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The Simpsons, Eleven, 7.30pm
While an extended and not exactly essential credit sequence that pictures a dystopian future opens this episode, the first issue from the 26th season of the venerated animated touchstone is calmly familiar. Krusty the Clown is the centre of attention, retiring from show business after a celebrity roast reveals he has no friends and few admirers apart from Bart; even a visit to his rabbi father, Hyman Krustofsky, ends badly. An episode about a comic institution flatlining is, of course, a commentary on The Simpsons’ own durability, and the writing has enough good one-liners to keep the show afloat without creating excitement or breaking new ground.
The Good Wife, Ten, 9.30pm
It’s all hands on deck in this episode of the subversive legal drama, with political aspirant Alicia (Julianna Margulies) prepping for a debate while her colleagues rush to prevent one of their own, Cary (Matt Czuchry), being convicted and sent to jail. Thankfully this means Kalinda (Archie Panjabi) is front and centre, complete with leather gloves and questionable decisions, while The Wire fans will recognise the prison consultant (Domenick Lombardozzi) brought in to prep Cary for the realities of incarceration. Those who love Alicia making a statement will be delighted when she seizes a celebratory moment.
Judith Lucy is All Woman, ABC, 9pm
Early in the first episode of Judith Lucy’s new series, the comedian describes it as ‘‘a show about ladies in Australia today’’. That’s reasonably accurate, but it’s also very much a show about Lucy. Her commentary, between droll derision and amused contemplation, is the constant through a debut episode that covers much ground but doesn’t always dig deep. Lucy raises the issues of feminism and gender disparity, while talking with transgender men about the differences in how they’re treated by males. It’s blithely busy, but the conclusions are hardly revelatory. There are sublime asides, but stunts such as Lucy dressing up as a man to visit a pub peter out long before she attempts to urinate standing up. Judith Lucy is All Woman leans towards comic misadventures over social commentary, and while that will play well with those looking for laughs, it’s a missed opportunity.
Craig Mathieson
PAY TV
Nigel and Adam’s Farm Kitchen, LifeStyle Food, 8.30pm
The bucolic bromance between foodie Nigel Slater and farmer Adam Henson proceeds at a leisurely pace. They’re spending a year growing various crops and animals to remind Britons that food doesn’t just magically appear wrapped in plastic in the supermarket. It’s an admirable sort of aim, even if Slater appears to have spent the entire production period sleeping under a hedge. They’ve been raising three pigs (an old breed, a modern commercial breed and a crossbreed) so they can see and taste the difference between them, and tonight it’s time for off-screen slaughter. Slater and Henson explain which parts of the beast the different cuts of meat come from, and Slater cooks up porky things – starting with a Danish pastry made with sausage meat and topped with apple sauce. Later he provides tips on buying fish and makes fish and chips with wasabi peas.
Broad City, Comedy, 8.30pm
A devilishly dirty episode of the brilliant gal-pal comedy. The loudly inappropriate Ilana(Ilana Glazer) spends time with her mother (Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Susie Essman) and we see the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree. Abbi (Abbi Abrams) accommodates a boyfriend’s confronting fetish.
Brad Newsome
MOVIES
Zoolander (1999), Go, 10.15pm
Delivering what he calls a ‘‘eugoogooly’’ at the funeral of his fellow male models Rufus, Brint and Meekus, Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) strikes a sombre note: ‘‘If there is anything that this horrible tragedy can teach us, it’s that a male model’s life is a precious, precious commodity,’’ he declares. ‘‘Just because we have chiselled abs and stunning features, it doesn’t mean that we too can’t not die in a freak gasoline fight accident.’’ Stiller’s comedy is a hugely influential Hollywood production, a 20th century production that foresaw the 21st century American comedy of stars, silliness, and numerous cameos (David Bowie, Winona Ryder, Billy Zane) that co-stars such as Will Ferrell and Owen Wilson were intrinsically tied to. The thriller plot – Zoolander is brainwashed to assassinate the prime minister of Malaysia to keep sweatshop costs down – is secondary to the comic set-pieces, with the character’s quirks taking in his signature facial looks and a crippling inability to turn to the left.
Boiler Room (2000), Thriller Movies (pay TV), 8.30pm
David Mamet juiced up the 1992 film adaptation of his famous 1982 play Glengarry Glen Ross by adding a short scene where the desperate Chicago real estate salesmen get a motivational speech from a head office representative memorably played Alec Baldwin. Announcing a sales contest he declares, ‘‘Third prize is you’re fired.’’ Those few minutes are the spiritual heart of Ben Younger’s Boiler Room, a story about a shady New York broking firm where stocks are pumped and dumped to unsuspecting clients (Martin Scorsese’s Wolf of Wall Street would subsequently indulge similar terrain). Oliver Stone’s Wall Street is also referenced, but it’s Baldwin’s monologue that Ben Affleck’s charismatic overseer approvingly quotes from. But unlike Mamet, Younger wanted to offer redemption to his protagonist, Seth David (Giovanni Ribisi), who comes to realise that the firm is acting illegally and decides to provide evidence to the FBI. It’s a tepid finale, given the pleasure Younger takes in Seth’s initial seduction.
Craig Mathieson