What to Watch / February 26, 2025
A short, short week, likely due to a combo of spring break in the US and the Oscars on Sunday so let's get to it already:
Wednesday - February 26
Apple TV+ / Berlin ER, S1. Ich bin ein Berliner is more than a presidential quote - it's now a series. *checks notes* Wait, sorry: this is a medical drama set in a Berlin emergency room, or as it's called in the series: KRANK, and has nothing to do with JFK. Es tut mir sehr leid, everybody. Reviews are positive: 'Is the German-language “Berlin ER” the best hospital series ever?' Okay, so reviews are maybe a bit more than just positive. Trailer here.
ABC/Hulu / Will Reeve: Finding My Father (reality special). ABC correspondent Will Reeve was two years old when his famous father, Christopher Reeve, was paralyzed in a riding accident. Years later he now searches for some semblance of closure by retracing his father's last trips before he passed away. Extremely dusty trailer here.
Returning - Hulu, Shoresy; CBS, Survivor
Thursday - February 27
Netflix / Running Point, S1. The latest production from Mindy Kaling (The Office) and Ike Barinholtz (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent) is a comedic take on the ownership of a very Los Angeles Lakers-like NBA team by the, ugh, GIRL in the family played by Kate Hudson (How to Lose a Man in 10 Days) in light of scandals involving her male siblings. No reviews but based on the trailer, this feels tonally a lot darker than Kaling's other shows and also maybe a little bit Succession-meets-Winning Time. Of note, Pepperdine University attempted to block the show's release on the basis that the show's fictional NBA team's logo for the Waves is infringing on the school's trademarks, among other claims, and related: today I learned that Pepperdine's mascot is called the Waves. This also stars Chet 'White Boy Summer' Hanks, Max Greenfield (The New Girl), Brenda Song (The Suite Life), and Jay Ellis (Insecure). All 10 episodes air today. First 4 minutes here.
Netflix / Toxic Town (limited series). Based on a true story, this moving drama follows an intrepid group of mothers who band together when they realize their children's birth defects aren't coincidental, revealing one of the worst toxic waste scandals in UK's history. Stellar cast includes Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who), Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education), and Rory Kinnear (Black Mirror). Reviews are positive, praising in particular Whittaker's 'flawless' take, and creator Jack Thorne's gracious approach to handling of the internalized blame that the female protagonists faced. Also stars Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting) and Brandan Coyle (Downton Abbey). Trailer here.
Prime Video / House of David, S1. A giant, a boy with a slingshot, and a conglomerate in search of content (and the meaning of irony). Trailer here.
Hulu / Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke (docuseries). 'Mommy blogger' Ruby Franke is the subject of this limited series that explores how she went from wanting simply to share her family on YouTube to exploiting them - to believing that the children were possessed by demons and needed to be punished, leading to abuse that led to her conviction for aggravated child abuse. Trailer here.
Sunday - March 2
ABC/Hulu / The 97th Academy Awards (special). Hosted by Conan O'Brien (The LEGO Batman Movie), this Oscars broadcast will also stream live on Hulu starting at 4pm Pacific.
MGM+ / Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue (limited series). Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) stars in this thriller about a group of plane crash survivors and their quest to survive. Plot details are scarce but this sounds a little like Yellowjackets but less spooky. Also stars Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Severance) and Siobhán McSweeney (Derry Girls). No reviews but fun fact: this was originally developed as a series for Quibi. Trailer here.
Monday - March 3
Max / Celtics City (docuseries). This 9 part series produced by Bill Simmons examines the history of the most decorated team in NBA history, the Boston Celtics, and the players who were instrumental in their wins over the years. Features extensive footage over the decades as well as recent interviews with Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Larry Byrd. Trailer here.
Tuesday - March 4
Disney+ / Daredevil: Born Again, S1. Starting 5 years after the end of Netflix's Daredevil, this is a continuation of the story of blind lawyer Matt Murdock-turned-vigilante Daredevil - with a return of his nemesis Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio, Homicide: Life on the Streets) and Punisher (Jon Bernthal, The Bear). This has already been renewed for a second season, suggesting that Netflix (Daredevil's previous streaming landlord) and Disney can make it possible for Netflix/Marvel characters Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage to make appearances in the series. Yes, everything comes down to licensing which is sad because that's not the kind of lawyer Matt Murdock is. Trailer here.
Netflix / With Love, Meghan, S1 (reality). Suits star turned duchess Meghan Markle brings her vision board to life in this beautifully shot series documenting her lifestyle. Trailer here.
And that's it for the week!
Enjoy this gif of an absolute metronome of a good boi.
Moira