The Media Tourist

Sept. 20 – Sept. 26

Meet the new ‘Matlock,’ Shania Twain gives ‘People’ what they want & Demi Moore quests for the fountain of youth

Kathy Bates stars in TV’s reboot of ‘Matlock.’

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Sept. 20
La Maison
Brush up your Francais for this contemporary French-language fashion drama set in the cutthroat world of opulent Parisian elegance (Apple TV+)

The Substance
Demi Moore and Dennis Quaid star in this wickedly ruthless satire about a mysterious injection that gives a past-her-prime TV personality a new shot of youth. But she soon finds out the miracle “substance” has a steep downside (Mubi).

SATURDAY, Sept. 21
Buried Alive and Survived
Can you guess what this movie’s about? If you said a woman who miraculously survives being buried alive (by her ex-), you’re right! (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, Sept. 22
Rescue: Hi-Surf
The surf’s up indeed in this new lifeguard drama (above) set in Hawaii—like Baywatch in O’ahu!—partnered with the United States Lifesaving Association (on Fox, following the NFL double-header).

Matlock
Kathy Bates steps into Andy Griffith’s shoes in this reboot about a brilliant septuagenarian who joins a law firm and uses her common sense, calm demeanor and unassuming wiles to crack cases and expose corruption (8 p.m., CBS).

MONDAY, Sept. 23
Brilliant Minds
Zachary Quinto stars in this new drama series as a larger-than-life neurologist exploring the uncharted frontier of mental health with his team (10 p.m., NBC).

TUESDAY, Sept. 24
Out There: Crimes of the Paranormal
Find out about true cases involving shocking encounters with the paranormal—like a young boy who disappears forever in the Smoky Mountains after being snatched by a mysterious ape-like beast (Hulu).

Fly
What’s it like to soar like a gravity-defying flying squirrel? This doc about daredevil base-jumper couples will jangle your nerves! (National Geographic).

We Will Dance Again
Survivors recount their struggle to stay alive during last year’s Hamas terror attack on the Nova Music Festival, which became the staging ground for the deadliest attack in Israel’s history (Paramount+).

WEDNESDAY, Sept 25
Chicago Fire
It’s season 12 and things are again heating up in the Windy City, where the firefighters and paramedics of Firehouse 51 continue to risk their lives to save others. With Taylor Kinney, David Eigenberg and Miranda Rae Mayo (NBC).

Grotesquerie
Niecy Nash-Betts (above), Lesley Manville and Courtney B. Vance star in this new horror drama series from creator Ryan Murphy about a series about a small community teetering on the brink of unfathomable evil (10 p.m., FX).

The Masked Singer
Who are the stars underneath the goofy costumes? Join the panel of celebrity judges and out tonight with the all-new season of the hit series hosted by Nick Cannon. And be watchful: Clues are everywhere! (8 p.m., Fox).

THURSDAY, Sept. 26
Dr. Odyssey
Joshua Jackson, Don Johnson and Phlllipa Soo star in this new Ryan Murphy-produced series (above) about the high-stakes, high-seas adventures of an onboard doctor for a luxury cruise line. Think Love Boat, but serious-er (9 p.m., ABC).

Killer Heat
Classic noir-style mystery thriller stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a hard-boiled private eye and Shailene Woodley as the sister-in-law of a dead guy who doesn’t believe the police report about how he died (Prime).

People’s Choice Country Awards
Shania Twain hosts this two-hour live special all-star event—a country music extension of the fan-voted People’s Choice Awards—from the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, recognizing artists in various categories and configurations (NBC, 8 p.m.)

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Beatles fans will flip their wigs with Mind Games (Thames & Hudson), the new definitive exploration of the making of the late John Lennon’s 1973 musical-masterpiece album. With reproductions of handwritten lyrics, letters, artwork and more, it’s a deep dive into the post-Beatles world of Lennon and his collaborator/soul mate/wife Yoko Ono, shedding new light onto the apex of their period of transformation and musical experimentation. 

Like to talk sports? Like to argue sports? Well, in Got Your Answers: The 100 Greatest Sports Arguments—Settled (Hyperion Ave.), authors Mike Greenberg and Paul Hembekides break down such often-debated topics as the top five college football rivalries, the best pitch in baseball history, the NFL’s top 10 most lopsided trades, the top seven Game 7 World Series matchups, and much more. Put on your favorite team jersey and dig in!

Where’s the fire? In The Burning Earth: A History (W.W. Norton), author Sunil Amrith examines how the world has been shaped and reshaped by humanity’s pursuit of fossil fuels, the turmoil of war, population growth and the all-around exploitation of rivers, seas, forests and animals. Not exactly a sweet bedtime story, but nonetheless a riveting, vital read about the misdeeds we’ve done to the place we call home—most of them, ironically, done in the march toward “a better life.” 

Why does it take the future so long to get here? We’ve been dreaming about flying cars ever since The Jetsons, so what’s the holdup? In The Long History of the Future (Bloomsbury), author Nicole Kobie takes a look at why technology—despite its remarkable strides—always seems to lag behind our dreams. And why we may have artificial hearts, escalators and self-driving cars, but Rosie the Robot still hasn’t arrived to make housework any easier yet!

One of the big Christmas movies this year will the theatrical version of the long-running Broadway hit Wicked. Now you can own all four of the Gregory Maguire novels on which the play (and movie) is based, about the “backstory” of the witches in The Wizard of Oz, in the new box set The Wicked Years (Harper Collins). It’s a perfect gift for all your Wicked friends!

In The Road is Good (Viking), Emmy-winning actress Uzo Aduba (from Orange is the New Black) tells her own compelling story—of the support of her Nigerian mother, her experience of being Black and immigrating to America, her growing career and her newest role as a mom.

BRING IT HOME

A sexy, steamy classic, Body Double, is newly repackaged as a deluxe 4K set in honor of its 40^th anniversary, with loads of extras. Director Brian De Palma’s 1984 neo-noir erotic thriller starring Melanie Griffith, Gregg Henry and Craig Wesson was a commercial flop. But it gained a cult following later for its stylish cinematic allusions to Hitchcock’s Rear Window, Vertigo and Dial M for Murder (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment).

Those little minions are at it again in Despicable Me 4 (Universal Home Entertainment), the latest subversively witty, action-packed animated comedy about the now-reformed supervillain Gru (voiced by Steve Carrell), who finds himself on the run when he and his family get in the crosshairs of a new nemesis. Listen closely and you’ll also hear the voices of Kristen Wiig, Will Ferrell, Sofia Vergara, Stephen Colbert and Miranda Cosgrove.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is the latest of director George Miller’s acclaimed post-apocalyptic, diesel-punk-spectacular action-epic franchise, and it’s joined in a splendid new Mad Max 5-Film 4K Collector’s Edition boxed-set (Warner Bros. Home Entertainent) with its four predecessors—Mad Max(1979), Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981), Max Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) and Mad Max: Fury Road (2024). If you’re a Mad Max fan, it’s the maximum Max you can get in one place!