TV: Five shows worth watching tonight: April 26
A select viewing guide for Thursday, April 26
COMEDY Community NBC, CITY-TV, 8 p.m. ET/PT The student body of Greendale Community College test the scales of justice in tonight's new episode. The story opens with Annie (Alison Brie) finding the study group's delicate yam experiment smashed to bits on the science-lab floor. In hopes of saving their grade, the group tries to find the person responsible, with Abed (Danny Pudi) and Troy (Donald Glover) leading the investigation. The investigation culminates in an elaborate mock trial, with the stern Professor Kane, played by The Wire's Michael K. Williams, serving as judge, jury and possibly executioner.
COMEDY 30 Rock NBC, CITY-TV, 8:30 p.m. ET/PT Live from New York, it's 30 Rock! TV's sharpest comedy series goes live again with a new episode, so hopefully everybody has learned their lines. The storyline finds harried Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) and her boss Jack (Alec Baldwin) coming to the realization that their lives would be a whole lot easier if they pre-taped their network TV show each week. The only roadblock is the meddling network page Kenneth (Jack MacBrayer), who insists that live television is a magical experience. Tonight's live episode is scheduled to include a guest turn by Community's Donald Glover, who will play a younger version of Tracy (Tracy Morgan).
DRAMA Person of Interest CBS, CITY-TV, 9 p.m. ET/PT Since this new crime drama has already been renewed for a second season, it's presumably safe for viewers to start learning more about the main characters. One of the few breakout hits, the show's premise stars former Lost regular Michael Emerson as Finch, a computer genius who devises a program that identifies a person about to commit a crime. To help prevent the crime from happening, Finch has enlisted the assistance of Reese (Jim Caviezel), a former CIA operative with a mysterious past. We learn more about Reese in tonight's episode when the program puts him undercover on an armoured truck crew, which causes him to have flashbacks about his final CIA mission that forced him to make some tragic decisions.
DRAMA The Mentalist CBS, CTV, 10 p.m. ET/PT Still steady as a rock in U.S. ratings, this crime drama starring Simon Baker as the psychic-sleuth Patrick Jane is also one of the most PVRed programs on U.S. network television. In tonight's new episode, Jane and his fellow members of the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are summoned when a young man is found burned to death outside a cabaret showcasing female impersonators. Their investigation reveals a lengthy list of suspects, each with an extended history of bullying the victim.
MOVIE The Magnificent Seven TCM, 10:15 p.m. ET; 7:15 p.m. PT Back in 1960, very few moviegoers were aware this rousing western was actually a remake of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's classic 1953 film The Seven Samurai. This version starred Yul Brynner as Chris , a professional gunslinger hired to protect a defenceless Mexican village from its annual ransacking by the ruthless bandito named Calvera (Eli Wallach). To ensure the townsfolk's safety, he enlists the assistance of six fellow mercenaries, played by Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Horst Buchholz and Brad Dexter. The rousing refrain by composer Elmer Bernstein was later immortalized as the soundtrack for Marlboro cigarettes.