What to Watch - September 22, 2021
In which I'm anxiously waiting to watch a certain 'unfilmable' adaptation...
Quieter week but marked by a major release by Apple TV+ (and a disaster on NBC). And with that, let’s get to it!
Wednesday - September 22
ABC / The Wonder Years, S1. Lee Daniels (Lee Daniels' The Butler) is behind this reboot of the hit late-80's sitcom about growing up in the late '60's. This time, the show focuses on a Black family in Montgomery, Alabama, with Don Cheadle (Black Monday) as the narrator and Dulé Hill (Psych) as the exasperated dad. Trailer here.
Disney+ / Star Wars: Visions (miniseries). Disney asked seven anime artists to take a stab at animating certain recent iconic stories in the Star Wars universe and the result looks gorgeous. Features English-language voice work by Lucy Liu (Elementary), David Barbour (Black Widow), Alison Brie (Mad Men), and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Mr. Corman). More info here. Trailer here.
Netflix / Intrusion (movie). Frieda Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) stars in this paint-by-numbers home-invasion thriller. Trailer here.
Fox / Alter Ego, S1 (reality). Singing contestants perform while cloaked as virtual avatars including one glorious soul who competes as a fly in a glass of Chardonnay, clearly trying to inveigle a certain Alanis Morissette who is one of the judges.
Netflix / Jaguar (movie). A Holocaust survivor in 1960's Spain joins a group of spies whose mission is to track down Nazis who have fled Germany. Trailer here.
Netflix / Confessions of an Invisible Girl (movie). A clever girl lacks confidence and her social standing at her new school isn't helped by the queen bee who's taken a disliking to her. Trailer here.
Returning - NBC, Chicago Fire/Med/P.D; ABC, A Million Little Things, The Conners, The Goldbergs, and Home Economics; CBS, Survivor (two-hour premiere)
Thursday - September 23
HBO Max / Doom Patrol, S3. Notable return. Brendan Fraser, who is experiencing a much-deserved Brendanaissance, stars in this DC Comics series about a bunch of misfits who are definitely super but maybe not so heroic. Come for Fraser, sure, but please stay for Diane Guerrero (Jane the Virgin) who nearly matches Orphan Black's Tatiana Maslany in her ability to portray multiple characters (really). Also stars Matt Bomer (Magic Mike), Timothy Dalton (Flash Gordon), and Alan Tudyk (Resident Alien).
CBS / Kenny Rogers: All in for the Gambler (music special). Shot way back in the Before Times, this 2017 concert features the country music legend (who passed in 2020) performing with guests Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Lionel Ritchie, and Chris Stapleton.
Returning - NBC, Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime; Peacock, Code 404; Shudder, Creepshow
Friday - September 24
Apple TV+ / Foundation, S1. Isaac Asimov's beloved sci-fi trilogy has been deemed a classic but an unfilmable one thanks to its century-spanning, galaxy-traversing scope. And yet. Early reviews of showrunner David S. Goyer's ambitious adaptation are positive, praising the smart casting and thoughtful choices including Goyer's decision to switch certain key male characters into female ones(a decision that Asimov's heirs strongly approved of). The cast includes Jared Harris (Chernobyl) and Lee Pace (Halt & Catch Fire) - which for some may be enough to make this worth checking out. Trailer here.
Netflix / Midnight Mass (miniseries). From Mike Flanagan, the showrunner behind The Haunting of Hill House, comes this thriller set on an island and centered on a mysterious priest played by Hamish Linklater (The New Adventures of Old Christine). Reviews are positive, describing the seven-episode series as an exploration of organized religion, specifically Catholicism.
Netflix / The Starling (movie). Melissa McCarthy (Nine Perfect Strangers) stars as a woman who turns to gardening after a family tragedy, only to be thwarted by a pugnacious bird at every turn. Featuring a strong cast that includes Kevin Kline (French Kiss), Timothy Olyphant (Deadwood), and Chris O'Dowd (Juliet, Naked), the film nonetheless suffered fairly scathing reviews when it premiered at TIFF earlier this year... and continued to get scathing reviews when it was made available later this year, one calling it 'a treacly, sugar-substitute journey, with a manufactured, unearned conclusion.' Wait, is it annual review season already? Trailer here.
