Tonight in HD: July 2

Series Premiere: Missing (TV One, 8.30, 5.1) Ashley Judd, Sean Bean and Cliff Curtis star in a new, action packed thriller following an ex-CIA agent’s search for her missing son. “Think The French Connection meets Alias with a big helping of Taylor Lautner’s Abduction,” enthused the New York Post. “This bifurcated character–Mother of the Year meets Jack Bauer–isn’t always believable,” quipped People Weekly, “but Judd welds the two Beccas together through sheer willpower.” But Entertainment Weekly was lukewarm (“the international settings are pretty and Judd does her damnedest with what she’s got, but Missing’s tough-mom role and poorly paced, unsuspenseful suspense scenes make the series hard to root for”) while USA Today dubbed it: “A supremely silly series that takes itself incredibly seriously.” The series ran for only 10 weeks on US TV but, despite its conspiratorial intrigue, is largely self-contained. ✭✭✭✭

Season Finale: Revenge (TV2, 9.30, 5.1, F) The day of reckoning has arrived and the fate of the Hamptons residents hangs in the balance. Film Thrasher reckons fans won’t be disappointed: “After eight months on the air, television’s hit new drama ends just as addictively as it began. Revenge has been one hell of a rollercoaster ride that has easily gained a great amount of fans, and has built up to a finale that is truly unpredictable.” The AV Club agreed: “The entire (very good) freshman season of Revenge has been leading up to this finale, and it was a good one: soapy, twisty, exciting, emotional, and fun.” ✭✭✭✭

Masterchef Australia (TV one, 4.45) The fallout from the first off-site challenge sees a member of the losing team up for elimination. ✭✭

Home & Away (TV3, 5.30) Romeo stands by Ruby, leaving Indi distraught; Bianca believes her baby has died; Dex is jealous of April and Heath. ✭✭

Friends (TV2, 6.30, R) Ross initiates a threesome with his wife and her female friend – and gets left out. Part two of two. ✭✭✭

Shortland Street (TV2, 7.00) Daniel’s good deed turns sour; Rachel seeks to ensnare Bree; Chris breaks his ethical code to save a life. ✭✭✭

Last Man Standing (TV3, 7.30, 5.1) After Mike and Ed invite Kyle to join the team for The Outdoor Man’s annual sports competition, they have second thoughts, since his non-athletic ways might earn their team yet another loss. ✭✭

Modern Family (TV3, 8.00, 5.1) The Dunphys are in the market for a new car and Phil makes a spontaneous purchase without Claire. ✭✭✭✭

Desperate Housewives (TV2, 8.30, 5.1) With Mike gone, Susan attempts to build a car for MJ’s father-and-son school soapbox derby; Lynette tries to cause some negative friction between Tom and his girlfriend, Jane. ✭✭

Movie: Transformers (TV3, 8.30, 5.1, R) The kids who were playing with their Optimus Primes and Megatrons in the 1980s are now transforming the mechanics of Hollywood movies. Boys’ toys don’t come any bigger than a $200 million-plus playground, where animatics and animated storyboards matter more than scriptwriting. Transformers’ visual effects never stop astounding with their computer-generated ingenuity but even the most extravagant hi-tech eye candy is no substitute for a story well told – and this is not one of them. Michael Bay directs Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox. (2007) ✭✭✭

Bones (TV3, 11.55, 5.1, R) Booth and Brennan investigate the murder of an Amish piano prodigy who disappeared roughly two months prior to his Rumspringa (his exploration of the outside world). ✭✭

Sky Movies Premiere: Turn the Beat Around (Sky 20, 6.55, 5.1) Yet another non-theatrical obscurity that’s becoming increasingly prevalent on Sky’s so-called premium movies service. Said Total Film: “This MTV-produced hotch-potch of Fame pluck and Glee gloss follows Zoe (a frustrated dancer/choreographer) as she endeavours to bring back ‘disco’. Sadly, the film’s retooled brand of disco nouveau is as synthetic, emotionless and vacuous as its entirely plastic cast.” (2011) ✭

Sky Movies Greats Premiere: Cry-Baby (Sky 22, 8.30, 5.1) Another Baltimore comedy from John (Hairspray) Waters but one that satirises ’50s teen movies. Under his decadent direction, Johnny Deep is more pelvis than Elvis as the leather-jacketed heartthrob who temps girl-next-door Amy Locane over to the wrong side of town. The typically eclectic Waters cast includes Iggy Pop, Ricki Lake, Traci Lords, Patty Hearst and Willem Dafoe. (1990) ✭✭✭