Against all odds
The four-part docuseries "Action" is tied to the recent legalization of sports gambling, but it's most fascinating when reminding viewers that the odds are always in favor of the prognosticators who turned charging suckers for their professional guesses into a sure bet. Director Luke Korem's footage of losers in casino sportsbooks is as depressing as watching drunks at last call.
7 p.m. Sun., Showtime
Love at first bite
"What We Do in the Shadows" is the funniest thing to happen to the vampire genre since the reign of Count Chocula. This spinoff of Jemaine Clement's 2014 feature film has added former University of Minnesota student Mark Proksch as an energy vampire who puts his victims into a comatose state through mindless banter. Sound like anyone you know? To learn how Proksch used his time in Minnesota to inform his role, see Tuesday's Variety section.
9 p.m. Wed., FX
Open bar
"Abby's," TV's latest attempt to set a sitcom in a bar where everybody knows your name, has a long way to go before it's as homey as "Cheers." But it's off to a decent start, thanks to an engaging performance from Natalie Morales as the proprietor with a strong-as-Everclear persona. The series will fare better once it pours on more pathos and lightens up on the laugh track.
8:30 p.m. Thu., KARE, Ch. 11
Neal Justin
