Sure, Sunday tends to be overcrowded with high-end TV, including “Mad Men,” “True Blood,” “Family Tree,” and more, but what to watch the rest of the time? Every Monday, we bring you five noteworthy highlights from the other six days of the week.
“Love, Marilyn”: Broadcast Premiere
Monday, Jun 17 at 9pm on HBO
Liz Garbus’ documentary about Marilyn Monroe focuses on the screen icon’s interior life versus how she was perceived, interspersing her papers, journals and poems, as interpreted by actresses like Elizabeth Banks, Glenn Close, Viola Davis and Uma Thurman, with readings from what Norman Mailer, Truman Capote, Elia Kazan and Billy Wilder wrote about her.
“Independent Lens”: “The Revolutionary Optimists”
Monday, Jun 17 at 10pm on PBS
Maren Grainger-Monsen and Nicole Newnham’s film looks at a Kolkata school run by former lawyer Amlan Ganguly who seeks to empower slum children to become activists to fight for human rights and to improve not just their own situation but those of everyone around them.
“Futurama”: Season Premiere
Wednesday, Jun 19 at 10pm on Comedy Central
Matt Groening’s witty sci fi animated series enters its final stretch of 13 episodes — unless it’s rescued by yet another network. Fry and the Planet Express crew will be back with a two episode premiere, “2-D Blacktop” and “Fry and Leela’s Big Fling,” which will find Professor Farnsworth joining a gang of street-racing punks and Fry and Leela’s taking a romantic vacation gone wrong.
“Hannibal”: Season Finale
Thursday, Jun 20 at 10pm on NBC
Last week’s episode of “Hannibal” suggested an end to the bromance between Will (Hugh Dancy) and Hannibal (Mads Mikkelsen) when the search for a murder got a little close to home. Bryan Fuller’s disturbing, intelligent take on the “Silence of the Lambs” characters has been by far the most interesting serial killer show of the year — fortunately, it’s already been renewed for a second season, so whatever cliff we’re left hanging from, we’ll be getting more.
“Madonna: The MDNA Tour”: Broadcast Premiere
Saturday, Jun 22 at 8pm on Epix
Queen Madge toured the world in 2012 with the MDNA Tour, performing songs from her new album, including “Give Me All Your Luvin’,” “Girl Gone Wild” and “Turn Up the Radio” alongside older hits like “Vogue,” “Like A Prayer” and “Hung Up.” This concert special, directed by Danny Tull (editor on Madonna’s “W.E.” and “I Am Because We Are”), was shot primarily during a show in Miami.
Also worth a look: Elijah Wood returns as a depressive who dreams up a man in a dog suit as a companion in season three of “Wilfred,” kicking off on FX on Thursday, June 20th at 10pm; Kid in the Hall Dave Foley does standup on Showtime’s “Dave Foley: Relatively Well,” airing Friday, June 21st at 11pm; Lifetime gives new meaning to “ripped from the headlines” with original movie “Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret,” starring “Lost” alum Tania Raymonde and Travis Alexander, Saturday, June 22nd at 8pm.
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