Viewers searching for a few laughs as the hot weather oozes in need look no further than TV Land tonight. Two veteran sitcoms -- Younger and Teachers -- make their new season returns for your viewing pleasure.
Note that both are rated TV-14, meaning they occasionally stick their toes in slightly more adult material. Neither is all that risque, but the small fry ought to be tucked away by 9 p.m. anyway.
• Younger, 9 p.m. today on TV Land. It's Season 5 for the witty, intelligent comedy from Sex and the City creator Darren Star that features the marvelous two-time Tony winner Sutton Foster (Bunheads) as a 40-something divorced mom who lies about her age to compete in the highly competitive, younger-skewing publishing world.
Don't get me wrong. Foster is a young-looking 43, but being 43 and passing oneself off as 26 (or 27 or 28) is still a stretch. Let's just go with what Samuel Taylor Coleridge coined as "the willing suspension of disbelief" and enjoy the show.
Foster stars as Liza Miller, who is able to appear much younger with the help of a makeover by her best friend, Maggie Amato (Debi Mazar).)
Appearing so much younger, Liza lands a job as an assistant to snooty Diana Trout (Miriam Shor) at Empirical Press.
Also working at the book publishers and becoming friends with Liza is Kelsey Peters (Hilary Duff), an actual 26 year old who eventually shares Liza's secret.
Hilarity ensues as Liza's personal and professional lives entwine and keeping her secret becomes more difficult.
As with the previous four seasons, there will be 12 episodes in the fifth.
• Teachers, 9:30 p.m. today on TV Land. Season 3 kicks off showcasing the wacky world of elementary school teachers attempting to mold the minds of America's impressionable youth.
Of course, being a role model for the kiddos is made far more complicated when your own life is a shambles. Our son and daughter-in-law are teachers, but at the college and high school level. Who knew that the seemingly serene world of grade school teachers was so bizarre?
Teachers was created and stars the six-member improvisation troupe The Katydids: Caitlin Barlow (Ms. Cannon), Katy Colloton (Ms. Snap), Cate Freedman (Ms. Feldman), Kate Lambert (Ms. Watson), Katie O'Brien (Ms. Bennigan) and Kathryn Renee Thomas (Mrs. Adler).
This is also a TV-14 series.
• Face Off rolls out Season 13 at 8 p.m. today on Syfy. It's hard to believe that the series keeps finding special effects makeup artists to compete. Maybe that's the main reason this will be the final season.
To wrap things up, 12 of the most talented artists from past seasons return for a head-to-head "battle royale."
• Humans, 9 p.m. today on AMC. In Season 3 of the science fiction drama set in a parallel universe where technology is highly advanced, it's one year after thousands of humans and humanoids died after the distribution of the consciousness code and "a decimated and oppressed Synth (synthetic) population fights to survive in a world that hates and fears them."
Indeed, the sentient Synths have been segregated into a community led by Max, Mia and Flash (Ivanno Jeremiah, Gemma Chan, Ritu Arya), while Laura (Katherine Parkinson) campaigns for their rights.
Bad stuff happens.
• Mister Rogers. If you missed it the first time around, do not miss Mister Rogers: It's You I Like at 7 p.m. today on AETN and PBS. The 90-minute special will warm your heart as it brings back a fond memory or two.
One of my fondest memories of the years on the TV critics' summer press tour was 20 years ago when I got to meet and chat with Fred Rogers for about 10 minutes after we presented him with a Career Achievement Award. He was, as you would imagine, just a sweet and genuine as he seemed on TV.
Rogers died five years later in 2003. Tonight's special is a 50th anniversary tribute to Rogers' iconic Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, featuring comments from celebrities who have been influenced and inspired by Rogers over the years.
Narrated by Michael Keaton, the special includes his widow, Joanne, and celebrities Judd Apatow, Whoopi Goldberg, Sarah Silverman, John Lithgow and Esperanza Spalding.
Musicians Yo Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman, who appeared on the series, will join in, along with former cast members Joe Negri (Handyman Negri) and David Newell (Mr. McFeely).)
• The Chew. ABC has canceled the noontime foodie talkfest. The series will continue to air new episodes through September. After that, Good Morning America will be expanded to three hours to fill its current time slot.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:
mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Style on 06/05/2018