‘For Real’ Discusses Makeover Shows, ‘Everything’s Gonna Be Okay’ Continues Quarantine, An Earth Day Special, Girls’ Night on ‘Young Sheldon’

For Real: The Story of Reality TV

Episode five of the seven-part limited event series exploring the evolution of reality television, hosted by Andy Cohen, focuses on makeover shows. This includes everything from series about plastic surgery (The Swan, Nip/Tuck), to weight loss competitions (The Biggest Loser), to home renovation shows (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition), among others. Cohen interviews multiple old contestants from The Biggest Loser, asking if they’ve kept the weight off. The episode also digs into the explosive success of Queer Eye For the Straight Guy (2003-07), with an exclusive interview with cast member Thom Filicia where he and Cohen discuss a memorable nudist episode, and the success of the current spinoff Queer Eye.

Everything’s Gonna Be Okay

TV’s quirkiest family has been spending the current season in a pandemic induced lockdown, leaving everyone to get up to shenanigans inside the house. Following her successful performance doing stand-up comedy in New York last season, Genevieve wants to put herself out there again and records a video to put on YouTube, but she wrestles with whether she should post it. Meanwhile, Drea (Lillian Carrier) comes over as she and Matilda (Kayla Cromer) try to determine the nature of their friendship post-breakup. Nicholas (creator Josh Thomas) finds everything that Alex (Adam Faison) does adorable, but, as per usual, doesn’t realize that he’s not being a very attentive partner.

Kingdom of the Polar Bears

An Earth Day special! Veteran polar bear guide Dennis Compayre is on a mission in this adventurous two-part docuseries: to spend a year in Canada’s Arctic wilderness tracking a pregnant polar bear, and eventually her newborn cubs! As the pack ice the polar bears depend on to hunt seals now melts more quickly than ever, the bears face the challenges of a warming planet. But don’t worry too much, they’ve still got a few tricks up their sleeve as they find ways to adapt and supplement their diets (sorry Arctic terns!). Lastly, Dennis aims to answer a big question that has plagued him for years: Where have all the big male bears needed for breeding gone?

Young Sheldon

Sheldon Cooper can be a little rigid about rules, as a child in this Big Bang Theory spinoff, no less so. So, when he’s offered a bootleg copy of a computer game he can’t afford, he is paralyzed by indecision while his own desires and his compulsion to follow the rules battle it out. To cheer their neighbor Brenda (Melissa Peterman) up about her husband leaving her, which we found about a few episodes ago, Mary (Zoe Perry) and Meemaw (Annie Potts) take her out for a girls’ night. While they’re out, social butterfly Missy (Raegan Revord) tries to get Georgie (Montana Jordan) to help her go on a secret date with boyfriend Marcus (London Cheshire).

Inside Thursday TV:

• Younger (streaming on Paramount+): The originally TV Land sitcom is in its final season, and as we head towards the end Liza (Sutton Foster) and Charles’ (Peter Hermann) relationship is officially dead now that he’s dating Quinn (Laura Benanti), while Liza reconnects with someone from her old life. Maggie (Debi Mazar) gets an exciting new job offer, and Liza decides to fact-check Quinn’s book.
• Secrets of the Whales (streaming on Disney+): More Earth Day content! From National Geographic and narrated by Sigourney Weaver, this four-part docu-series plunges into the culture, environment, communication skills, and social structure of five whale species: orcas, humpbacks, belugas, narwhals, and sperm whales.
• Station 19 (8/7c, ABC): In the wake of national outcry after another murder of an unarmed black man, Maya (Danielle Savre) decides as captain to bring in Dr. Diane Lewis (Tracie Thoms) to grief counsel the team.
• Grey’s Anatomy (9/8c, ABC): Despite a need for more surgeons, Jo (Camilla Luddington) endeavors to convince Bailey (Chandra Wilson) to let her switch specialties to OBGYN. Link and Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) clash when Link (Chris Carmack) accuses Amelia of overstepping while he is treating a patient remotely.
• 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards (10/9c, IFC): The 36th annual awards honoring the best in indie filmmaking is trying some new things this year: It’s airing in primetime instead of in its usual spot as a daytime event the day before the Oscars (which aren’t until Sunday night), and it’s expanded to include TV categories and streamers. Saturday Night Live’s Melissa Villaseñor hosts.