Tonight in HD: June 15

SoHo Cinema: Hemingway & Gellhorn (Sky 10, 8.30, 5.1) The Hollywood Reporter hailed this HBO dramatisation of Ernest Hemingway’s relationship with his third wife, war correspondent Martha Gellhorn, as “a dynamic, vivid, well-acted look at two major 20th century writers who shared wars on the battlefront and at home”. Entertainment Weekly was equally enthusiastic (“maddeningly, irresistibly watchable“) while the New York Post observed: “Get past the first hour and you’ve got a helluva good tale.” But the New York Times thought the two-and-a-half-hour drama “a disheartening misfire”  and The Washington Post said it was “overly enamoured with its ridiculous sense of sweep“. Philip Kaufman (Henry & June, The Right Stuff, The Unbearable Lightness of Being) directs Nicole Kidman, Clive Owen, Robert Duvall, David Strathairn and Boss’ Connie Nielsen. (2011) ✭✭✭✭

The Graham Norton Show (TV3, 8.30) With Mad Men’s Jon Hamm, Prometheus’ Charlize Theron and The Trip’s Steve Coogan. Highlights include Coogan asking Theron where she keeps her Oscar (“For a while I had it in a room that was on the way to the bathroom, just so I could say, ‘down that hallway until you run into the Oscar and make a left.’ I had to stop doing that!”) and Hamm discussing his Mad Men doll. He also reveals he had to audition 7-8 times to play Don Draper: “It was the network’s first foray into original programming and they obviously wanted someone incredibly famous and I was not that and they had to be convinced. It’s only recently that I found out they didn’t think I was sexy enough.” ✭✭✭✭✭

Home & Away (TV3, 5.30) Xavier accuses Jett of mugging Marilyn; Sasha tries to help Casey with his studies; Alf’s ailment appears to be more than jetlag. ✭✭

Friends (TV2, 6.30, R) Joey pretends to be the owner of a Porsche parked outside Central Perk; Rachel and Ross get divorced; Chandler and Monica baby-sit Phoebe’s triplets. ✭✭✭

Shortland Street (TV2, 7.00) Vasa and Maxwell struggle with Ula’s choice; Bella makes a life-changing discovery; Murray attempts to have it all. ✭✭✭

The Big Bang Theory (TV2, 7.30, 5.1, R) Sheldon can barely contain his joy when Leonard starts dating a woman who meets Sheldon’s exacting standards. Less Than Perfect’s Sara Rue guest stars. ✭✭✭✭

Glee (TV3, 7.30, 5.1) Rachel and Kurt finally get their chance to audition for the New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts. Whoopi Goldberg (left) and Thomas Calabro guest star in one of the show’s most castigated episodes. HitFix labelled it “a morally reprehensible hour of television” and TV Fanatic headlined its review, “When Good Shows Go Bad“. Rolling Stone thought Choke “an appropriate name for the episode. Somehow, it made sense to combine storylines about trying to graduate, trying to audition for your dream college and trying to cope with the consequences of domestic abuse into one nothing-to-really-do-with-anything hour where two of the three arcs were centered around characters who had faded into the background. Needless to say, this didn’t go well.” ✭✭

Hounds (TV3, 10.05) Will hunts, Marty dates, and Lily tries her hand at fencing after they receive some terrible news. ✭✭✭

The Vampire Diaries (TV2, 10.40, 5.1) Klaus acts on his intentions to leave town with Elena, but finds resistance from a surprising new enemy; Damon and Stefan have a surprisingly candid conversation about the future. ✭✭✭

Numb3rs (TV3, 12.20, 5.1, F) Season finale: Amita is kidnapped by a manipulative guru who favours female followers. ✭✭

NCIS: Los Angeles (TV3, 1.15, 5.1, R) When a US citizen of North Korean descent is murdered, the secrets to classified software are thought to be lost until NCIS uncovers a suspect from Director Vance’s past. NCIS’ Pauley Perrette guest stars. ✭✭