Category Archives: DVDs

Mar 14 2025
Leave a comment
DVDs, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch (and more!) the week of March 14 – March 20

An Opry milestone, a ‘Ludwig’ who’s not Beethoven & Dennis Quaid puts on a “Happy Face”

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, March 14
Dope Thief
Brian Tyree Henry stars in the new eight-episode series about two longtime Philly delinquents who pose as DEA agents to rob a house, only to have their small-time grift become a life-or-death enterprise (Apple TV+).

SATURDAY, March 15
Taken at a Basketball Game
Can you guess what this new Lifetime movie’s about? If you guessed “A girl gets abducted at a basketball game,” you’re right! Starring D.B. Woodside and Claire Qute (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, March 16
Malawi Wildlife Rescue: Crocodile Capers
In tonight’s episode, the team calms restless primates at the rescue centre and says goodbye to a rescued crocodile (10 p.m., NatGeo Wild).

MONDAY, March 17
The Calling: A Medical School Journey
Documentary follows med students in the Bronx, capturing the experience of what it’s like to be an aspiring doctor in one of the nation’s most underserved communities (10 p.m., PBS).

A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read
Did she kill her cop boyfriend and dump his body on a cold Boston night in January? Investigators thought so. But her 2024 trial created a lasting swirl of questions over what really happened, including a defense argument that something even more nefarious was at play (9 p.m., ID).

TUESDAY, March 18
The Class
Dramatic six-part series, filmed over the course of the 2020-21 school year, follows a class of seniors and their teacher in Antioch, Calif., as they confront an unprecedented moment in modern time—the COVID-19 pandemic (check local listings, PBS). 

WEDNESDAY, March 19
Good American Family
It had to happen. Netflix’s wild-tale documentary about Nathalia Grace was so popular it spawned two follow-ups and has now inspired this TV drama series (above), about how an adopted orphan girl born with a rare form of dwarfism upended her adoptive family—just like the real story! It stars Ellen Pompeo, Mark Duplass and Imogene Reid (Hulu).

Opry 100
Country music’s most venerated institution celebrates a century of music and stars with this live three-hour TV special hosted by Blake Shelton and featuring Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Carrie Underwood, Marty Stuart, Reba McEntire, Jelly Roll and many more of today’s Nashville stars (8 p.m., NBC).

THURSDAY, March 20
Ludwig
No, not Beethoven. This British brain twister is about a puzzle maker (David Mitchell) who takes on the identity of his disappeared brother, calling on his expertise in all things cryptic to get to the bottom of what happened (BritBox).

The Residence
New Shondaland drama about a (fictional) murder scandal involving the staff of the White House. Starring Uzo Abuda, Giancarlo Esposito, Ken Marino, Jason Lee, Molly Griggs and Bronson Pinchot (Netflix).

Happy Face
Dennis Quaid (above) and Annaleigh Ashford star in this new drama series based on the true story of a podcaster who discovers that her father was a prolific serial killer (Paramount+).

Farmer Wants a Wife
A third season of hunky hayseeds hankering for love and lifemates, this time hosted by Kimberly Williams-Paisley (9 p.m., Fox).

BRING IT HOME

Horror fans will howl with hairy delight at the latest take on The Wolf Man (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment), which stars Julia Garner and Christopher Abbott in a modern take on the classic tale from the re-makers of another classic, The Invisible Man. Bonus features includes a doc on the look of the new wolf man, as filmmakers set out to design a beast unlike any seen before.

Guess what’s turning 50? The outrageously entertaining “rock opera” Tommy, which became a cult classic—about “a deaf, dumb blind kid” who became a pinball wizard—after its theatrical release in 1975. The all-star cast includes The Who’s Roger Daltry, plus Jack Nicholson, Ann-Margaret, drummer Keith Moon, Elton John, Tina Turner and Oliver Reed. It’s a trip! (Shout! Studios)

Now fans of TV’s hit Emmy-winning series Shameless can own it all—134 episodes from 11 seasons and with a dynamic ensemble cast headed by William H. Macy, Jeremy Allen White and Cameron Monaghan—on Shameless: The Complete Series (Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment). And it’s “shameless” how many extras and bonus features you’ll get, too!

Feb 28 2025
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Feb. 28 – March 6

Hollywood biggest night, a murderous gigolo & Kevin Hart goes to ‘toon town

Will Conclave, Wicked or The Substance take home the night’s big Oscars?

FRIDAY, Feb. 28
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Guy Fieri loads up on barbecue, turkey legs and brisket fries on a trip to Memphis before heading to New York and blueberry pierogies, meatballs and cheddar chicken (9 p.m., Food Network).

Why You Like It: Decoding Musical Tastes
Composer and musicologist Dr. Nolan Gasser explores the science and culture behind our musical preferences (check local listings, PBS).

