New Premieres This Week in TV: April 14th – 20th

Sunday, April 14^th

The ‘80s: The Decade That Made Us, 2-hour series premiere at 8pm on Nat Geo

- It’s, like, totally tubular. This six-part miniseries isn’t about nostalgia; it’s about the history of our modern world that spawned political, technological, cultural, and social revolutions that began in the United States and went on to dominate the world. This cultural programming event is the defining biography of a generation. It’s about a decade of people, decisions, and inventions that changed our future, told from the perspective of the unknowing history makers who lived these iconic moments. We worked out, worked harder, played harder and consumed more—because the 1980s was the decade when we went forward to the future. The first launch of the Space Shuttle triggered a technological explosion in global communications that gave birth to our modern love affair with smartphones; Madonna rolled around on stage in a wedding dress, sending shock waves through a celebrity-hungry world that can’t get enough of Lady Gaga and Katy Perry today. These and other incredible stories reveal surprising, unexpected details and twists and turns from a decade you only thought you knew. Narrated by an original member of the “Brat Pack,” Rob Lowe, The ’80s will put us back in touch with our inner Valley Girl by reliving the music, inspirational sports moments, and scenes from iconic movies and TV shows, as well as the very best (and worst) of hair and fashion.

2013 MTV Movie Awards, live awards show from 9 to 11pm on MTV

- Aussie funny lady Rebel Wilson and breakout star of “Pitch Perfect” has never hosted an awards show in the U.S. so she’s just a wee bit nervous. But Wilson, who teamed with hottie Channing Tatum for the ceremony’s promos, will have plenty of backup when she is joined by the rest of the “Pitch Perfect” cast for its first-ever live onstage performance. Other highlights will include special awards for Emma Watson and Will Ferrell, music from Selena Gomez and Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (who promised to keep their pants on because there are kiddies in the audience), and fun new categories including “Best Shirtless Performance.”

Nurse Jackie, season premiere at 9pm on Showtime

- Three-time Emmy winner Edie Falco stars in this critically acclaimed dark comedy about a pill-popping nurse with a sharp tongue and serious bedside manner deficiencies. Every day is a matter of life and death in a hectic New York City hospital, but for Nurse Jackie that’s the easiest part. Between chronic back pain that won’t quit, and a personal life on the constant edge of collapse, it’s going to take a white lie here, a bent rule there, and a handful of secret strategies to relieve the pain, and stay one step ahead of total disaster. Last season, Jackie hit rock bottom and finally went to rehab; All Saints was taken over by a new director who makes life miserable for the ER staff; Kevin filed for divorce from Jackie and full custody of the girls.

The Borgias, season premiere at 10pm on Showtime

- Oscar winner Jeremy Irons stars in Showtime’s period drama The Borgias, the saga of history’s most infamous crime family. Conspiring with his ruthless sons Cesare and Juan and poisonously seductive daughter Lucrezia, the charismatic Rodrigo Borgia (Irons) will let nothing and no one stand in the way of his relentless quest for wealth and power. Mercilessly cruel and defiantly decadent, intimidation and murder are his weapons of choice in his scandalous ascension to the papacy in Renaissance-era Italy. Pope Alexander solidifies his power and influence with the help of two loyal allies, Cesare and Giulia Farnese; Juan drives a wedge between the Borgia siblings and pays the ultimate price; Della Rovere schemes to bring down the Pope. In season two, Pope Alexander solidified his power and influence with the help of two loyal allies, Cesare and Giulia Farnese. Juan drove a wedge between the Borgia siblings and paid the ultimate price; meanwhile Della Rovere schemed to bring down the corrupt Pope.

Veep, season premiere at 10pm on HBO

- Former Senator Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) has accepted the call to serve as Vice President of the United States. The job is nothing like she imagined and everything she was warned about. ‘Veep’ follows Meyer and her staff as they attempt to make their mark and leave a lasting legacy, without getting tripped up in the day-to-day political games that define Washington. Meyer’s inner circle includes: her chief of staff Amy (Anna Chlumsky), longtime press spokesperson Mike McClintock (Matt Walsh), right hand and body man Gary (Tony Hale) and secretary Sue (Sufe Bradshaw) all of whom often do battle with Dan Egan (Reid Scott) an ambitious interloper and smug White House liaison Jonah (Tim Simons).

