arena and one part soap opera mixed with broad comedy and pyrotechnics,” writes Joshua Needelman for The Times.
THE MUMMY (1999) 8 p.m. on AMC. When a mummy rises from its tomb fueled by an ancient curse meant to bind the creature to the ground it was buried in and wreak havoc on those who unleash the evil within, a renegade devil-may-care explorer, Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser), must take matters into his own hands and battle the living dead. If the curse hasn’t lifted, continue the evening with THE MUMMY RETURNS (2001), which follows at 10:45 p.m. on AMC.
Sunday
2024 CMT MUSIC AWARDS 8 p.m. on CBS. Shine up your boots and get that dust off your hat: Kelsea Ballerini returns to host the CMT Music Awards, which air live from Austin, Texas. Ballerini, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson and Zach Bryan have all been nominated for multiple awards; performances by Brittney Spencer, Little Big Town, Sam Hunt and Sugarland, to name a few, are expected to be the highlight of the night.
13 GOING ON 30 (2004) 7 p.m. on CW. Do you ever wonder what would happen if you got everything you ever wished for? Would it be enough? A 13-year-old finds herself questioning all she’s got when a birthday wish to be “30, flirty and thriving” comes true. Suddenly grown-up and a big-time magazine editor with no recollection of anything after her 13th birthday party, Jenna Rink (Jennifer Garner) is left to fill in the gaps.
