NEW SHOWS
Saturday Night Live – “Bill Hader/Arcade Fire” (B+)
A couple sketches whiffed on the promise of their premise, but Hader is so good in all of them. Like much of the cast, I was in stitches pretty much the entire time.
The Simpsons – “Homer Is Where the Art Isn’t” (B)
No one in 2018 needed a parody of the forgotten ’70s caper Banacek, but it’s well-executed and Bill Hader does exceptional guest work as the insurance investigator trying to determine who stole a Joan Miró painting beloved by Homer.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – “Safe House” (B+)
The show wraps up its last big plotline (which doesn’t seem good for its long-term prospects, even if it did get its highest ratings of the season) in hilarious fashion, with Jake and Kevin kept in a safe house while the FBI and the Nine-Nine try to bring down Seamus Murphy.
A.P. Bio – “Selling Out” (B+)
A very funny if sleight episode that ends exactly where you expect it to, but has some of the season’s biggest laughs getting there.
Atlanta – “Helen” (B-)
Had a tough time with this one, which is frequently harsh where the show usually has a lighter touch. Plus, Earn, whom we sympathize with throughout most of the series, is just a straight-up dick the entire episode, making it hard to find a center.