SATURDAY, March 1
Killing the Competition
Melissa Joan Hart stars in this new network movie inspired by the real-life story of a mother who turns to kidnapping when her daughter is cut from her high school dance team (Lifetime).

Million Dollar Zombie Flips
House flippers fix up dilapidated homes in the Seattle area, turning them into mansions (11 a.m., A&E).

SUNDAY, March 2
The Oscars
Conan O’Brien hosts, and we’ll see who comes out on top among top contenders including Emelia Peréz, The Brutalist, Conclave, Anora, A Complete Unknown and Wicked. And Karla Sofia Gascòn has already made history as the first openly trans woman to be nominated for Best Actress. But can she win after her “mean tweets” on social media?  (7 p.m., ABC).

Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue
Eric McCormack, Lydia Wilson and Adam Long are among the cast in this thriller series about survivors of a plane crash in the Mexican jungle who later begin to die in strange and violent ways. Ten passports, nine bodies, one deadly secret. (9 p.m., MGM+).

MONDAY, March 3
Recipes for Love and Murder
In the new season of the culinary murder mystery (above), a massive fire engulfs the small town of Eden, and a fateful chain of events brings together the lead characters in a multiple homidide investigation that uncovers the town’s darkest secrets (Acorn TV).

Celtic City
Nine-part documentary series chronicles the Boston Celtics, the city’s winningest sports franchise, from its founding to its triumphant 2024 season (HBO Sports).

Sin City Gigolo: A Murder in Las Vegas
Docuseries (above) about the investigation of a former cast member of the TV reality show Gigolos, who was arrested for killing a young woman in his home in a bloody tangle of sex work, fame and the lure of “Sin City” (Paramount+).

TUESDAY, March 4
The Rare Breed
No, it’s not the English Foxhound. Rather, it’s this rugged 1966 Western starring James Stewart, Maureen O’Hara and Brian Keith—a rather unlikely combo of stars from It’s a Wonderful Life, The Parent Trap and TV’s Family Affair, in a tale that mixes bull breeding, greedy criminals and untamed Texas (8:45 p.m., TCM).

WEDNESDAY, March 5
The Amazing Race
On your mark, get set…go! Go to the couch, that is, to watch as the 37th race in the hit TV competition begins tonight with a group of 14 new teams (above) kicking off their global trek in Japan (9:30 p.m., CBS).

THURSDAY, March 6
Deli Boys
Comedy about a pair of Pakistani-American brothers who uncover the secret life of their late convenience-store magnate father (Hulu).

Lil Kev
Adult animated comedy was inspired by Kevin Hart’s childhood in Philadelphia, with voices by Hart, Wanda Sykes and Deon Cole (BET+).

NOW HEAR THIS

The iconic 1986 Bon Jovi album Slippery When Wet, which catapulted the group into the rock mainstream and sold more than 12 million copies, has been re-released on multiple formats—including one with heavy-duty vinyl encasing a blue liquid…which looks slippery ‘n’ wet indeed! Hear classic hits (“You Give Love a Bad Name,” “Wanted Dead or Alive,” “Lilvin’ on a Prayer”), plus newly added bonus features on the digital edition, including live tracks from the group’s 1987 tour.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

What do termite mounds, dolphins, rainbows, carnivals, the Roman poet Ovid, our sense of balance, caves and animal feces all have in common? They’re all in Phenomena: An Infographic Guide to Almost Everything (Thames & Hudson), an engrossing collection of charts, graphics and other “visualized” information. Dig in and prepare to be well-informed!

BRING IT HOME

When Santa (J.K. Simmons) is kidnapped from the North Pole, his beefy head of security (Dwayne Johnson) springs into action with the help of a wisecracking bounty hunter (Chris Evans) to bring him home and save Christmas. It’s merry mayhem in Red One (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), with appearances by Lucy Liu, Bonnie Hunt and Nick Kroll.

Feb 21 2025
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, History, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Feb. 21 – Feb. 27

A ‘Star Wars’ marathon, Tom Hanks the all-American & the king of Israel is in da ‘House’!

The ‘Saving Private Ryan’ star narrates a 10-part doc about the Americas.

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Feb. 21
Surface
In season two of the psychological thriller, Gugu Mbatha-Raw returns to the starring role as a young London woman who’s lost her memory and trying to piece her life back together—and realizing she’s in the company of some very dangerous people (Apple TV+).

A Thousand Blows
The latest from the creator of Peaky Blinders, this new series (below) set in the brutal world of illegal boxing was inspired by true-life tales of survival in the criminal underbelly of 1880s Victorian London (Hulu).  