Showtime / The Show (documentary). This doc explores one of the most watched 12 minutes in humanity - the Super Bowl halftime show - and all the preparation that goes into it. Features last year's star, The Weeknd.
Apple TV+ / Wolfboy and the Everything Factory, S1 (animated). Exec produced by Mr. Corman's Joseph Gordon-Levitt, this children's series feels like a mix between Adventure Time and Infinity Train with a bit of Steven Universe thrown in for good luck. Trailer here.
Returning - Netflix, The Great British Baking Show; Prime Video, Goliath
Sunday - September 26
Starz / BMF, S1. Produced by 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson), this '80s era drama was originally named Black Mafia Family and is based on the true story of Detroit-born brothers Demetrius 'Big Meech' Flenory and Terry Flenory who became the city's biggest drug dealers, eventually expanding nationally and selling three tons of drugs every month before they were thrown in prison. Reviews are positive, praising the breakout performances of the two young leads, including Demetrius Flenory, Jr., who follows Mario Van Peebles (Badaasssss!) and O'Shea Jackson, Jr. (Straight Outta Compton) as a son successfully portraying his own father. Also stars Russell Hornsby (The Hate U Give).
HBO Max / Nuclear Family (docuseries). This well-reviewed three-part documentary by Ry Russo-Young gets personal as Ry interviews her parents - both women - and the extraordinary steps they took to create their family and the paternity suit that nearly tore them apart. Trailer here.
Paramount+ / The 74th Annual Tony Awards (special) and Broadway's Back (special). This Paramount+-exclusive ceremony is hosted by Audra McDonald and will be followed by Broadway's Back, available on CBS.
Returning - Fox, Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, The Simpsons, and The Great North; ABC, The Rookie
Monday - September 27
Returning - ABC, The Good Doctor; Acorn TV, Midsomer Murders
Tuesday - September 28
NBC / La Brea, S1. A massive sinkhole opens up under LA, plunging people, buildings, cars, and, one assumes, a number of pitches for reality shows involving Chardonnay and houseflies. Trailer here but first five minutes of the series can be found here. Stars Natalie Zea (The Unicorn) and Jon Seda (Chicago P.D.).
Netflix / Attack of the Hollywood Clichés (special). Rob Lowe (St. Elmo's Fire) hosts this clip show produced by Black Mirror's Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones that examines the entertainment industry's over reliance on certain tropes like 'Walking Away from an Explosion' and 'Stuff Going Down at the La Brea Tar Pits in the First Act of a Disaster Movie or TV Show.'
In Other News...
Netflix and Apple TV+ emerged as the big winners at Sunday's Emmy Awards ceremony with Netflix winning the most Emmys ever for a single platform - 44, including 11 for The Crown alone - while Apple took home 10 Emmys including seven for Ted Lasso. Notably, when RuPaul won his 11th Emmy that night, he became the most awarded Black artist in the award's history. Full list of award winners here. || David Simon (The Wire) pulled his upcoming HBO series from being filmed in Texas due to the state's abortion law, stating that he 'can’t and won’t ask female cast/crew to forgo civil liberties to film there.' || In sad news, Sex and the City star Willie Garson passed away this week from cancer. He was 57. || The BBC does a deep dive into how Apple TV+ brought Foundation to the screen. || In notable casting/yes-I-will-watch-this news, Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision) is slated to play Joan Rivers in an upcoming limited series on Showtime. || The Hollywood Reporter does an in-depth interview with Jon Stewart about his upcoming series on Apple TV+, The Problem with Jon Stewart. || Netflix acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company and plans a Wonkaverse of content around the prolific author's stories, with $1 billion already earmarked for production. Somewhere, Veruca Salt is delighted. || Channel 4 has announced the third season of its hit Derry Girls will be its last. || Disney's CEO discussed the possibility of adding commercials to Disney+. || And finally, before he won an Emmy for Ted Lasso, Bill Lawrence shared proof that Hannah Waddingham did her own singing in that Christmas episode - with a very special guest on the bass.
And that's it - have a great rest of the week! While you (probably) didn't win an Emmy on Sunday, never forget: you're still a winner!
Moira