What to Watch This Week: April 29 to May 4

From a record-breaker for Homer to the return of Holmes, we round up our top 10 shows to watch this week

1. The Simpsons – Sunday, April 29, 5 p.m., Global; 8 p.m., Fox

In this record-breaking 636th episode—which sees The Simpsons become television’s longest-running primetime scripted series—Grampa makes ?a deathbed confession to Homer, only to recover from his ailment and realize this revelation won’t be an easy one to reconcile.

And it’s unlikely The Simpsons will be ending anytime soon. Sure, ratings aren’t what they used to be, but the show continues to be a huge moneymaker in its 29th season; not only is it currently syndicated throughout the world, Simpsons-branded merchandise has brought in revenues in excess of $2 billion and counting.

2. The Handmaid’s Tale – Sunday, April 29, 6 p.m. & 7:06 p.m. (repeating at 8:11 p.m. & 9:17 p.m.), Bravo | Season Premiere

Last year, Margaret Atwood’s 1985 bestseller gained new relevance. With the rights of minority groups and women suddenly on the chopping block in the real world, and people across the globe taking a politically insular turn, the Canadian author’s dystopian vision of a totalitarian state called Gilead in which fertile women are forced into sexual servitude has struck a chord with viewers.

But more than just a severe warning about where we might be headed if we allow ourselves to be complacent, the series produced by Mad Men‘s Elisabeth Moss (who portrays the lead character, Offred) and The 100 writer Bruce Miller made for excellent television, winning the Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe for Best Drama Series, while keeping audiences glued to their screens for the twists and turns of a woman desperate to escape the fate imposed upon her by the patriarchy.

With Atwood’s book ending where season one caps off, Moss and Miller are now expanding Offred’s world without a roadmap. One such fleshing-out of the narrative will come as viewers are introduced to the Colonies, a brutal place where those who misbehave are relocated for what often ends up being their final days.

3. Homeland – Sunday, April 29, 6 p.m. & 10 p.m., Super Channel 1 | Season Finale

Seven years in, this political thriller is as relevant (and Emmy worthy) as ever. Tonight’s finale picks up following Saul’s risky mission, as the corrupt Keane administration sputters to an end. The show returns next year for one last season.

4. Home to Win – Sunday, April 29, 7 p.m. & 10 p.m., HGTV | Season Premiere

They say you don’t fully appreciate something unless you pay for it yourself. But if presented with an offer like the one on this show, most Canadians would probably say, “It’s totally cool if you give me a house.” And that will be the reality for one lucky Canadian at the end of Home to Win, which premieres its third season on Sunday.

This time around, HGTV Canada’s biggest prize is targeting first-time homebuyers who are willing to delay ownership just a little longer once they win a one-of-a-kind remodel that is unlike anything this celebrity crew has delivered in previous seasons.

5. United Shades of America – Sunday, April 29, 7:15 p.m. & 10:30 p.m., CNN | Season Premiere

Kamau Bell’s Emmy-winning exploration of race returns for a third season, in which Bell chats with the Gullah Geechee people in South Carolina before visiting his own father in Alabama, the native population in Hawaii and Historically Black Colleges and Universities right here in Canada.

6. Bob’s Burgers – Sunday, April 29, 7:30 p.m., Fox; 8 p.m., City

Linda and the kids totally blank on Bob’s birthday, and must scramble to plan a last-second surprise party. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and if they’re going to pull this off, they’ll need health inspector Hugo (guest voice Sam Seder) to keep Bob distracted by letting him tag along on his daily route.

7. Dancing With the Stars – Monday, April 30, 8 p.m., City & ABC | Season Premiere

Over the course of this dance battle’s 25 seasons, athletes have always performed extremely well. NFL greats like Emmitt Smith and Hines Ward, Olympic champion speed-skater Apolo Anton Ohno, Indie 500 winner Helio Castroneves, gold medal figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, ice dancer Meryl Davis and gymnasts Shawn Johnson and Laurie Hernandez have all taken home the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy.

Given that season 26 has a dance card composed exclusively of sports?stars, it could be the most competitive yet.

Headlining the festivities are a pair of 2018 Winter Olympians: Adam Rippon and Jamie Anderson, who took home medals for the United States in figure skating and snowboarding respectively, as well as former U.S. Olympic softball champ Jennie Finch Daigle. And then of course, there’s disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding, who will perhaps be counting on the sympathetic portrayal of Oscar-winning drama I, Tonya to weave a new, real-life underdog story.

Also on board: NBA icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Notre Dame women’s basketball phenom Arike Ogunbowale, Olympic luge sensation Chris Mazdzer, MLB star Johnny Damon, figure skater Mirai Nagasu and Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman.

8. Elementary – Monday, April 30, 10 p.m., Global & CBS | Season Premiere

It’s been a long wait for the return of Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson, but CBS’s modern-day, New York-set spin on the two iconic case crackers is finally back with a 21-episode sixth season this week. Considering that when ?last we saw Mr. Holmes ?he was having imaginary conversations with a woman that was revealed to be his dead mother (leading to a much-needed brain scan), we’re fairly intrigued to see just how much farther the great detective will unravel.

Joining the series this year as a regular cast member is former Dexter cop Desmond Harrington, who plays a recovering addict named Michael. A ?bit of a fanboy, Michael? was inspired to get his life back on track after seeing the way Holmes handled his own struggles with addiction; now, he’s ready to return that inadvertent favour by offering support as Holmes tries to overcome this latest physical and emotional hurdle.

Exactly how he’ll fit into/disrupt the Holmes-Watson dynamic, we can’t say, but given that Watson herself came into Holmes’ life in somewhat similar fashion as a sober living companion, we’d say the stage is set for a bit of conflict.

9. Being Serena – Wednesday, May 2, 9 p.m. & 1:30 a.m., HBO Canada | Series Premiere

Serena Williams isn’t so much a tennis star as she is a tennis phenomenon, having won 39 Grand Slam titles, four Olympic Gold Medals and the most women’s singles match victories in Grand Slam history. This fly-on-the-wall docuseries offers viewers unprecedented access into her private life, following the 36-year-old athlete during her pregnancy,? new motherhood and marriage, all while documenting her journey back to supremacy ?on the court.

10. Busted! – Friday, May 4, Netflix | Season Premiere

This South Korean import features ?a number of popular Korean actors and K-pop stars playing detective in what may be one of the oddest TV shows ever produced, described as an “unconventional variety game show in which every episode features stars solving a mystery.”