SATURDAY, Feb. 22
Abducted in the Everglades
Tori Spelling stars in this lurid TV movie as a mom searching for her daughter that goes missing on a spring break trip in Miami (8 p.m., Lifetime).

Star Wars Marathon
Strap in and make the jump to hyperspace with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker (begins 1:45 p.m., TBS).

SUNDAY, Feb. 23
The Americas
Sprawling ten-part nature documentary series about our “supercontinent” of North and South America, narrated by Tom Hanks, was five years in the making—and you can see why! (NBC and BBC). 

Grosse Point Garden Society
Members of a suburban garden club find their lives interwoven by scandal, mischief and a scared secret. New series stars AnnaSopha Robb, Ben Rappapport and Nancy Travis (10 p.m., NBC).

MONDAY, Feb. 24
Beyond the Gates
New daytime drama is set in a leafy Maryland suburb, one of the most affluent Black counties in America (and just beyond the gates of the White House). Starring Michelle Visage, Clifton Davis and Daphne Duplaix (2 p.m., CBS).

Bike Vessel
After several heath crises, a 70-year-old man embarks on a transformative long-distance cycling trip with his son in this moving documentary (Independent Lens).

TUESDAY, Feb. 25
Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP
Meet the longtime leader of the NAACP and one of the most influential—but least known—figures in civil rights history (9 p.m., PBS).

Eyes on the Prize III: We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest 1977-2015
Six-part anthology illuminates the bold stories of people and communities who continue to work for equality and racial justice in the decades following the American civil rights movement (HBO).

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 26
Baltimore’s Bridge Collapse
Find out more about the 2024 disaster when a massive container ship plowed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, killing six highway workers. Are other bridges at risk of the same thing? (9 p.m., PBS).

THURSDAY, Feb. 27
The House of David
New series based on the biblical story of David (Michael Iskander) and how he eventually became the most celebrated and storied king of Israel (Prime Video).

The Case of Iwona Wieczorek
This gripping docuseries delves into one of the best-known disappearances in recent Polish history, about a 19-year-old high school graduate who vanished on the way home from a party (Viaplay).

READ ALL ABOUT

The British ‘rock scene comes alive in Dennis Morris: Music + Life (Thames & Hudson), a handsome retrospective of the lauded rock photographer’s exploration of music, race, culture and class, and his capture-the-moment lens work with Bob Marley, Oasis, The Sex Pistols, The Pretenders, LL Cool J, Oasis, Grace Jones, Patti Smith, Marianne Faithful and other British celebs.

Baseball season only lasts about half a year, but A Baseball Book of Days (McFarland) by Phil Coffin stretches out the saga of the game through an entire year—a chronically arranged compendium of trivia, facts, record-setting achievements, firsts, onlys and what-might-have-beens made to last from January thru December. It’s a grand slam of goodies for baseball fans of any stripe.

NOW HEAR THIS

Celebrated the 40th anniversary of David Lee Roth’s post-Van Halen debut as a solo act with The Warner Recordings 1985-1994 (Rhino), a splendid five-disc set with “Just a Gigilo,” “California Girls,” “Tobacco Road,” “Just Like Paradise” and much more music from Diamond Dave’s albums and EPs, including Crazy From the Heat, Eat ‘Em and Smile and Skyscraper.

BRING IT HOME

It brought home an armload of eight Oscars, and now you can see why all over again as Amadeus celebrates its 40th anniversary with a new 4K restoration. With star turns from F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulse (fresh outta Animal House!) as the young musical genius Wolfgang Mozart, and Jeffrey Jones (the principal from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off).

Tagged , , , , ,
Feb 14 2025
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, Humor, Movies, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Feb. 14 – Feb. 20

Valentine’s Day ‘toons, a Marvel marathon & the return of ‘The White Lotus’

Peter and Lois get frisky on a Valentine’s Day-themed ‘Family Guy.’

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Feb. 14
Valentine’s Day Marathon
Love is in the air, and on the screen, with back-to-back romantically themed episodes of King of the Hill, The Simpsons, Bob’s Burgers, Family Guy and Futurama (begins 9 a.m, FXX).

The Gorge
Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy star in this new thriller about an unseen enemy, a cataclysmic threat against humanity, and two sentries stationed on opposite sides of a massive gorge (Apple TV+).

SATURDAY, Feb. 15
Marvel Movie Marathon
After yesterday’s lovey-dovey, bulk up with some superhero action alongside Iron Man 3, Thor: Love and Thunder, Captain America: The First Avenger, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and more (7:30 am, continuing 8 a.m tomorrow, FX).

Cats, Cows and Cryptorchids
Dr. Cori gives a cow a pregnancy test, and her colleague Dr. Allison gets a lucky break. And, p.s., cryptorchids are undescended testicles (10 p.m., National Geographic).