Monday, April 15^th

Defiance, series premiere at 9pm on Syfy

- In the year 2046, it’s a new Earth – with new rules. Over thirty years after various alien races arrived on Earth, the landscape is completely altered, terraformed nearly beyond recognition. To the town of Defiance, on what used to be St. Louis, comes the mysterious Nolan (Grant Bowler) and his charge, Irisa (Stephanie Leonidas). As they settle into town – overseen by the mayor, Amanda Rosewater (Julie Benz) and filled with residents like the powerful Rafe McCawley (Graham Greene), enterprising lounge owner Kenya (Mia Kirshner) and the ambitious, alien Tarrs (Tony Curran and Jaime Murray) – events begin to unfold that threaten the fragile peace this border town has fought for. As the events of Defiance unfold weekly on your TV screen, you can see how the residents’ struggles impact the game of Defiance, a high-octane, multi-platform experience from Trion Worlds! For the first time in history, a TV show and a game will exist concurrently in a shared universe, influencing and impacting the other! In the game of Defiance, players take on the role of Ark Hunters, specialists in survival, combat and tracking who brave dangerous frontiers to retrieve lost relics of advanced or alien origin in return for great financial rewards (The Arks are the ships that brought the aliens to Earth). With weapons, armor and special abilities that evolve with experience, Defiance is a gaming experience that must be played to be believed.

Logo NewNowNext Awards 2013, awards show from 10 to 11:30pm on Logo

- While some award events honor those who’ve already made it, the Nexties set their sights on brink-of-fame up-and-comers who are sparking the next big buzz in film, TV, music, and new media. With award categories like “TV You Betta Watch”, “Next Mega-Star” and “That’s My Jam”, these prizes are about celebrating talent and pop culture that’s on the verge. This year, the Logo NewNowNext Awards is thrilled to present the “Always Next, Forever Now” award to the always-fergalicious Fergie for her continuous contributions to music, pop culture and paving the way for today’s talent. The legendary Kylie Minogue will not only be appearing at, but also taking home the Dance Floor Hero award this year. The Dance Floor Hero award honors Kylie’s immortal standing in the eyes of the LGBT community. The award recognizes her for changing the landscape of dance music and becoming an icon of music, party, and dance culture. The Talk gabber Aisha Tyler will host this sixth annual award show, which will feature musical performances from Ke$ha, Tegan & Sara, and New Politics.

Tuesday, April 16^th

Deadliest Catch, season premiere at 9pm on Discovery

- Capt. Sig Hansen launches the ninth season of the salty reality show with the warning that things might “get nasty,” given the number of young, hungry king-crab fishermen trying to make a name for themselves. Longtime viewers will know that it’s all relative, since Hansen is someone whose best day at the “office” is twice as bad as, and 20 degrees colder than, most people’s worst. As it turns out, the premiere features both a bitter argument between Hansen and his brother and the sight of one greenhorn coming close to losing his leg.

Storage Wars, season premiere at 9pm on A&E

- America’s most addictive treasure hunting series is back… and the bidders are ready for some more intense action. Storage Wars follows teams of bidders looking to score big in the high stakes world of storage auctions. In season four, it’s an auction standoff in Stanton, California. Darrell reemerges after scoring the biggest hit in Storage Wars history, Barry gets his motors running, and Nabila gets run up on a locker that’s fit for a dummy as celebrity ventriloquist and comedian Jeff Dunham guest stars as an appraiser. Barry brings the king of kitsch, Charles Phoenix, to “view” an auction first hand, and Jarrod buys solo only to have Brandi drag him down to the station!

Awkward., season premiere at 10pm on MTV

- MTV’s hit comedy series takes an irreverent look at the conflict, chaos and humor that defines teenage life through the eyes of 15-year-old Jenna Hamilton, whose life begins to change when a simple accident becomes an epic misunderstanding and is blown way out of proportion. Narrated in the first-person voice of Jenna’s blog posts, Awkward. captures the humor within the struggles and experiences everyone can relate to from their formative years. The series picks up in the aftermath of the accident as she must deal with a new not-so-fun stigma, while at the same time managing the other daily drama that comes with being a teenager. From a secret relationship with a popular guy, to being undermined by a mean girl, and parents who just don’t get it – Jenna’s misfortune will eventually serve as the catalyst for amazing change, but it’s not without some missteps and mishaps along the way.

Who Gets the Last Laugh?, series premiere at 10pm on TBS

- TBS puts a different twist on hidden-camera comedy with the brand new series Who Gets the Last Laugh? Hosted by Donald Faison (Scrubs), the series will pit some of the industry’s most well-known comedians and comedy actors against one another to see who can pull the most outrageous practical jokes. Executive produced by the creators of Punk’d, each week on Who Gets the Last Laugh?, three guest comedians must dream up the funniest and most outrageous pranks possible, then successfully unleash their ideas on an unsuspecting public. A live audience then determines which comedy star really got the last laugh, with the winner earning $10,000 to be given to the charity of their choice.

