It’s been a big summer for Joseph Gordon-Levitt. First — spoiler alert! — in The Dark Knight Rises, his John Blake inherits the bat cave to fulfill his destiny as Robin. Now, in his latest film, he’s being chased around New York City by a cop who wants what he’s carrying.
It’s also a huge week for summer TV, with many of your favorite shows wrapping up for the season. But don’t fear, there’s a few new series on the horizon. Take a look at our PopWatch Planner for the week!
Image Credit: Murray Close
The Olympics are almost finished, but archery’s greatest heroine is set to return this week when The Hunger Games arrives on home video. Jennifer Lawrence helped the first installment of the dystopian franchise split the box-office bulls eye, cashing in more than $400 million, and the blockbuster gets a special Saturday Blu-ray release. With midnight purchase parties, it could conceivably hurt the movies actually opening in theaters and make them… Expendable.
SUNDAY, AUG. 12
Olympics closing ceremonies and men’s basketball final, NBC
The closing ceremonies are notoriously a pot-luck affair, with the host nation dusting off every native-born international star who missed the cut for the opening act. Muse, the Who, George Michael, and the Spice Girls seem like sure things as London hands the torch to Rio de Janeiro, but don’t be surprised if Queen, the Kinks, and Annie Lennox pop in for a medley of some sort to celebrate five decades of British music. (The Rolling Stones are not expected, which somehow makes me respect them more.)
For American sports fans who annually look forward to getting up for Breakfast at Wimbledon every July, set your alarms for just before 10 a.m. ET for Breakfast with The King. That’s King LeBron James and the U.S. men’s hoops team, which faces Spain in the gold-medal game today, a rematch of the final four years ago in Beijing, where the U.S. took the gold, 118-107. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: FX Network
I don’t want to alarm you, but 2012 is almost half over. Fireworks are right around the corner, and then school starts up again. Before you know it, the kids will be moving out of the house, and you’re screaming at the neighbor’s kid whose Whiffle ball keeps landing in your yard. All we are is dust in the wind, man. Fortunately, some reliable TV friends are back to hold our hands through the rest of the summer. Matt LeBlanc checks back in, as “Matt LeBlanc” on Episodes. Louis C.K.’s show returns to FX better than ever and Charlie Sheen’s Anger Management debuts the same night, bookending Wilfred to form the first-ever comedy block where no one who watches the first show watches the last and vice versa. And tonight, Aaron Sorkin dives back into television with the ambitious Newsroom, starring Jeff Daniels. So let’s try and enjoy this while we still can.
Sunday, June 24
The Newsroom premiere, HBO 10 p.m.
Aaron Sorkin’s new series about a cable news program has been so heavily anticipated, promoted, and analyzed that one almost feels pressured to have a definitive opinion about the show before it even premieres: Is it The West Wing or Studio 60? Tune in tonight to see whether it’s buzz or hype. You’ll be able to tell which by how the political Right and Left react on Monday morning. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Pixar/Disney
This week is all about strong women: a fiery Scottish princess; the powerhouses of the U.S. Olympic Track & Field team; and a ’90s indie rock star making a major comeback. Plus, tonight HBO wraps Lena Dunham’s thought-provoking new series Girls. The week rounds out with a controversial new show on ABC Monday, Sin City week on So You Think You Can Dance, and hunky Matthew McConaughey joins Jimmy Kimmel for an NBA finals preview. Have a great week!
Sunday, June 17
Girls season finale, HBO, 10:30 p.m.
Whether you love ‘em or think they are entitled New York spoiled brats, there’s no denying that the girls on Lena Dunham’s Girls were the talk of the town this spring. Say goodbye to Hannah and her sisters-in-arms tonight on HBO. Crackpipe not included. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Taylor Hill/Getty Images
It’s already June — and high time to figure out your summer jam — so it’s a good thing Usher’s new record is out this week, ready to be blasted at barbeques and in the carpool lane to the beach with the windows down. Plus, while summer TV used to mean reruns and the MTV Beach House, the appearance of great summer programming is just one of the many reasons we’re happy to be living in America today. This week a bunch of favorite shows kick off their new seasons, while another comes to an end. Sunday is a DVR-filled competition, with the premiere of True Blood, the Mad Men season finale, and the Tony Awards – how to choose?! The week fills out with new music, a rockin’ movie premiere, and some fun ideas for dad’s special day. Have a great week!
SUNDAY, JUNE 10
The Tony Awards, CBS, 8 p.m.
True Blood, HBO, 9 p.m.
Mad Men, AMC, 10 p.m.