SUNDAY, Feb. 16
Lockerbie: The Bombing of Pan Am 103
New four-part investigative series tracks the mysterious circumstances behind the bomb explosion of a Pan Am flight over Scotland in 1988, resulting in the deaths of 270 people, the majority of whom were Americans (9 p.m., CNN).

The White Lotus
The eight-episode third season of the twisty, Emmy-winning mystery drama from creator Mike White is this time set in an exclusive Thai resort, with a new cast that includes Carrie Coon, Leslie Bibb, Walton Goggins, Michelle Monaghan and Parker Posey (HBO).

MONDAY, Feb. 17
A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story
Lucy Boynton (above) stars in this four-part series about the last woman hanged in England, in 1955, exposing British obsessions of class, sex and death (Britbox).

On TV: A Black History Month Special
Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner, the first Black co-hosting team for Entertainment Tonight, host this look back at trailblazing Black TV actors and others forging new paths today (8 p.m., CBS).

TUESDAY, Feb. 18
We Beat the Dream Team
The little-known story of a group of college basketball players who beat the legendary “Dream Team” (Larry Byrd, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordon) in a 1992 scrimmage (Max).

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 19
Good Cop/Bad Cop
Leighton Meester, Luke Cook and Clancy Brown star in new comedic drama series about a brother/sister odd-couple detective team investigating crimes in the picturesque Pacific Northwest (9 p.m., The CW).

Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief
Discover the secret networks of curators and dealers who made fortunes from Nazi-looted art in the aftermath of WWII, perpetuating a decades-long war crime that’s never been fully revealed or resolved (10 p.m., PBS).

THURSDAY, Feb. 20
Memes and Nightmares
Satirical film framed as a dark “buddy comedy” dives into the culture of memes, viral moments and digital fandom that have turned college basketball into a 24/7 cultural phenomena (Hulu).

How I Escaped My Cult
New true-crime series kicks off with the tale of one young woman who recounts her horrific time as a sex slave for cult leader Tony Alamo, holding the keys to his eventual downfall (9 p.m., Freeform).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Who was Hollywood’s first stunt woman? It was Helen Gibson, the subject of Mally O’Mera’s richly detailed biography Daughter of Daring (Hanover Square), which spotlights the former rodeo rider’s rough and tumble life in the movies in the early 1900s—long before Tom Cruise began to brag about doing his own stunts!

BRING IT HOME

The age-old tale of Dracula gets a horrifying new life in Nosferatu (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment), about a vampire (Bill Skarsgård) obsessed with a young maiden (Lily-Rose Depp) in a deliciously dark, goth-drenched saga of blood, lust and unholy evil. Willem Dafoe is an equally obsessed vampire hunter, and Nicholas Hoult is a swoon-worthy young swain. It’s a top-notch take that gives an iconic horror story a fresh new set of fangs.

Jan 31 2025
Leave a comment
DVDs, Humor, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Jan. 31 – Feb. 6

Cruisin’ with Guy, Superbowl commercials & Amy Schumer’s baby bump

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Jan. 31
Guy’s Ultimate Family Cruise
Guy Fiero takes his family to the Caribbean in this new special celebrating his son’s high school graduation, diving into all sorts of food and adventure along the way (9 p.m., Food Network).

Vietnam: The War That Changed America
Six-part series narrated by actor Ethan Hawke commemorates the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the end of one of the most divisive military conflicts in American history (Apple TV+).

SATURDAY, Feb. 1
Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story
Biopic (starring Jearnest Corchado) all about the Puerto Rican teen who became a hit-making Latina artist with hits including “Can You Feel the Beat,” “All Cried Out” and “Lost in Emotion.” (8 p.m, Lifetime).

New York Homicide
Can’t get enough of the real-world nitty gritty? Well, here’s another show for you as a retired detective digs into season three of some of the worst murders in Big Apple history (9 p.m., Oxygen).

SUNDAY, Feb. 2
The Grammy Awards
Queen B (that’s Beyonce, in case you’ve been living in a hole), brings her all-time record number of Grammy noms to 99 with her nods in 11 categories for this year. But will her “Cowboy Carter” win for Album of Year, a top-line category that has thus far eluded her? Tune in to tonight’s live ceremony, hosted by Trevor Noah, to find out! (8 p.m., CBS).

Very Scary Lovers
Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg host this series examining some of the most diabolical, twisted and murderous relationships in modern history (10 p.m., ID).

MONDAY, Feb. 3
The Hunting Party
A small team of investigators track down and capture the country’s most dangerous killers in this new series (above) starring Melissa Roxburth and Nick Wechsler (10 p.m, NBC).

The Strike
How did a small hunger strike at California’s Pelican Bay Prison turn into a massive statewide protest? Find out in this probing documentary (Independent Lens and PBS apps).

