Photo: Peter Kramer/USA

Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Wednesday, August 23. All times are Eastern.


Top pick

The Sinner (USA, 10 p.m.): USA’s transition into being one of the better cable channels for high-quality programming continues apace, as this quiet little show that no one saw coming airs its fourth episode, and it is just as good as the previous three—which is to say, great. Jessica Biel is giving a superlative lead performance, the mystery just gets more and more intriguing, and Bill Pullman’s cop is behaving weirdly. Get caught up before it’s over.


Regular coverage

The Defenders (Netflix)

Wild card

Hollywood Medium (E!, 9 p.m.): Lil’ Kim, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, and Lance Bass all meet with a blond-haired fraud while he puts some basic people-reading tricks to work and bilks idiots out of their money. We’ve been using the “wild card” on Wednesday to call out garbage for a while now, but honestly, this might be the worst offender yet. The show isn’t even so-bad-it’s-good, it’s just painful. For the love of god, watch the delightful I’m Sorry (TruTV, 10 p.m.) instead; Andrea Savage is very funny.