What to watch, and more! Friday, Jan. 16 – Thursday, Jan. 22
A landmark Mel Brooks birthday, celebrating Black movies and TV & HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ spinoff
HBO Max celebrates Mel Brooks turning 99!
Friday, Jan. 16
How to Lose a Popularity Contest
New comedy for young adults about a charming underachiever and a type-A overachiever teaming up to win student body president…and perhaps more. Starring Chase Hudson and Sara Weisglass (Tubi).
The Nowhere Man
Six-part drama series—unrelated to The Beatles’ song—about an ex-mercenary drawn back into a world of violence after witnessing a home invasion. With Bonko Khoza and Naturi Naughton-Lewis (Starz).
Saturday, Jan. 17
I Am Mary Jo Buttafuoco
The wife of the convicted child rapist tells her own story, for the first time, three decades after she was thrust into the spotlight when her husband tried to kill her (8 p.m., Lifetime).
“One Battle After Another”
Celebration of Black Cinema & Television
Spike Lee, David Alan Grier and One Battle After Another stars Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti and Regina Hall will be among the honorees in this ceremony held at Fairmont Century Plaza in Hollywood (streaming on Starz).
SUNDAY, Jan. 18
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
New half-hour drama series—related to the realm of Game of Thrones—follows two unlikely Westeros heroes, a tall young knight (Ser Duncan) and his diminutive squire (Daniel Ings) (10 p.m., HBO).
The Hillside Strangler
Doc about 1970s Los Angeles serial killer known for striking without warning, abducting, raping and murdering a dozen women and leaving their bodies displayed on hillsides like gruesome trophies (9 p.m., MGM+).
MONDAY, Jan. 19
Alma’s Way
Emmy-nominated kids show kicks off its new season with a spotlight on Black cowboy culture, the self-expression of hair and quintessential New York City eats (check local listings, PBS Kids).
Hoops, Hopes & Dreams
Animation brings to life the untold story about how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a team of civil rights activists took to basketball courts to connect with young voters (Hulu).
TUESDAY, Jan. 20
Breaking the Deadlock
Eight-episode series asks when it comes to your health and your body, who knows best: You, your doctor, or the government? (9 p.m., PBS).
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 21
Steal
Sophie Turner from Game of Thrones stars in this action thriller (above) about the heist of the century, and an ordinary office worker who finds herself in the middle of it (Prime).
Drops of God
The International Emmy-winning multilingual drama series begins season two tonight, about lead characters (Fleur Geffrier and Tomohisa Yamashita) continuing their quest to uncover the origin of the world’s greatest wine (Apple TV).
THURSDAY, Jan. 22
The Curse
Two sisters plagued by misfortune discover they’re victims of a family curse, embarking on a comical quest to end it in this Polish feature film (Viaplay).
Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man
Two-part documentary on the filmmaker comedy genius behind Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Spaceballs and Robin Hood: Men in Tights. The title comes from one of his earliest comedy routines (HBO Max).
READ ALL ABOUT IT
Take a wondrous plunge beneath the waves in Ocean: From the Shore to the Abyss, marine biologist Asha de Vos’ amazing visual project celebrating the diversity of life in the sea. It’s full of pics of marine life of all sorts, at various depths, from jellyfish to gigantic squids, plus graphs and charts with insights into ocean science, whale communication, underseas volcanoes and even the history of scuba diving.
Meet renowned Japanese architecture master Fumihiko Maki in Maki Opus and see some 60 buildings he’s made (from the 1960s onward) in Japan and around the world. It’s a visual chronicle of his understanding of how people use and experience structures, his use of materials and the changes in building technology over the years.
BRING IT HOME
Zip back to a ‘60s Saturday morning with Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har: The Complete Series (AV Entertainment), with all the merry misadventures of a happy-go-lucky lion and his pessimistic hyena sidekick (voiced by the era’s king of cartoon voices, Mel Blanc). Order at https://www.moviezyng.com/lippy-the-lion-and-hardy-har-har-the-complete-series-bluray-blu-ray-daws-butler/840418339619
Look out below! Falling Skies (AV Entertainment), the hit TV series about the aftermath and survivors of an alien invasion, is now assembled in a cool box set. Falling Skies: The Complete Series is a 10-disc set with all the episodes of the TNT post-apocalyptic drama starring Noah Wylie and co-produced by Steven Spielberg. (Order at https://www.moviezyng.com/falling-skies-the-complete-series-bluray-blu-ray-noah-wyle/883929844791).
Meet the sexpot photographer whose work fed America’s growing appetite for “girlie magazines” in the 1950s in Naked Ambition (Bright Iris/Music Box Films). It’s a documentary about Bunny Yeager, whose groundbreaking lens work helped pinup queen Bettie Page go mainstream, popularized the bikini, most likely invented the selfie, and influenced Hugh Hefner in shaping Playboy magazine.
The Media Tourist 