TUESDAY, Feb. 4
Burden of Guilt
Docuseries follows a woman’s quest to solve the mystery of what really killed her four-month-old baby brother, 25 years ago (Paramount+).

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 5
Super Bowl Greatest Commercials
A lot of people watch the Super Bowl not for the football game, but for the big-budget TV spots in between. Tonight’s annual rundown, hosted by Nate Burleson and actress Daniela Ruah, features highlights from Super Bowls past (9 pm., ABC).

Wild Cards
More steam from the new season of this steamy drama about a hunky cop (Giacomo Bianniotti) and a sexy con woman (Vanessa Morgan), who find themselves deeper in lust…and trouble (8 p.m., The CW).

Kinda Pregnant
Amy Schumer is back on TV with this new movie comedy (above) as a woman who fakes a baby bump because she likes the attention it brings her…then meets the man of her dreams. With Jillian Bell, Will Forte and Damon Wayans (Netflix).

THURSDAY, Feb. 6
The Takedown: American Aryans
Four-part series takes viewers inside the cult-like world of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, an organized crime gang built on Nazism and extreme violence, from the late 2000s to the present (Max).

The Z-Suite
Lauren Graham from Gilmore Girls and Superstore’s Doug Garcia star in this new streaming series about an advertising maven and her right-hand man pushed into the irrelevant zone by a rising tide of Gen-Z employees on Madison Avenue (Tubi).

BRING IT HOME

Clint Eastwood directs the legal thriller Juror #2 (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), in which a family man (Nicholas Hoult) finds himself in a serious moral dilemma while serving on the jury of a high-profile murder trial. With Toni Collette, J.K. Simmons and Keifer Sutherland.

What’s big and green and now on Blu-ray? It’s Wicked (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment), the lavish big-screen treatment of the hit Broadway musical about the backstory of The Wizard of Oz. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are forces of nature as the two young women who’ll grow up to become Oz’s iconic witches, and Jeff Goldblum is the whiz of a wiz. Loaded with bonus features, too!

Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenburg (who also wrote and directed) are superb in A Real Pain (Searchlight), a drama with heart and rich humanity about two mismatched cousins on a tour through Poland honor their beloved grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. Bonus features on the Blu-ray include a making-of documentary. See why the film won an award at Sundance and was nominated for four Golden Globes.

For some bona fide funny business, get The Wayans Brothers: The Complete Series (Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment), available now for the first time on DVD. It’s got all five seasons of the iconic sitcom that ran on the WB network in the late ‘90s, about a pair of Harlem brothers, their friends and family. You’ll howl along with real-life brothers Shawn and Marlon Wayans, plus others, including John Witherspoon, Mitch Mullany and Ja’Net Dubois. The show was unceremoniously canceled in 1999 and never got a proper finale. Boo!!!!

Dec 06 2024
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Sports, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Dec. 6 – Dec. 12

Classic Christmas flicks, Simpsons football & Paris & Nicole go to the opera!

Reality TV stars Paris Hilton & Nicole Richie are back in a TV special.

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Dec. 6
The Sticky
Inspired by real events, this six-part heist comedy series stars Margo Martindale as a maple syrup farmer who turns to crime when the going gets…well, gummy. With Chris Diamantopoulos and Jamie Lee Curtis (Prime Video).

Paris Has Fallen
When a terrorist group attacks a high-profile Paris event in this eight-episode series, investigators discover someone hellbent on widespread vengeance (Hulu).

SATURDAY, Dec. 7
Home Alone
Would Christmas be as Christmas-sy without this 1990 classic, which made little McCauley Caulkin into everyone’s favorite pint-sized holiday prankster? Methinks not. And stick around: It’s followed by its sequel, Home Alone 2 (3:25 p.m., Freeform).

Merry ‘80s Marathon
Time travel back to a decade of yore with this slate of classics, including National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (above), Ghostbusters and The Great Outdoors (AMC).

SUNDAY, Dec. 8
Miss Scarlet
Victorian England’s first female detective (Kate Phillips from Peaky Blinders) gets a new start for the show’s fifth season with a new “boss” in Scotland Yard (PBS Masterpiece Prime).

The Equalizer
In tonight’s holiday-themed episode, “Slay Ride” (above), McCall, Dante and Miles find themselves held hostage in a hospital that’s been taken over by a cartel (8:30 p.m., CBS).

MONDAY, Dec. 9
The Simpsons Funday Football
Monday Night Football transforms in this TV special—using state-of-the-art 3D animation—into the world of TV’s most successful primetime family as the Cincinnati Bengals take on the Dallas Cowboys (8 p.m., ESPN, Disney+ and ABC).

