There are scores of TV shows out there, with dozens of new episodes each week, not to mention everything you can find on Hulu Plus, Netflix streaming, and HBO Go. How’s a viewer to keep up? To help you sort through all that television has to offer, Flavorwire is compiling the five best moments on TV each week. This time, Parenthood says its goodbyes and Scandal returns to primetime.
May God Bless and Keep the Bravermans Always
Parenthood‘s series finale included plenty of the touchstones we’ve come to expect from family shows’ final installments: a wedding, a new kid (albeit an adoption, not a birth), and a death. Clichés aside, the final chapter of the Braverman saga was as much of a tearjerker as fans knew it would be. RIP, Zeek, and RIP, Parenthood.
Olivia Gets Kidnapped
Scandal‘s midseason première saw Olivia Pope kidnapped and held for weeks at an unknown location — then figure out after an attempted escape that her captor is actually her cellmate, and her prison is much closer to home than she thought. It’s an almost-all Olivia episode that’s a nice break from Scandal‘s established rhythm, infusing the show with some much-needed tension and novelty.
Treat Yo Self 2017
Parks and Rec‘s final season has been a string of hits with almost no misses. This week’s double header, which saw Leslie and Ron figure out how to revitalize a neighborhood, save JJ’s Diner, and create a national park, was no exception — not because of any of those accomplishments, but because Tom and Donna had their biggest Treat Yo Self yet. Beverly Hills, custom elbow art, and celebrity-owned sushi all figure into Donna’s last TYS as a single woman. It is, needless to say, beautiful.
Surprise Special
Streaming counts as TV, so the full hour Louis CK unleashed after canceling his final Madison Square Garden show makes this week’s highlight reel. Opting for a more intimate setting than his previous specials, Louis riffs on parenting, rat-fucking, and The Wizard of Oz at LA’s most iconic comedy venue. For this would-be MSG attendee, it seemed like a fair trade.
Abbi and Bingo’s Big Adventure
Broad City is often at its best when it tips into gleeful absurdism, and “Wisdom Teeth” is no exception; decked out in PJs and accompanied by a jumbo-sized stuffed animal, Abbi looks like she’s the protagonist of a kids’ show as she hallucinates her way through the Brooklyn Whole Foods. Unfortunately, the $1,500 manuka honey spending spree is cut short by Ilana’s arrival: “It’s the Strega Nona witch! Peace, mortals.”