Curtain’s Up on the Schitt’s Creek Season Finale

It’s funny to think about the popularity arcs of some of our favorite shows. Game of Thrones is gearing up for its blockbuster final season seeming like the biggest TV show that ever existed, but we forget that in the beginning, reviews were mixed and the ratings nothing close to what they are now. (It took until the season 4 premiere for GoT to hit 6 million viewers.)  Likewise, much is being made this week over Parks and Recreation and the tenth anniversary of its premiere, but as Primetimer contributor Karen Beltz points out, it too didn’t come into its own until the middle of its second season.

Which brings us to the Canadian import Schitt’s Creek, which spent a few seasons being the best sitcom nobody was watching, airing on the little-known cable channel POP. It wasn’t until the show’s earlier seasons began streaming on Netflix that America finally caught on. Now it’s the best comedy that a lot of the people you know are watching.

SEASON FINALE: There will be only one more season of Schitt’s Creek after this one, but we can start panicking about that later. For now, it’s time for the Moira Rose-directed community theater production of Cabaret to hit the stage, whether it's ready or not. From the rough edges we saw as Patrick and Stevie rehearsed the “Money” song, there’s no telling what we’re in for. 10:00 PM ET on POP

SERIES PREMIERE: Netflix decided to get into the Bear Grylls business with You vs. Wild, and if you spent the whole of the choose-your-own-Black Mirror-adventure Bandersnatch wishing it had a Bear Grylls-style survival element, this show is for you. With interactive shows becoming increasingly attractive to platforms — YouTube looks to be jumping into that business as well — expect to see more of this component on streaming. According to Netflix, the show takes place in “various remote locations” across the globe, and at regular intervals, “a user may direct the course of the story.” Be kind to Bear Grylls, people! He’s the only one we’ve got! Streaming on Netflix

PUCK DROP: The 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs are underway tonight with five games, including the regular-season points leading Tampa Bay Lightning. Gotta love an event where games will simultaneously be happening in Tampa Bay, Winnipeg and Long Island. 7:00 PM ET on USA and NBCSN

TO THE BERKSHIRES: The Real Housewives of New York City continues their now-annual Berkshires meltdown with the night of drunken partying and naked chefs that got spoiled on all the wives’ accounts months ago. Meanwhile, Sonja embarks upon some Morgan family business, so buckle up. 9:30 PM ET on ABC

ALSO TONIGHT

• Survivor is promising one of those keyed-up tribal councils where everybody is scrambling until the moment votes are cast. A true recipe for disaster/great television. 8:00 PM ET on CBS
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert features a strongly political lineup, including CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. 11:30 PM ET on CBS
• Today’s HBO season marathon brings us to Game of Thrones season 3, a.k.a. The Red Wedding, a.k.a. when everything goes to hell (for the Starks, at least). 1:00 PM ET on HBO2

Joe Reid is the senior writer at Primetimer and co-host of the This Had Oscar Buzz podcast. His work has appeared in Decider, NPR, HuffPost, The Atlantic, Slate, Polygon, Vanity Fair, Vulture, The A.V. Club and more.