The Real Full Monty
Anthony Anderson rallies his male celebrity friends in this TV event to drop trou, “bare it all” and raise awareness for prostate, testicular and colorectal cancer (8 p.m., Fox).

TUESDAY, Dec. 10
Dr. Suess How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Another modern-day Christmas classic, this 2000 remake of the animated 1960s classic was directed by Ron Howard (yes, that Ron Howard) and featured Jim Carrey as the Grinch. Watch for Christine Baranski, Jeffrey Tambor, Molly Shannon…and Howard’s younger brother, Clint (8.30 p.m., Freeform).

Nature of the Crime
Get an inside look at the working of the criminal justice system in this documentary, which follows two men convicted of murder when they were teens, their attorneys and their family members as they prepare for upcoming parole interviews and reflect on their crimes and rehabilitation (HBO).

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 11
A Motown Christmas
Smokey Robinson and Halle Bailey (above) host this all-star musical event with Gladys Knight, Martha Reeves, Andra Day, Pentatonix, Jamie Foxx, the cast of MJ the Musical and more, singing holiday favorites. Dig it! (9 p.m., NBC).12.12

Too Many Christmases
How can a couple spend Christmas with both their families in an attempt to please everyone? You’ll find out in this merry holiday dramady starring Denzel Whitaker and Porscha Coleman (Bet+).

Paris & Nicole: The Encore
Two decades after making the scene with their reality-TV series, heiresses Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie return with a new TV special, this time trying to produce an operetta. Yes, you read that correctly (Peacock).

NOW HEAR THIS

Get in the happy holiday mood with Hartfelt Family Christmas, the new CD from the country trio Chapel Hart (and also available on vinyl). The Mississippi-based vocal group—sisters Danica and Devynn Hart, plus cousin Trea Swindle—certainly know about family, and their first Christmas CD stirs up sweet and soulful memories with Yule classics (including “Silver Bells,” “Blue Christmas,” “O Holy Night” and “O Come All Ye Faithful”), well-chosen covers (Alabama’s “Christmas in Dixie,” Ray Charles’ “Spirit of Christmas”) and all-star guests including Vince Gill, Darius Rucker, Gretchen Wilson and T. Graham Brown. It’s an all-star Christmas get-together with “hart” and harmony. https://www.chapelhart.com/shop

BRING IT HOME

If you grew up in the early ‘80s, you no doubt remember Rock ‘N’ Roll High School, a rip-roaring B-movie about a rockin’ revolt at a high school, starring P.J. Soles (the “bad girl” from Halloween) and Clint Howard (Ron’s little brother) and featuring the music of The Ramones, who sing the theme song. The 1979 flick has been newly remastered for is 45th anniversary with a locker full of special content, including commentary, interviews and making-of features (shoutfactory.com).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Paul McCartney has never rested on his Beatles laurels, as The McCartney Legacy Vol. 2 1974-1980 (Dey Street) shows how his post-Beatles adventures included the release of four solo albums, dabbling in music publishing, experimenting as a science fiction writer and filmmaker, recording in Nashville and smuggling cannabis past authority figures…with mixed success. This well-researched exploration of Mac’s exceptionally creative period is a snapshot of a rollicking life after being in the world’s most famous band—and some scars from the group’s breakup that would never be completely healed.

How did live music ever make it onto wax records, then magnetic tape and plastic, and finally into microscopic digital “codes”? It’s all spelled out in Into the Into the Groove: The Story of Sound From Tin Foil to Vinyl (Bloomsbury). Author and avid vinyl collector Jonathan Scott traces the history of recorded sound…including how, for many music lovers, it all came back around to vinyl! And believe it or not, it all started on paper!

Nov 29 2024
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, Humor, Movies, Photography, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Nov. 29 – Dec. 5

Yacht rock, Jimmy Fallon’s all-star Christmas special & a ‘Brewster’s Millions’ remake

Jimmy Fallon celebrates the holiday with a festive, all-star Christmas special.

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Nov. 29
The Agency
Michael Fassbender is an undercover CIA agent forced to abandon his covert persona and resume his real identity for a mission in this new political thriller series. Also starring Richard Gere (Paramount+).

Music Box: Yacht Rock: A Documentary
Find out how this breezy subgenre of soft rock became cool again decades later with artists including Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross, Kenny Loggins, Steely Dan and Toto (9 p.m., HBO).

SATURDAY, Nov. 30
Reindeer in Here
Animated special based on an award-winning book about a tiny young reindeer and his friends who band together to save Christmas (8 p.m., CBS).

Holiday Touchdown: A Chief Love Story
A young woman vies for the Kansas City Chief’s “Fan of the Year” title in this holiday romance with a little Hail Mary magic  (8 p.m., Hallmark). 

