Another super short week - blame the Olympics or just the summer lull - so let’s get to it already:
Wednesday - August 11
Disney+ / What If...?, S1 (animated). The latest Marvel series from Disney+ reimagines various characters from the MCU in alternative scenarios, e.g. Peggy Carter gets the super-serum instead of Steve Rogers, while T'Challa becomes Star-Lord. Reviews are positive: 'a relatively breezy and often humorous series that puts a quirky and borderline goofy spin on the Marvel timeline.' Features voice work from most of the original actors including Hayley Atwell, Samuel L. Jackson, the late Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Chris Hemsworth - basically everyone except Robert Downey, Jr. and Brie Larson. Trailer here.
Netflix / Misha and the Wolves (documentary). Misha Defonseca's Holocaust survivor tale was literally incredible: at the age of 7, she escaped into the woods and befriended a pack of wolves who fed her and kept her safe. Decades later she shared the story which later turned into a best-selling memoir - and came to the attention of a dogged amateur historian and genealogist. Reviews are generally positive: 'a tricky good yarn spun around the unbelievable things that human beings will do.'
Returning - Netflix, The Kissing Booth 3; MTV, Cribs (first new episodes in 10 years); The CW, Riverdale
Thursday - August 12
Hulu / Homeroom (documentary). Pete Nicks and Ryan Coogler are behind this moving documentary told from the students' perspective about one year at Oakland High School - a year marked by teacher strikes, pushes to defund the school's police force, Black Lives Matter, and a global pandemic. This is the third in a trilogy of Oakland-centered docs by Pete Nicks after Waiting Room and The Force. Trailer here.
NBC / Brooklyn Nine-Nine, S8. Notable return. This is the 8th and final season of NBC's acclaimed comedy. Trailer here.
HBO Max / The Hype, S1 (competition). This streetwear competition series comes from the producers of Queer Eye and features Migos rapper Offset who also produces. Trailer here.
Peacock / Ex-Rated, S1 (reality). Andy Cohen hosts this dating series that features contestants whose exes weigh in on what it was like to date them using a rating system that rates, well, everything. Trailer here.
Returning - Paramount+, Star Trek: Lower Decks; HBO Max, Titans (previously on DC Universe)
Friday - August 13
Apple TV+ / CODA (movie). This award-winning and crowd-pleasing remake of 2014's La Famille Bélier stars Emilia Jones (Locke & Key) as Ruby, the sole hearing member of a deaf family of fishers in Gloucester, MA. Adapted and directed by Sîan Heder, CODA, short for Child of Deaf Parents, focuses on Ruby's struggle to find her own voice, literally, as she tries to reconcile her place as the family's sole liaison to the hearing world with her desire to pursue her love of singing. Reviews are raves: 'a radiant, deeply satisfying heartwarmer,' '[a] tender, lively, funny, and beautifully stirring drama.' Strong cast includes Marlee Matlin (Children of a Lesser God), Ferdia Walsh-Peelo (Sing Street), and Eugenio Derbez (Instructions Not Included). Opens in select theaters today. Trailer here.
Netflix / Beckett (movie). This old-school, innocent-man-on-the-run thriller stars a pre-Tenet John David Washington as an American tourist in Greece who finds himself in a political conspiracy after he sees something he shouldn't have. Directed by Ferdinando Cito Filomarino who worked on Call Me By Your Name with Luca Guadagnino (who serves as producer here), the film boasts a strong supporting cast including Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina), Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread), and Boyd Holbrook (Logan). Reviews are lukewarm, citing character missteps and flat pacing. Trailer here.
Netflix / Brand New Cherry Flavor (miniseries). Based on Todd Grimson's horror novel of the same name, this eight-episode adaptation comes from the team behind Channel Zero, Syfy's creepy horror anthology. The 1990's-set series follows an aspiring movie director (Rosa Salazar, Alita: Battle Angel) whose dream film project is upended by predatory men, zombies, and apparently supernatural kittens. Welp. Despite a supporting cast that includes Catherine Keener (Friends with Money) and Manny Jacinto (The Good Place), reviews are not fabulous: 'a technically competent, thematically bankrupt, utterly gratuitous pastiche of L.A. noir and body horror.' Trailer here.
Prime Video / Modern Love, S2. Notable return. The second season of this romantic anthology based loosely on The New York Times' column of the same name returns with a stellar cast including Flack co-stars Sophie Okonedo and Anna Paquin, Tobias Menzies (The Crown), Kit Harington (Game of Thrones), Minnie Driver (Return to Me), and Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah).
Sunday - August 15
Starz / Heels, S1. This unabashedly soapy drama focuses on a small-time pro wrestling league run by a pair of brothers, one a good guy (a 'face') and the other the league's top villain (a 'heel'), who try to keep the league afloat. Reviews are scant but positive: 'Funny, dramatic, occasionally very stupid, and equally as often incredibly moving.' Solid cast includes Arrow's Stephen Amell and Mary McCormack (In Plain Sight). Trailer here.
Monday - August 16
Returning - ABC, Bachelor in Paradise
And that's it for the week!
In Other News...
Short news week: Showrunners for Disney+'s What If...? shed light on their last conversation with Chadwick Boseman whose final work is featured in the series. || Variety reviewed Fox's reboot of Fantasy Island and found it surprisingly deep. || Jeopardy! officially tapped EP Mike Richards as the new host with Mayim Bialik signed up to host Jeopardy! specials and spin-offs. || South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone recently signed a whopping $935 million six-year deal with ViacomCBS. How'd they do it? A 2007 contract that gave them a 50-50 split on 'digital rights' helped, back when digital rights wasn’t heavily negotiated if included at all. || And finally, Lucille Ball was trending recently on Twitter thanks to her birthday, and it resurfaced an old Dick Cavett Show interview where she confessed she thought she was going to die while filming one of I Love Lucy's classic scenes. Oh, Lucy.
Have a great rest of the week!
Moira