What to watch, and more! Week of May 8 – 14
Sally Field and an octopus, Johnny Knoxville brings the fear & a new ‘Amadeus’
FRIDAY, May 8
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Sally Field, Lewis Pullman and an octopus (yes, you read that right) star in this adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt’s mystery drama, above (Netflix).
Amadeus
Will Sharpe stars as Mozart, and Paul Bethany as his jealous rival Salieri, in this new adaptation of the play that was previously made into a hit movie in 1984 (Starz).
SATURDAY, May 9
K-Everything
Daniel Dae-Kim explores the cultural impact of Korea’s explosive global influence (CNN).
SUNDAY, May 10
America’s Funniest Home Videos
Ten of the season’s biggest winners vie for a $100,000 cash prize. Hilarious highlights include birthday blunders, summer snafus and kids saying the silliest things (7 p.m., ABC).
Mothers’ Day Marathon
Celebrate with mom-centric programming, including hand-picked episodes of Friends and Modern Family (begins 8:30 a.m., TBS)
MONDAY, May 11
BBQ Brawl
If you love ‘cue, you’ll dig digging into the new season of the team competition to find the ultimate pitmaster, hosted by Bobby Flay, Maneet Chauhan and Brooke Williamson (9 p.m., Food Network).
TUESDAY, May 12
Squatters
Homeowner-rights advocate Flash Shelton and his team take on high-stakes missions to run squatters out of their roosts and help property owners reclaim their homes (10 p.m., A&E).
Chopped Castaways
Twelve elite chefs are “stranded” on a remote island in this new food competition series, where their culinary talents must align with basis survival skills (9 p.m., Food Network).
WEDNESDAY, May 13
Off Campus
College-based soap based on the bestselling book series by Elle Kennedy follows the “opposites attract” romance of an elite ice hockey star and a quiet songwriter, starring Ella Bright and Belmont Cameli, above (Prime Video).
Mistakes That Made America
Host Michael McBride explores the unexpected accidents, mishaps, and misunderstandings that ended up changing the course of American culture (on History’s YouTube channel and available on history.com).
THURSDAY, May 14
Fear Factor: 48 Hours of Fear
Johnny Knoxville (above) is the ringleader as six contestants compete in epic challenges testing their endurance, with one critical catch: no sleeping! (9 p.m., Fox)!
Nemesis
What happens when an unstoppable force (an expert criminal) meets an immovable object (a brilliant police detective)? Find out in this new series starring Matthew Law and Y’lan Noel (Netflix).
READ ALL ABOUT IT
Trees: A Rooted History (Abrams Books) is an illustrated tree-riffic treasury of just about everything related to trees, from the many ways the benefit our world to their roles in lore and legend, and their vital importance to our global ecosystem.
Launch your imagination into orbit with Space Journal: Art, Space & Cosmic Inspiration (Thames & Hudson), which weaves together memorabilia, revolutionary experiments and spectacular scenes to celebrate space exploration through the imagination of great dreamers—artists, photographers, filmmakers, rocketeers, astronauts, cosmonauts and scientists—across the centuries.
How did “soap operas” get to be such a pop-cultural touchstone? In Love in the Afternoon, and Evening (W.W. Norton), authors Charlotte Druckman and Mayukh Sen dig into the roots, and the reach, of so-called daytime dramas, the “art” of TV storytelling, and why soaps so often aren’t taken seriously.
Shutterbugs, you’ll love Brooke DiDonato: Take a Picture, It Will Last Longer (Thames & Hudson), packed with beguiling pics by the highly creative photographer who loved looking at “normal” things through a lens of the fantastical and surreal—like a bouquet of flowers overflowing from a toilet, a nude body covered in books on a fireplace mantle, or a woman balancing brooms on her neck.
NOW HEAR THIS
Get down with your bad self, and get watching Soul To Soul (MVD Entertainment Group), a new DVD of the 1971 cross-cultural concert film—recorded in South Africa—featuring Wilson Pickett, Santana, Ike & Tina Turner, the Staple Singers and more.
The totally rockin’ reissue of 1972’s The J. Geils Band “Live” Full House (Rhino) reminds me of how much I loved hearing front man Peter Wolfe and crew tear through high-energy rave-ups like “First I Look at the Purse,” “Whammer Jammer” and “Lookin’ for a Love.” With new liner notes from Wolf, and pressed on 180-gram vinyl, it’s a whammer jammer, indeed!
The Media Tourist 