SATURDAY, Dec. 1
Earth Abides
When a monstrous plague sweeps most humans from the face of the Earth, a small band of shattered survivors remain to struggle against the slide into extinction. First of the new series launches tonight, starring Alexander Ludwig and Jessica Frances Dukes, above  (MGM+).

A Creature Was Stirring
Chrissy Metz from This is Us stars in this creepy tale about a mom, her teenage daughter and some very dangerous pills (Shudder).

SUNDAY, Dec. 2
All I Want for Christmas is You
Maria Carey’s Yuletime megahit was refashioned into this 2017 animated movie in which she voices a little girl who wishes for a Christmas puppy. Henry Winkler is her grandpa (7 a.m., Freeform).

Dalgliesh
Bertie Carvel returns for a new season to his role in the title detective crime drama based on a trio of popular murder mysteries by P.D. James (Acorn TV).

MONDAY, Dec. 3
As1One: The Israeli-Palestinian Pop Music Journey
Four-part docuseries spanning five years shows how music brought together members from the two nations into a pop group (Paramount+).

TUESDAY, Dec. 4
Jimmy Fallon’s Holiday Seasoning Spectacular
The late-night host spotlights his new festive holiday album with fanciful guest appearances by Meghan Trainer, Dolly Parton, the Jonas Brothers, Justin Timberlake, “Weird” Al Yankovic and more—including a spectacular finish by the Radio City Rockettes (10 p.m., NBC).

Lighttunes
New series adopts a “webtoon” about six strangers all drawn to a mysterious light shop at the end of an alleyway, where they find the key to their past, present and future (Hulu).

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 5
Brewster’s Millions: Christmas
China Anne McClain and Romeo Miller (above) star in this “reimagining” of the 1985 Richard Pryor comedy, about a whopping inheritance that becomes a Christmas blessing…and Pryor’s son, Richard Jr., is in it too! (BET+).

How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Annual airing of the classic animated tale of a curmudgeonly Grinch scheming to remove all the joy from Christmas…with a theme song performed by Thurl Ravencroft, who was also the voice in commercials of Tony the Tiger! (8 p.m., NBC).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Go inside the world of one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed filmmakers in The Magic Hours (University of Kentucky Press), author John Beasdale’s inside look at Terrence Malick, the enigmatic visionary director of Days of Heaven, Thin Red Line and Badlands. If you’re a movie wonk, you’ll dig reading about the acclaimed lensman whose heralded films are often cited for their use of soft natural lighting shortly after sunrise or before sunset, the so-called “magic hour,” a term that his work ushered into filmmaking lingo.

How’s your rouge and lipstick holding up today? Probably not anywhere near what top-tier fashion models are showing off in Chanel: The Allure of Makeup (Thames & Hudson), a hefty coffee-table celebration of the iconic makeup company’s 100th anniversary, with 400 pages of photos from early product shots to cinematic campaigns starring legendary women. In a rainbow of the company’s quintessential colors—black, white, beige, red, pink,  gold and blue—it’s a feast for your eyes…and eyeliner!

BRING IT HOME

Long before there was the remake starring John Travolta as a subway hijacker and Denzel Washington as the lowly dispatcher trying to thwart him, there was this 1974 version of The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3 with Robert (Jaws) Shaw and Walter (The Odd Couple) Matthau in the same roles. A time-capsule classic, it’s been newly re-released with loads of bonus content, including interviews, TV and radio spots, a making-of, commentary and more. (Available at kinolarber.com).

Nov 22 2024
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, Humor, Movies, Music, Photography, Pop Culture, Sports, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Nov. 22 – Nov. 28

A Patsy Cline re-do, classic Beatles reissues, and a Jack Black Christmas flick!

The music of Patsy Cline gets funneled through a new generation of performers.

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Nov. 22
Patsy Cline: Walkin’ After Midnight
Wynonna, Kristin Chenoweth, Kellie Pickler, Mickey Guyton, Grace Potter, Pat Benatar, actress Beverly D’Angelo and more pay homage to the late country music trailblazer (above) and her songs, including “Sweet Dreams,” “She’s Got You” and “Crazy” (9 p.m., PBS).

Jim Gaffigan: The Skinny
The Grammy-nominated comedian gives “the skinny” on appetite suppressants, raising teens and more in his first comedy special for the streaming platform (Hulu).

The Witches
What did early American women accused of witchcraft have to do with postpartum mental health? This new documentary films explores the connection with interviews from medical professionals, historians and contemporary females (Mubi).

SATURDAY, Nov. 23
Three Wiser Men and a Boy
Christmastime tale of brotherhood, a high school musical and a mom with a new boyfriend (8 p.m, Hallmark)

Die Hard
Is this 1998 Bruce Willis action flick (above) a “Christmas movie” or not? You’ve got another chance to see for yourself tonight, yippie kia yi yay! With Alan Rickman as a deliciously bad bad guy (8 p.m., TNT).

