‘Lone Star’ Train Wreck, ‘Teacher’s Epic Fail, ‘Futurama’ Déjà vu, ‘Homecoming’ Signs Off
A train derailment endangers the 9-1-1: Lone Star crew in a multi-episode disaster. FX’s English Teacher stages a memorable clash between the title educator and an outraged parent. Futurama ends its 12th season with a puzzling time paradox, while The CW’s All American: Homecoming airs its series finale.
9-1-1: Lone Star
An epic disaster too big to contain in a single episode, Lone Star sends the 126 crew into action to attend to victims of a massive train derailment. They should also be worried about the toxic cargo the train is carrying, about to be unleashed upon an unsuspecting Austin. In firehouse news, Judd (Jim Parrack) finds an advocate to argue for him getting his job back, while Marjan (Natacha Karam) and Paul (Brian Michael Smith) await word on who’ll be the new lieutenant. Followed by Rescue: Hi-Surf (9/8c), where Em (Arielle Kebbel) is put in charge of the team as they deal with multiple emergencies on Oahu’s North Shore.
English Teacher
“Hell hath no wrath like a concerned parent,” moans conflict-averse principal Grant (Enrico Colantoni) when Evan (Brian Jordan Alvarez) creates controversy by giving his entire 11th-grade English class a failing grade for their lazy essays. In an A-plus episode of the freshman comedy, Claws’ Jenn Lyon hilariously guest-stars as Evan’s nemesis, Linda Harrison, who earlier had him investigated for kissing his ex-boyfriend in front of students. Now she’s on the warpath to get Evan to change his grades, leaving him wondering just who’s running this high school.
Futurama
From its first gag (“We’re not out of networks yet!”) to its last, the Season 12 finale of the never-say-die animated sci-fi comedy is a winner. When a catastrophic crash sends the broken Planet Express vessel to the Graveyard of Spaceships, located atop a plasma sea of alternate universes, nostalgia for the past turns into a psychological nightmare for Fry, who begins to experience flashes of memory, including of things that never happened. When presented with a diagnosis of déjà vu, Fry remarks: “I feel like I’ve heard of that before.” Though many of the wisecracks suggest this is once again the end of the line for the oft-canceled series — “We had a nice run but nothing lasts forever,” Leela remarks — Hulu has renewed the show for two more seasons.
All American: Homecoming
Not so lucky is the sports drama’s college-set spinoff, ending its run after three seasons. In the series finale, the students of Atlanta’s HBCU Bringston University look to the future, with Simone (Geffri Maya) defending her integrity and Keisha (Netta Walker) getting a boost for her dance final.
INSIDE MONDAY TV:
- CBS Mornings Plus (9 am/8c, CBS): Tony Dokoupil and Adriana Diaz host a live third hour of the network’s morning news show, airing on CBS-owned stations in major markets with a livestreamed simulcast on CBS News 24/7.
- Monday Night Football: On ESPN, the Tennessee Titans take on the Miami Dolphins (7:30 pm/ET), while on ABC, the Seattle Seahawks travel to the Detroit Lions (8:15 pm/ET).
- Rock Legends (8/7c, AXS TV): The music docuseries’ 13th season begins with an overview of country music’s Outlaw movement in the 1970s and ’80s. Also on AXS: All six seasons of the musical drama Nashville begin airing, with episodes Monday through Friday at 2 pm/1c and 11 pm/10c.
- One Person, One Vote? (10/9c, PBS): Independent Lens tackles one of the most controversial aspects of the presidential election process: the Electoral College.
- Patrice: The Movie (streaming on Hulu): An uplifting documentary from ABC News Studios depicts the love story of two people living with disabilities, Patrice Jetter and her fiancé Garry Wickham, whose desire to get married is complicated by a law that would cut their government benefits if they even move in together.