A selective critical checklist of notable Wednesday TV:
Resident Alien (10/9c, Syfy): In the last episode before the season finale — thankfully, this terrifically entertaining sci-fi comedy has been renewed for a second year — a restored Harry (Alan Tudyk) risks exposure when the alien in human’s clothing attends a nearby UFO convention with his new confidante, Asta (Sara Tomko). Lots of laughs, but also a fair amount of suspense, in a pivotal episode for many characters, but mostly for Harry. With his power source still damaged, he’s seeking extraterrestrial tech that may be embedded in attendees who’ve had alien encounters‑including Lost’s Terry O’Quinn, guesting as a featured speaker known as the “Alien Tracker,” who’s got his eyes on Harry.
See AlsoThe Day Sports Stood Still (9/8c, HBO): As the NCAA Basketball Tournament races on with its many upsets, and a new baseball season looms, HBO Sports and director Antoine Fuqua look back to a year ago this month, when all sports activity came to a sudden halt amid the first wave of the pandemic. Among the executive producers of the 90-minute documentary: Chris Paul, NBA All-Star and president of the NBA Players Association, who was mid-game when playing stopped and later was instrumental in helping create the “bubble” that allowed the NBA to safely finish its season. The Day Sports Stood Still also surveys the year in sports that followed, as athletes reckoned with the social-justice movements while leagues sought to return to game play in the summer and fall of 2020.
See AlsoSEAL Team (9/8c, CBS): It’s not easy being a hero on CBS these days. First Gibbs gets suspended on NCIS, and now Jason (David Boreanaz) is fighting for his career and freedom, after a JAG officer accuses the soldier of committing a terrible crime during a mission. He can’t even count on his SEAL bros for support, after Bravo is placed under a no-contact order. Former cast member Jessica Paré returns as Mandy Ellis, and she also directs the episode.
See AlsoFast-Forward: Look Into Your Future (10/9c, PBS, check local listings at pbs.org): With the help of makeup and “aging suits,” four pairs of parents and adult children see what they could look and feel like 30 years from now in an emotionally compelling documentary narrated by Rosario Dawson. The purpose of this immersive experiment is to unite boomers and millennials in a conversation about the physical, social and economic realities of aging. It’s only a matter of time before we all have to face the fact that we’re not getting any younger.
See AlsoInside Wednesday TV: Talk-show host Nancy Glass plays herself, 1980s-style, on ABC’s The Goldbergs (8/7c), when Geoff (Sam Lerner) wins tickets to The Nancy Glass Show and takes Erica (Hayley Orrantia) instead of Barry (Troy Gentile), who plots to get into the show anyway… Fox’s The Masked Singer (8/7c) introduces a “Wildcard” character into the mix when Group “A” returns to perform… Neurotic Jackie (Laurie Metcalf) takes action on ABC’s The Conners (9/8c) when she learns rival restaurants are trashing The Lunch Box online, recruiting loyal boyfriend Neville (Nat Faxon) to help her confront them… New to Netflix: a twisty 10-part Spanish revenge thriller, Who Killed Sara?, and the alarming documentary Seaspiracy, which takes a deep dive into how human behavior, from pollution to overfishing, is causing environmental havoc on the world’s oceans and marine life.
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