What to Watch / May 17+24, 2023
In which I will definitely need to stop (no really) coming up with silly Photoshop prompts (eventually)
Travel and such kept us apart last week but fret not - I've included the highlights of last week along with this week's scribbles. And with that, let's get to it already. Oh, and I should mention that I got the beta version of Adobe Photoshop that features an AI generative fill tool and for no good reason I have plopped each of the week's featured shows into 'an Apple retail store.'
Wednesday - May 17
Apple TV+ / High Desert, S1. Patricia Arquette (Flirting with Disaster) stars in this chaotic comedic thriller as a recovering addict living in the small desert town of Yucca Valley who talks her way into a job as a private eye. Reviews are stellar, especially for its lead - no small feat when her costars include Bernadette Peters (Pennies from Heaven), Matt Dillon (My Bodyguard), and Brad Garrett (Ratatouille). 'Patricia Arquette is not the only reason to watch High Desert...but she’s the best reason, and all the reason you need.' First 3 episodes available today. Trailer here.
AMC+ / SisterS, S1. Barry star Sarah Goldberg and Susan Stanley co-created and co-star in this charming series about a woman who discovers that she has a half-sister in Ireland and once reunited, they bond during an eventual road trip across Ireland to track down their shiftless father. Reviews are solid - this is not Fleabag nor is it Bad Sisters but the collaboration between longtime friends Goldberg and Stanley shows potential. Trailer here.
Netflix / Working: What We Do All Day (docuseries). An unemployed politician (Barack Obama, Our Great National Parks) travels around the country interviewing his fellow Americans about their jobs, asking ‘what makes a good job good?’ Trailer here.
Paramount+ / The Family Stallone, S1 (reality). Finally, here’s that reality series about Sylvester Stallone (Over the Top) and his family you were definitely not asking for. Trailer here.
Thursday - May 18
Peacock / Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss, S1 (reality). Over the course of 5 one-hour episodes, Rainn Wilson (Super) travels around the world in an attempt to discover the secrets to the happiest places on earth - and in doing so visits some of the world's least happy places as well. Maybe if he knew a certain unemployed politician, they could have consolidated some things. Just sayin'. Trailer here.
Netflix / XO, Kitty, S1. This Seoul-based spinoff of To All the Boys stars Anna Cathcart (Descendants 2) as a young matchmaker and its title is definitely not a riff on Hello Kitty because that would be expensive. Trailer here.
Friday - May 19
Hulu / White Men Can’t Jump (movie). ...And Hollywood can’t think of an original idea. Based on the 1992 film of the same name, this remake about a pair of street ball hustlers stars Friday Night Lights' Sinqua Walls and Kentucky rapper Jack Harlow. Reviews are the equivalent of a missed layup: 'This movie not only doesn’t jump, it barely gets off the couch.' Trailer here.
FX/Hulu / The Secrets of Hillsong (docuseries). This four-part documentary explores the Australia-based megachurch that exploded on the scene in the US along with notable celebrity members including Justin Bieber. Trailer here.
Returning - Apple TV+, Stillwater; Netflix, Selling Sunset
Tuesday - May 23
On Tuesday, HBO Max né HBO became part of the larger consortium of properties now known simply as Max, the name of a dog you probably had as a kid.
Kicking things off for the nascent streamer is Bama Rush, a documentary following 4 women who are rushing sororities at the University of Alabama, against the relentless backdrop of TikTok. Trailer here. Next up, in no particular order, is Clone High, a reboot of the 2002 animated comedy from Scrubs' Bill Lawrence; SmartLess: On the Road, a 6 part docuseries that follows the hit podcast hosts, Jason Bateman (Silver Spoons), Sean Hayes (Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss), and Will Arnett (BoJack Horseman) as they take their show on tour; How to Create a Sex Scandal, a 3 part docuseries about a made-up sex scandal in Mineola, Texas; and What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel where presumably someone describes something I imagine involves tofu to the New Girlactress. Oh, and lastly: Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, an animated prequel of the Christmas horror movie involving an invasive species of tiny reptiles that forces the lead to relive a trauma involving his father and a chimney. Features voice work by Sandra Oh (Sideways), Ming-Na Wen (The Mandalorian), and Randall Park (Always Be My Maybe).
Returning - Fox, Beat Shazam; Hulu, How I Met Your Father
Wednesday - May 24
Apple TV+ / Platonic, S1. Neighbors co-stars Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen are reunited in this series about a pair of old friends who lost touch but who reconnect after Rogen's character gets divorced - and whose shared midlife crisis puzzles their respective friends, along with her husband. Reviews are strong, lauding especially the leads' excellent chemistry: 'it’s fun simply to spend time in the company of two people who so clearly get each other.' Trailer here.
Disney+ / American Born Chinese, S1. Adapting the graphic novel of the same name, this comedic thriller follows a high schooler who finds himself suddenly thrust into a war between Chinese mythological deities. Plot notwithstanding, this is better known as that show that reunites the stars of Everything Everywhere All at Once: Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Yuan, and Stephanie Hsu. Trailer here.
Hulu / The Clearing (limited series). Scant info about this 8 part Australian series except that it's an adaptation of JP Pomare's novel In the Clearing and stars Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings), Guy Pearce (Mare of Easttown), and Teresa Palmer (Warm Bodies). Trailer here.
Returning - Disney+, Chip 'n' Dale: Park Life; Fox, MasterChef
Thursday - May 25
Netflix / FUBAR, S1. California's former governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger (Kindergarten Cop), stars in this spy comedy as an agent who agrees to one last assignment before retirement after he learns that his daughter has also been working as a spy. Daaa-ad!
Max / 100 Years of Warner Bros. (docuseries). Morgan Freeman (Shawshank Redemption) narrates this four-parter about the historic Burbank studio. Trailer here.
Returning - Hulu, The Kardashians
Friday - May 26
Max / Being Mary Tyler Moore (documentary). Documentarian James Adolphus (Soul of a Nation) directs this deep dive into the trailblazing career of Moore, featuring extensive clips from her earliest appearances, through her era-defining turns on The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and her Oscar nominated performance in Ordinary People, accompanied by audio interviews with those who knew her best. (This is a good time to watch - or re-watch - Chuckles Bites the Dust, one of the funniest episodes of television ever.)
Returning - Starz, Run the World
Monday - May 29
Max / Reality (movie). Reviews are raves for Tina Satter's directorial debut in the adaptation of her play Is This a Room that drew dialogue entirely from the FBI's interrogation of whistleblower Reality Winner. Sydney Sweeney as Winner draws particular praise for a performance that is 'expertly calibrated,' and far cry from her Euphoria and White Lotus roles. Trailer here.
Returning - Hulu, The Kardashians; Max, Kendra Sells Hollywood (moving from discovery+ to Max)
And that's it for the week!
RIP to an absolute legend. The excellent 2021 documentary about her life and career, Tina, is worth a watch and is available here.
Moira