Wednesday, April 17^th

Locked Up Abroad, season premiere at 9pm on Nat Geo

- Nat Geo’s docudrama Locked Up Abroad is the cult favorite that takes viewers inside accounts of capture, incarceration, and terror far away from home with intimate personal interviews and dramatic reenactments. This season, we’ll hear more firsthand accounts not only from those who were locked up, but also from those who were directly part of the story. Whether it is the undercover agent compiling the evidence against the suspect, or the person making the drug dealing offers… we’re going to deliver the stories from every angle. In the season premiere, Senator John McCain and former Marine Corps pilot Ernie Brace discuss their time as POWs during the Vietnam War, and the enduring friendship that resulted. Also coming up this season is an episode about the true story behind the Oscar-winner for Best Picture “Argo” featuring real-life hero Tony Mendez, the CIA officer who orchestrated one of the most amazing escapes in history.

Saturday, April 20^th

Mary and Martha, TV movie premiere at 8pm on HBO

- Oscar winner Hilary Swank and Oscar nominee Brenda Blethyn star in HBO Films’ Mary and Martha, an epic journey of self-discovery as two mothers forge a unique bond after traumatic events in Africa bring them together. The two very different women – one an American interior designer and the other a British housewife – meet in Africa while they struggle with their grief and strains on their marriages. After they decide to work together to raise awareness of malaria, a preventable and treatable disease, they begin to rebuild their lives and in the process, inspire change.

New Premieres This Week in TV: April 22nd – 28th

Sunday, April 22^nd

Veep, series premiere at 10pm on HBO

- Former Senator Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) has accepted the call to serve as Vice President of the United States. The job is nothing like she imagined and everything she was warned about. Veep follows Meyer and her staff as they attempt to make their mark and leave a lasting legacy, without getting tripped up in the day-to-day political games that define Washington. Meyer’s inner circle includes: her chief of staff Amy, longtime press spokesperson Mike McClintock, right hand and body man Gary and secretary Sue, all of whom often do battle with Dan Egan, an ambitious interloper, and smug White House liaison Jonah.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey, season premiere at 10pm on Bravo

- Bravo’s watercooler hit, The Real Housewives of New Jersey, returns for its fourth season featuring current Celebrity Apprentice contestant Teresa Guidice. Table-flipping Guidice joins Melissa Gorga, Jacqueline Laurita, Caroline Manzo, and Kathy Wakile for a season full of sun, fun, and loads of drama. Everyone’s favorite Garden State ladies prove there are no lazy days of summer. Melissa continues to focus on her music career and gets help from celebrity choreographer Chris Judd. Caroline keeps busy with her brother’s gay wedding and helps her daughter Lauren with her weight loss issues. Kathy has her mouth and hands full as she expands her delicious dessert line and keeps her two high school teenagers in check. Struggling with certain friendships and loyalties, Jacqueline finds herself at a breaking point. This season is not all work as the ladies also have some time to enjoy themselves with trips to the Jersey Shore, lavish outdoor parties and even a trip to Northern California.

Tuesday, April 24^th

The L.A. Complex, series premiere at 9pm on The CW

- Small fish. Big pond. Huge dreams. Every day, young people with stars in their eyes get off the bus in Los Angeles in search of fame and fortune. The L.A. Complex centers on a group of aspiring performers pursuing stardom in the City of Angels. Living in an apartment-style motel for displaced dreamers, each dubbed “most likely to succeed,” they all face the challenges and opportunities of a lifetime. The young hopefuls who have become neighbors, friends and the closest thing any of them have to family, include Connor (Jonathan Patrick Moore), an actor with drop-dead good looks and a dark past, who has just landed a leading role in his first series; Raquel (Jewel Staite, Firefly) is a street-smart actress who had one big hit series, but is worried she’s quickly becoming yesterday’s news; Nick is a struggling stand-up comedian who is always the best friend and never the boyfriend; Abby is the naive but determined young actress who gave up a boyfriend back home to stay in L.A. until she gets her big break; Alicia is a sensitive, aspiring dancer who will do whatever it takes to make ends meet; Kaldrick, the superstar Hip-Hop artist who hails from the streets of Oakland, California; and Tariq, the talented aspiring Hip-Hop artist who is hiding a secret. For every bona fide starlet, there are countless cocktail waitresses. For every true rock star, there are hundreds of musicians playing for tips on the street. For every comedian with a hit sitcom, there are dozens of guys cracking jokes while pouring your coffee. In L.A., your life can change in the blink of an eye. On Monday, you might score some face-time with a big-shot producer. On Wednesday, you might sign that multi-million dollar contract you’ve been dreaming of, but until then, one thing is for sure: every month, the rent is due.

