What to Watch on TV this Weekend: Jenn's Guide

This feature is brought to you by Cox Communications (Patch Partner).

April 1 – April 7, 2016:

Well folks, we lost one of our favorite funnymen last week. Garry Shandling, 66, passed away of an “apparent heart attack,” although his regular physician refused to sign off on that cause of death, pending further medical investigation. Regardless, it’s a significant loss for the comedy world. I didn’t see this one coming. I think Jerry Seinfeld said it best in a recent conversation with Shandling: “You have to die in your 60s for them to say ‘Boy, he was young.’” The two had recently filmed a webisode of Seinfeld’s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” – the name of the webisode: It’s Great That Garry Shandling Is Still Alive.

The interesting twist on comedians who die is that, often, they have prefaced their deaths at one time or another on stage. Shandling was no different, having described his funeral to Seinfeld: “What I want at my funeral is an actual boxing referee to do a count, and at five to just wave it off: ‘He’s not getting up.’” He was a master of “uncomfortable comedy” that you weren’t always sure was actually funny, but at the same time, made you laugh.

So in honor of Shandling, let’s soak up some quality programming this week and, hopefully, laugh a little.

Here are a few suggestions for the upcoming week of April 1 – April 7.

Shark Tank

Friday, April 1 – ABC – 9 p.m.

Entrepreneurs are risk takers by nature. Now you can watch three entrepreneurs per episode present their products and ideas in “the tank” to “the sharks,” hoping for an investment from any one of them. And, these sharks get it; each of them is an entrepreneur who has seen great success after bringing his or her own multi-million-dollar product or idea to fruition. The five sharks include billionaire owner and chairman of AXS TV and the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, who can be tough on the contestants (think Simon Cowell to aspiring singers). The show is well done, having racked up a couple of Emmys along the way – definitely worth a watch.

Mirror Mirror

Saturday, April 2 – ABC – 8 p.m.

If you missed this flick upon its release in 2012, here’s your chance to gather the kids and watch orphaned princess Snow White, played by Lily Collins, fight off the evil queen, Julia Roberts, as she attempts to gain control of Snow White’s promised kingdom. Armie Hammer plays the charming prince who chooses Snow White, instead of the queen. As you can imagine, this does not go over well, and the princess lands in the woods to become dinner for a super-scary beast. Watch Snow White find her way out of the predicament while giving your kids a break from the iPhone. Wholesome family fun.

NCAA Final Four

Saturday, April 2 – ESPN – 6 p.m.

Check your brackets - it’s time. A perfect way to get your round ball fix on a Saturday night, the Final Four games will air back to back. The Villanova Wildcats take on the Oklahoma Sooners at 6:09 p.m. EST. Following, the North Carolina Tar Heels face off with surprise contender the Syracuse Orange. Will Oklahoma’s penchant for three-pointers lead to a win over Villanova? Will Syracuse’s dominant defense best a basketball dynasty like North Carolina? We’ll all have fun finding out.

51st Academy of Country Music Awards

Sunday, April 3 – CBS – 8 p.m.

The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas will be buzzing with country music’s finest, so expect a night of high heels and high skirts, paired nicely alongside tight jeans and cowboy boots. Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley will host (Fun fact: Luke and I both grew up in Leesburg, GA), and scheduled performers include Blake Shelton, Little Big Town, Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Florida Georgia Line and “Cam” – the first country artist to go by a single name since the beloved “Reba.”

Who Do You Think You Are?

Sunday, April 3 – TLC – 9 p.m.

Here’s your opportunity to further pry into your favorite celebrities’ lives by learning more about their histories. Learning about one’s roots and genealogical history is a fascinating journey, and those with bottomless bank accounts can afford to fly all over Europe to do so. Even if the information doesn’t affect me directly, I do enjoy the intertwined history lessons that seem to rise to the surface during each exploration. And, Phoebe from “Friends” (Lisa Kudrow) is an executive producer – another reason to show the show some love.

The Voice

Monday, April 4 – NBC – 8 p.m.

What can I say about The Voice? During some seasons, I was totally immersed in the contestants’ individual sob stories and subsequent opportunities to fulfill their dreams on television. As time went on, the judges – and their over-the-top personalities – became more of an appeal than the actual singing competition. This season, we simply must watch as Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani pursue the most bizarre coupling in history, right before our eyes. This is one show that’ll turn my chair.

Fresh Off the Boat

Tuesday, April 5 – ABC – 8 p.m.

I love how the writers on this show are able to take the funny and amusing side of Chinese-American culture and use it to, ultimately, teach a positive life lesson. Set in the '90s, the show focuses on the mom’s struggle to keep the Huang family’s Chinese heritage strong and steadfast, while each of the family members attempts to navigate life – including the hilarious, wheelchair-bound matriarch and grandmother. My favorite character, though, is “Eddie,” a middle school-aged Chinese kid who loves hardcore wrap and crushes on the cute, teenaged all-American girl next door.

This feature is brought to you by Cox Communications.

Check out the new Contour from Cox where you can find your favorite shows and movies after with Smart Search and voice commands, save up to 1,000 hours of programming, watch anywhere in your home and more.

To learn more about the latest in Cox TV offers, click here.

Do you have enough speed to stream movies? Discover your speed with just a click.

Cox is in the Community. See how we support our local communities at www.Cox-Cares.org.