“Aqua Teen Hunger Force”
Weekdays midnight, Cartoon Network
A few weeks ago Boston went into a panic when flashing devices were discovered in subway tunnels and bus shelters. Turns out, they weren’t bombs—they were promo items for this Adult Swim cartoon featuring the villainous “Mooninite” characters giving people the finger. The city fined Cartoon Network $2 million, and the network prez resigned in the wake of the “scandal.” Um, I’m no terrorism expert, but if people are going to blow shit up, they’re probably not going to use flashing cartoon characters. I’m just saying. Anyway, this gonzo ‘toon continues to be equal parts original and stupid. It stars super-powered, sentient fast-food items Frylock, Master Shake, and Meatwad, and their adventures include cloning TVs, getting impregnated by billboards, and donating used autos to the Kidney Car Foundation. Seriously. The movie comes out March 23, but until then load up on the original serialized insanity.
“79th Annual Academy Awards”
Sunday 8pm, ABC
Things we know for sure: Ellen DeGeneres will host, which should be funny. Forest Whitaker will win Best Actor for Last King of Scotland, or he will cry. Helen Mirren will win Best Actress for The Queen, or take out anyone who stands in her way. Things still up in the air: Will Scorsese end his decades-long pity party by finally capturing the Best Director trophy? Who will emerge victorious in the wide-open Best Picture field? Will recently deceased Anna Nicole Smith be included in the “In Remembrance” montage for her fine work in Naked Gun 33 1/3?
“The Black Donnellys”
Monday 10pm, NBC
This gritty crime drama was supposed to take over for “ER” last month, but got pushed back due to the medical drama’s unexpected ratings resurgence. Then it was supposed to take over for “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” next week, but after Aaron Sorkin’s struggling skit-show drama pulled in its awful numbers last week it got benched even sooner than anticipated. (Seriously, folks, I do not know what went wrong. It started out strong and then nosedived—irritating, moralizing, boring. It all went wrong so fast…) Anyway, “Donnellys” has a lot of buzz. Created by Paul Haggis (Crash, Million Dollar Baby), it concerns four young Irish brothers who get drafted into the mob. And yet, it will still probably be funnier than “Studio 60.”