Watch or Washed: What's on TV This Week?
See it or skip it? This is what's worth watching on TV this week.
Image via Complex Original
"Watch or Washed" is a new weekly column in which Complex Pop editors highlight popular television shows that are either worth checking out or, sadly, totally washed. Here are this week's:
Black Mirror
Verdict: Watch
When: As soon as possible
Where: Netflix
Why: The term "TV anthology" has been thrown around a lot lately, concerning ‘new season, new story’ shows like True Detective, American Horror Story, and Fargo. But chill—those are only kinda-sorta anthologies. For the real deal, seek out classics like The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
Or, if you’re not in a black-and-white-screen kind of mood, there’s Black Mirror, the amazing British sci-fi series that’s been wowing critics since 2011, and, as of this week, is finally available for all non-blokes on Netflix. Split into two seasons, the futuristic genre series is made up of six one-hour tales about the various ways in which technology could, if it advances too much over time, go horribly wrong. It's as if Rod Serling's ghost inhabited the most cynical Silicon Valley's tycoon's soul and remixed The Twilight Zone for modern times.
The execution is next-level, yet the themes are universal. If you’re, say, an asshole who regularly cheats on his or her significant others, "The Entire History of You" depicts a world where your memories are instantly accessible, via a "grain" chip implanted behind your ear, and always there to contradict your lies with hard evidence; "Be Right Back," meanwhile, takes relationship issues a step further towards the macabre, following a woman who uses her recently deceased boyfriend’s social media history to create a clone whose personality, not unlike many Twitter profiles, is soulless; and for you nihilists out there, the chilling "White Bear" presents a mega-bleak justice system that makes A Clockwork Orange seem humane.
Though its three years old, Black Mirror will continue to be one of insert-future-year-here's best shows until someone else comes close to honoring the god Rod Serling this well. Which isn't likely. —Matt Barone
Sons of Anarchy
Verdict: Watch (but it'll probably be Washed)
When: Tuesday at 10 p.m.
Where: FX
Why: You made it this far, fam. Through all of the montages (opening and closing), endless story-stalling, and pointlessly plus-sized episodes. Not finishing and thus validating sticking with one of modern television's most frustratingly uneven #FinalRides would be more anticlimactic than this ending probably will be. Will Jax Teller meet Mr. Mayhem? Probably. Will his son Abel grow-up to the be country's next, great serial killer? Spin-off! Will the CIA reveal that Donna, Opie, Tara Clay, Gemma, Unser, and Filthy Phil never actually died and were part of an elaborate long-con sting? It's quite possible! Do yourself a favor and avoid the spoilers floating around the net. One way or another, on Tuesday night an impressive seven-year, monster-ratings run of anarchy finally ends. Be there. —Frazier Tharpe
Bob's Burgers
Verdict: Watch
When: Sunday at 9:30 p.m.
Where: Fox
Why: At this point there's really nothing I have to say to convince you to watch Bob's Burgers. I know it's great, you know it's great, everyone at Comic Con knows it's great. But what I can tell you is that, if anything, Season 5 has been even better than previous outings. From the excellent holiday episodes to Gene's already-classic Diehard musical in the premiere, the show has been firing on all comedic cylinders. But what makes Bob's Burgers truly special isn't its rapid-fire jokes or the cast's on-point ad libs, but the legitimate kindness with which Loren Bouchard shows his characters. You could say the heart of Bob's Burgers is, well, heart.—Nathan Reese
New Girl
Verdict: Watch
When: Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST
Where: FOX
Why: Who's that girl and why is she surrounded by so many unstable men? Her name is Jess, and no matter how annoying and cute she can be, it's pretty hard not to like her. That's why New Girl is still enjoying a solid four-season run and remains one of the best comedies on television. There are many things to like about this show—including the knowledge darts that Schmidt doles out on a regular basis—but one of its crowning achievements is how intelligently it handles its diverse cast. (Who knew a doe-eyed white girl would feel so comfortable having black men as roommates!) As if you needed another reason to watch, this season included the introduction of Kat, played by the always-stunning Jessica Biel. While hating on Zooey Deschanel, a star in the show and also one of its producers, was fun back in 2010, it's pretty much impossible to hate on New Girl in 2014.—Lauretta Charlton
Modern Family
Verdict: Washed
When: Wednesdays at 9
Where: ABC
Why: Sure, Modern Family is a harmless enough watch—if you literally have nothing better on your DVR, forgot your Netflix password, sold your DVD player because streaming is the future, have one of those new sans-disk drive MacBooks, and are still wary on committing to Amazon Prime.
In the wake of endless Emmys and heartland adoration, MF has become the definition of inessential viewing. Season six has been good for a chuckle here, a season-one-level episode there, but Sweet Baby Cheeses is this show going through the motions. The characters have become borderline unlikable in their monotony and there's nothing modern about these jokes or this writing: You might find something less basic and safe on TV Land at this point. Then again, this week's episode is Haley's 21st birthday, so your boy will admittedly, shamelessly, be tuned in without a doubt. Sarah Hyland, whatup bae. —Frazier Tharpe
Watch or Washed Running Tally
Toy Story That Time Forgot: Watch
Peter Pan Live!: Hate-watch
Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways: Watch
The Comeback: Watch
A Very Grammy Christmas: Washed
State of Affairs: Watch
Gotham: Washed
Black-ish: Watch
Homeland: Washed
Carmilla: Watch
American Horror Story: Washed
Shark Tank: Watch
The Newsroom: Watch
The Missing: Watch
Reign: Watch
The Walking Dead: Watch
Sons of Anarchy: Washed?
Homeland: Washed
Supernatural: Watch
Peaky Blinders: Watch