Wednesday, April 25^th

Locked Up Abroad, season premiere at 10pm on Nat Geo

- Erica Aude is an actor whose credits include “Van Wilder” and “Dude, Where’s My Car?” but even actors can be recruited as an unwitting drug mule and end up serving nearly three years in a Pakistan prison hellhole. As a bonus, the premiere episode about Aude features Aude playing himself in reenactments of the bust.

Total Blackout, series premiere at 10pm on Syfy

- Hosted by current Dancing With The Stars contestant Jaleel White (Family Matters), Total Blackout is a half-hour extreme game show in which contestants battle each other and their fears in a series of challenges, confronting their own worst enemy – themselves. However, there is a twist – all the challenges are played in complete darkness; no lights, no blindfolds and no-holds barred as the players face their fears and unexpected surprises in a series of nerve-wracking games.

Thursday, April 26^th

The Conversation With Amanda de Cadenet, series premiere at 11pm on Lifetime

- Let The Conversation begin…Lifetime’s all-new series The Conversation with Amanda de Cadenet, is a refreshing and intimate take on celebrity interviews hosted by British television personality and renowned photographer Amanda de Cadenet. Creator de Cadenet marks her U.S. television debut in this series executive produced by Demi Moore. Presenting an honest, authentic and raw view of the shared issues affecting women today, each episode will feature de Cadenet having powerful and in-depth interviews with some of the world’s most famous and influential women, including Jane Fonda, Lady Gaga, Gwyneth Paltrow, Miley Cyrus, Eva Longoria, Kelly Preston, Alicia Keys, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Donna Karan, Ivanka Trump, Olivia Wilde and Gabby Sidibe. Together with de Cadenet in the comfort of her or their own homes, they – many for the first time publicly – will tackle a wide variety of topics universal to all females, including sexuality, body image, career and finances, relationships, love and loss, politics, human rights, transformation, breakthrough and perseverance. The series will also feature “Women on the Street” segments in which women from all walks of life also reveal their personal feelings about their lives and the world today.

Saturday, April 28^th

Thick of It, season premiere at 12am on BBC America

- If you’re into classy idealistic portrayals of politics like The West Wing, you may be surprised by BBC America’s third season of The Thick of It, which is the exact opposite in bureaucratic entertainment. BBC Four’s Award winning show is a no-holds-barred, satirical romp exploring the inner debacles of British government. It’s so funny it hurts, so savage it’s scary popularity spawned the 2009 spin-off film “In the Loop,” which also covers civil servants and their constant battle with the British media circus. HBO’s new show Veep is loosely based on the series.

Cloudstreet, miniseries premiere at 10pm on Ovation

- The 6-part miniseries is based on the award-winning and best-selling novel by Tim Winton and features an outstanding ensemble cast. Set in and around Perth, Western Australia during the 1940s and 1950s, Cloudstreet tells the story of two rural families who suffer separate catastrophes and flee to the city to pick up the pieces of their lives and start again. Brought together in the same house at No.1 Cloud Street, the Lambs and the Pickles share numerous tragedies and triumphs that draw them closer together, until the roof over their heads becomes a home for their hearts.

Flipped Off, series premiere at 10pm on A&E

- Flipping homes has never been an easy business, and since the collapse of the housing market it’s never been more dangerous. Time is the new enemy as flippers race to rehabilitate properties before renovation costs climb too high and market prices fall too low. This is the type of risk that attracts Russell Hantz, the Master Manipulator from three seasons of Survivor, where bold moves can make or break you, and the dollar bill is the bottom line. Throwing down cold hard cash on a house that you just viewed takes brains, intuition and a whole lot of guts. However, Hantz isn’t working alone. Determined to be one of the biggest house flippers in Houston, he’s bringing along his big brother, Shawn, as his project manager as well as the beautiful and savvy real estate agent, Kristen. The brothers butt heads more than a pair of rams in a staring contest but giving them some semblance of balance is Kristen, who isn’t afraid to slap some sense into the Hantz brothers when their egos get in the way of making money.