On Tonight: Fraud in Fins
One of P.T. Barnum’s first major frauds was something he called the Feejee Mermaid, a kind of lurid combination of monkey and fish with paper mache that brought in the…
Also on Sunday: Memorial Day Concert
Live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, The National Memorial Day Concert 2012 (PBS, 8 p.m., check local listings) features rock band Daughtry, singer Natalie Cole, country singer…
Saturday TV: Johnny Drama Returns
Now is the time that networks unload all the episodes of all the shows they paid for but never aired because they canceled the show. Prime example is “How to…
Friday TV: ‘Graceland’s 25th, Yo Yo Does Bluegrass
For the 25th anniversary of his most successful album, Paul Simon returned to South Africa to reconnect with the musicians on “Graceland,” prepare a tour, and shot a documentary at…
Thursday TV: So You Think You Can ‘Duet’
Sick of singing competitions? Too bad. The first of several knockoff reality shows to fill the airwaves this summer is “Duets” (ABC, 8 p.m.), a show like the voice in…
Tuesday TV: ‘Dance,’ ‘Idol,’ Draw Seasons to End
Chances are the person selected to win “Dancing with the Stars” (ABC, 9 p.m.) will be the least well known personality on the show yet. To confirm this slide from…
Monday TV: ‘House’ Closing, ‘Ninja’ Invasion
As great as dramas have become on cable, the same improvement can’t be found on broadcast TV, where most hour long shows are still bad variations on cop, hospital and…
Sunday TV: Billboard Awards, Jesse Stone Returns, ‘Sherlock’ Finale
Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen host the 2012 Billboard Music Awards (ABC, 8 p.m.) from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, not because they’re singers or musicians but because they…
Saturday TV: Gregg Toland’s Eye, Mick on ‘SNL’
The luxurious black and white cinematography of Gregg Toland is featured tonight on Turner Classic Movies, starting with the movie that won him an Oscar, the 1939 “Wuthering Heights” (TCM,…
Friday TV: Shakespearian Opera, ‘Supernatural’ Finale
The great thing about the Met Live in HD series, that brings live broadcasts of opera to 1,700 theaters around the world, is that the performances usually end up on…