It’s Still ‘Sunny’ in Philly, AI Gets Serious in ‘Class of ’09,’ Nora Meets Awkwafina, All About Arnold

While it has a long way to go to match the episode totals of megahits like Friends, Seinfeld and The Big Bang Theory, this bonkers sitcom about the irredeemable nitwits who operate a Philly bar stakes its claim as “the longest-running live-action comedy series in TV history,” now entering its 16th season. Time has not made these characters any less nuts—quite literally in the case of Mac (Rob McElhenney), who spends the entire first episode scarfing nuts to which he’s clearly allergic while he and Dennis (Glenn Howerton) embark on a scheme involving inflatable furniture as a hedge against inflation. Elsewhere, Dee (Kaitlin Olson) fights eviction, Frank (Danny DeVito) hits a new low in his mercenary capitalism and Charlie (Charlie Day) reveals new depths to his living quarters. Stick around for a second episode, titled “Frank Shoots Every Member of the Gang,” because why wouldn’t he?

Artificial Intelligence warnings are hard to miss in today’s media—and this speculative crime drama from FX underscores the dangers of giving computers too much power. In the series’ most compelling episode to date, the Quantico trainees of 2009 are put through the paces of the iconic Hogan’s Alley, where they enact hostage scenarios in a fake town, learning critical lessons against prejudging situations that the future AI system of 2034 seems incapable of doing. In that future, FBI director Tayo (Brian Tyree Henry) realizes the system he helped develop in the present-day scenes has spiraled out of his control. When Tayo’s former colleagues conspire to expose this Frankenstein system’s excesses, they’ll learn how easily it is to be targeted as a “threat to life”—the AI’s life.

How meta can you get? In an episode titled “Nora Is Awkwafina from Queens,” Nora (Awkwafina) comes face to face with the actual Awkwafina in a bizarre alternate reality. “So are you like Kelly Clarkson famous?” marvels Nora to her alter ego, an existential encounter that sets up a disarmingly sweet and funny episode. Once Nora snaps out of it, her next goal is to help her dad Wally (the adorable BD Wong) mend fences with his beloved Brenda (Jennifer Esposito).

No, not Nickelodeon’s animated kid hero. If you’ve been paying attention, Arnold Schwarzenegger has had a recent career renaissance with the Netflix action comedy Fubar, currently to no one’s surprise in the streamer’s top 10. If that wasn’t enough Arnold for you, he reflects on his unorthodox path to stardom in a three-part biographical docuseries. The segments are broken up into “Athlete,” depicting his first taste of fame in the competitive body-building arena, then “Actor,” as the Terminator star conquers Hollywood, and finally “American,” in which Schwarzenegger takes on his most unexpected role: as governor of California.

INSIDE WEDNESDAY TV:

• NBA Finals (8:30 pm/ET, ABC): With the series tied at one game each for the Nuggets and the Heat, Game 3 could be critical in determining the momentum of this matchup.
• The Real Housewives of Orange County (8/7c, Bravo): In a first, a “Real Housewife” switches venues, when Beverly Hills veteran Taylor Armstrong joins the O.C. gang for Season 17, joined by the return of podcasting wellness coach Tamra Judge and newbie Jennifer Pedranti.
• Riverdale (9/8c, The CW): On Halloween, Veronica (Camila Mendes) decides to brings some L.A. pizzazz to her ghost party.
• Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars (9/8c, Fox): Who doesn’t love a good box of wine? The entrepreneurs are tasked with impressing Napa Valley experts with their own wine blend, creative food pairings and themed wine boxes. An hour earlier, on MasterChef: United Tastes of America (8/7c), chefs representing “the best of the West” compete for a spot in the top 20.

ON THE STREAM:

• Avatar: The Way of Water (streaming on Disney+ and Max): The blockbuster sequel makes its streaming debut, including bonus content with filmmakers, cast and crew.
• Platonic (streaming on Apple TV+): The rekindled, chaotic friendship of Will (Seth Rogen) and Sylvia (Rose Byrne) has so rattled Sylvia’s peacekeeping husband Charlie (Luke Macfarlane) that he invites the manchild to join him and his co-workers at a baseball game. They’ll be lucky to make it to the seventh-inning stretch.
• Somewhere Boy (streaming on Hulu): From BBC Studios, an unsettling eight-part drama (with half-hour episodes) stars Lewis Gribben as Danny, who spent his childhood locked inside a country house by his grieving dad and at 18 is thrust suddenly into an outside world where he believes monsters lurk. Maybe they do.