There’s too much happening Sunday night to choose just one thing to watch. I’ll be liveblogging the Tony Awards, Broadway’s biggest night, along with Thom Geier, starting at 7:45 p.m. ET, so come back to EW.com later today and check it out. While you’re planning your Sunday TV, make sure the DVR is set for True Blood’s return on HBO and the Mad Men season finale on AMC. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Kerry Brown/Twentieth Century Fox
Just when you thought Sunday night TV couldn’t cause more smoke to pour from your overtaxed DVR, tonight’s Game of Thrones season finale will run 10 minutes long, invading into the penultimate episode of Mad Men, all the while competing with the MTV Movie Awards. Next Sunday, the season premiere of True Blood and the season finale of Mad Men run up against the 66th Annual Tony Awards. It’s. Just. Too. Much!
Fortunately, there are six other days in the week, and plenty to occupy your time. There’s dark literary thrillers to devour, alt-y music festivals at the foot of the Smoky Mountains to enjoy, and the giant gaming confab known as E3 to overwhelm the senses. And then Friday, Ridley Scott’s Prometheus bursts into the multiplex, hugging the faces of filmgoers nationwide. Enjoy!
SUNDAY, JUNE 3
Game of Thrones season finale, HBO, 9 p.m. ET
How will Tyrion handle the return of his father, the true Hand of the King? What will Daenerys do to retrieve her dragons? How will Arya fare upon escaping Harrenhal? READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: HBO
All season, HBO has been pointing towards tonight’s Game of Thrones with promos promising, “War is Coming.” Well, the Battle of the Blackwater commences tonight with an episode written by George R.R. Martin himself. I can’t decide whether this specific show’s timing — on Memorial Day weekend — is forgivably unfortunate or somehow appropriate, but it seems at home during a weekend of classic war films that’s then followed by a star-studded trip back to the Spanish Civil War and a reimagining of the Snow White fairy tale that almost looks influenced by Thrones. 
SUNDAY, MAY 27
Game of Thrones, HBO, 9 p.m.
The season 2 finale is next week, but this is the episode fans of Martin’s second book, A Clash of Kings, have been waiting to see. Can it possibly equal the epic scenes they’ve imagined in their minds? The preview promo certainly doesn’t disappoint. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Michael Becker/FOX
TV finale season draws to a close this week, with The Celebrity Apprentice, Family Guy, American Idol, Dancing With the Stars, Modern Family, Glee, Revenge, and Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt. 23 all wrapping up their seasons, and House closing up shop for good. But as a bunch of doors close, some breezy summer TV programming whirls in through the open window, including the newly results-show-free So You Think You Can Dance on Fox going up against the new singing-with-a-music-star competition Duets on ABC.
Meanwhile, Will Smith returns to the multiplex after a four year absence, and the week kicks off with the music business celebrating its (quantifiably) biggest stars. Enjoy! READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Virginia Sherwood/NBC
Parting is such sweet sorrow, and this week witnesses so many television season finales — including Desperate Housewives‘ huge series finale — that dedicated fans will be looking for ways to fill the void. (Except hardcore gamers, who can likely ignore every suggestion after Tuesday’s release of Diablo III.) But there’s plenty of entertainment to lift your spirits: Howard Stern is loose on the airwaves again, a horrible dictator is dealt some New York justice, and your favorite sitcom couple will cap the week, hopefully on a high note.
SUNDAY
Desperate Housewives series finale, ABC, 9 p.m.
After eight seasons of soapy plotlines that took great joy in killing off characters in the most unusual ways, it’s safe to expect that the last tour of Wisteria Lane will find someone cold. But this final season has been anything but, as the show has been rejuvenated after several seasons of melodramatic hokum. As the Queen song goes, “Another One Bites the Dust,” but Housewives is saying its farewell in style. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Justin Lubin/NBC
There are a few mysteries to solve this week, starting with a new one from Sherlock Holmes on the second season of Sherlock on PBS, then moving through the start of season finales to discover the winner of The Voice. Later in the week, find some great pop culture graduation gifts (’tis the season…) like the new Stephen Colbert book, and then don’t forget to do something nice for your mom next Sunday. Have a great week!
SUNDAY
Sherlock returns to Masterpiece Mystery, PBS, 9 p.m.
Making plans for Sunday nights the next few weeks is elementary, my dear PopWatchers. Benedict Cumberbatch is back as everyone’s favorite detective and Martin Freeman joins him as Watson for the second season of the beloved Steven-Moffat-and-Mark-Gatiss series. This week: Could Sherlock be in love? Check out Ken Tucker’s preview below. READ FULL STORY »
