‘Donuts’ grapples with racism and relevance
“Superior Donuts” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) offers a topical episode that is at once timely and jarringly dated.
Franco (Jermaine Fowler) arrives late for work and explains that he was stopped by a cop and frisked simply because of the color of his skin. This inspires spirited banter with his boss, Arthur (Judd Hirsch), who insists that he is color-blind and who later accuses one of Franco’s friends of stealing an item from the shop.
The fact that his suspicions are grounded in evidence collides with the reality that the young man is black. By the end of the episode, Arthur hosts a community outreach program sponsored by the local beat cops (Katey Sagal and Darien Sills-Evans) where everybody airs their grievances in punch line fashion. Along the way, the episode makes points about police profiling that are both comic and tragic, and we learn the good and the bad about both the police and Franco’s immediate entourage.
Things wind up with Maya (Anna Baryshnikov), the millennial airhead, awkwardly pronouncing that although their conversation did not end racism, talking about it was a good thing. After this lesson, the episode literally concludes with a hug.
Given the rage of the Black Lives Matter movement, genuine concern about violence against police and the soaring murder rate in Chicago, the setting of “Superior Donuts,” you have to wonder about the meaning of all this. Are such sitcom episodes instructive? Or a feel-good exercise?
I found the jarring disconnect between style and substance to be the most powerful “statement” of this episode. “The Carmichael Show” also puts controversial subjects through the Veg-O-Matic of ’70s sitcoms. But the comedian and namesake star of that series has a more assured voice. I guess we should be happy that TV writers are still grappling with such issues.
“Superior” seems to obscure its point with ironic air quotes. At the end, I was left with the sad message that talking about race on a network comedy was something relegated to nostalgia, a kind of media museum piece.
HIP TO BE SQUARE
DeRay Davis hosts “Hip Hop Squares” (9 p.m., VH1, TV-14), a new variation on “Hollywood Squares” that casts musicians, comedians, actors and models associated with the musical genre in their respective boxes, a place to erupt in decidedly adult outbursts during a game of tic-tac-toe.
TONIGHT’S HIGHLIGHTS
› “Americans Underground: Secret City of WWI” (8 p.m., Smithsonian) follows a Texas physician’s efforts to locate and explore the subterranean trenches, tunnels and fortifications dug by American soldiers beneath French battlefields a century ago.
› Blind auditions continue on “The Voice” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
› Carter needs Andy’s assistance on “24: Legacy” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
› A choice is made on the season finale of “The Bachelor” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14), followed by a retrospective (10 p.m.).
› Freeform comedies “Young and Hungry” (8 p.m., TV-14) and “Baby Daddy” (8:30 p.m., TV-14) enter their fifth and sixth seasons.
› Gideon’s father needs help on “APB” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
› A rare jungle monkey may hold the cure for a contagion on “Scorpion” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
› The 2017 documentary “Cries From Syria” (10 p.m., HBO) reflects on that nation’s six-year civil war.
› Less-than-friendly competition on “Kevin Can Wait” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
› Familiar faces on “Howie Mandel All-Star Comedy Gala” (8 p.m., CW, repeat, TV-PG).
› Lowell’s wife is stunning on “Man With a Plan” (8:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
› Caroline and Bobby bicker on “2 Broke Girls” (9:30 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
› The plot thickens on “Taken” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
Contact Kevin McDonough at kevin.tvguy@gmail.com.