Your weekly guide to TV’s best and worst one-hour shows
Premieres, schemieres. There’s plenty of good drama packed into the middle (and end) of shows that aren’t launching new seasons this week :
“Sons of Anarchy” (Tuesday, 10 p.m., FX)
OK, Mama wants to know which one of you told “Sons” that it’s wimpy, because they’re taking it out on all of us. This biker drama has gone from dark comedy with outbursts of gunplay to a violent nightmare with a side of masochism. We’re only three episodes in, and we have already witnessed a girl burning alive as her father was forced to watch and gentle giant Opie (played by the vastly underrated Ryan Hurst) volunteering to be beaten to death in order to save best friend Jax (Charlie Hunnam), who witnessed the seemingly endless gang-thrashing on the other side of a prison window. And with former comic relief Tig (Kim Coates) in his dark place, there’s little hope for this biker gang to go anywhere fun again.
“Boardwalk Empire” (Sunday, 9 p.m., HBO)
The Prohibition-era mob opera continues at its glacial pace — Margaret (Kelly Macdonald) gave Nucky’s (Steve Buscemi) money to the church in last season’s finale, and he’s finally accepting his award this Sunday — although this week promises an up in the action as Gyp (Bobby Cannavale) and Nucky face off.
“Haven” (Friday, 10 p.m., Syfy)
After a solid start, the little Syfy show that could welcomes two new faces to the cast in an apparent attempt to up the female quotient. Bree Williamson, who played dual personality Jessica/Tess on “One Life to Live,” moves in as a psychiatrist and Audrey’s (Emily Rose) new BFF, and Kate Kelton (of “Harold and Kumar”) takes orders as a waitress at “The Gun & Rose Diner” and in her off time leads that tattooed Troubled posse.
“Treme” (Sunday, 10 p.m., HBO)
The sad-sack drama with the best soundtrack ever returned last week with a 10-episode season, and everyone is as sad or sadder than ever. The good news is that LaDonna (Khandi Alexander) has regained some of her spunk after last season’s ill-advised rape, and Chef Janette (Kim Dickens) may have finally found her ticket back out of the Big Apple and back to the Big Easy.
“Warehouse 13” (Monday, 9 p.m., Syfy)
In the finale, the team chases one of its own, Artie (Saul Rubinek), who’s been headed down the dark path since this year’s opener. Evil Artie is much more interesting than nice Artie, which should make this finale enjoyable, and we could only hope the warped genius will stick around to cause more havoc. But knowing this show’s aversion to any long-lasting consequences or character development, all will be returned to as it was.