SUNDAY, Nov. 24
Expedition Files
Host Josh Gates travels through history searching for new evidence and answers to unexplained mysteries (9 p.m., Discovery).

Dear Santa: The Series
Meet the real-life “Santas” in the five episodes of this new holiday series about the people who actually answer kids’ letters to Santa Claus (ABC).

A Very Merry MeTV
Get in the Thanksgiving mood with a day of Turkey Day-themed episodes of Happy Days, The Beverly Hillbillies, Gilligan’s Island (below), The Love Boat and more (starts 11 a.m., MeTV).

MONDAY, Nov. 25
Get Millie Black
A Jamaica-born Scotland Yard detective (Tamara Lawrence) digs into missing-person cases in this new series from the UK (9 p.m., HBO).

Tsunami: Race Against Time
Four-part series uses first-person testimony and never-seen-before footage to re-examine the catastrophic 2004 Indian Ocean event that took over a quarter-million lives (9 p.m., NatGeo).

Dear Santa
Jack Black stars in this new Christmas comedy (above) as “Satan,” a trickster who shows up to create holiday havoc when a young boy (Robert Timothy Smith) sends his wish list to the North Pole…but with a crucial spelling error. The movie’s from the Farrelly Brothers, of Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary and Shallow Hal, so get ready for some major yuks (Paramount+).

TUESDAY, Nov. 26
It’s in the Game: Madden NFL
New series tells the story of one of the most popular and successful videogames of all time, its rise to greatness and its enduring pace in pop culture (Prime).

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 27
Countdown to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Wendi McLeodon-Covey hosts this sneak peek at the floats, balloons and bands that will be on display tomorrow in downtown New York City (8 p.m., NBC).

The Untold Story of Mary Poppins
This special edition of 20/20 comes at the 60th anniversary of the Disney classic starring Julie Andrews as England’s most famous magical nanny and Dick Van Dyke as a merry-chap chimneysweep (9 p.m., ABC).

THURSDAY, Nov. 28
Sweethearts
Two college freshmen (Nico Hiraga and Kiernan Shipka) make a pact to break up with their high school sweethearts over the Thanksgiving break…but things take more crazy turns that a wild turkey (Max).

The Day Before Christmas
When two parents accidentally swap their kids’ backpacks and their phones, it leads to a chaotic, heartwarming holiday mix-up…and some unexpected romance (BET+).

Blue Bloods: Celebrating a Family Legacy
ET’s Nischelle Turner hosts this hour-long special includes series highlights and interviews with the stars and guests on the popular series, including a rare look inside the show’s recurring dinner scene, above (9 p.m., CBS).

NOW HEAR THIS

Christmas comes early for Beatles fans with this gollywhopper of a boxed set—all seven of the band’s albums compiled for U.S. release during the early days of Beatlemania, remastered anew into new analog mono, just as the originals. (As fans know, the U.S. albums were slightly different from the original British releases, sometimes with different artwork and tracks not always on their U.K. predecessors.) With The Beatles: 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono (Capitol), you’ll get Meet the Beatles, The Beatles’ Second Album, A Hard Day’s Night, Something New, The Beatles’ Story, Beatles ’65 and The Early Beatles, plus new artwork inserts, sleeve graphics and essays by Beatles historian Brian Spizer.

And if your tastes are for something a little more Southern, check out the groovy gravy of the Allman Brothers’ Final Concert 10-28-14 (Peach Records), the iconic Southern Rock ensemble’s “end of the road” concert event, staged at New York City’s Beacon Theater in 2014. It’s 30 songs drawn from six Allman Brothers albums, orchestrated by the band’s most recent lineup led by Warren Haynes.

11.20

BRING IT HOME

If you missed it back in 2016 at the theatres, now can snag this collector’s re-release edition of Hush (Shout! Factory) starring scream queen Kate Siegel as a deaf-mute writer fighting a serial killer who invades her solitary life in the woods. It’s a fan-favorite slasher flick that was remade—twice—in India!

Movie fans will freak out with Alfred Hitchcock: The Iconic Film Collection (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment), a superb remastered 4K collection of six of the acclaimed director’s groundbreaking classics, including Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, North by Northwest, Psycho, Vertigo and The Birds. Plus, a cool collectible book!

DC Comics’ fan-favorite vigilante crime-fighting group returns in Watchmen Chapter II (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), the latest movie installment of their animated adventures, featuring a cast of voices led by Matthew Rhys, Titus Weliver and Katee Sackhoff.

Once upon a time, back in the early ‘70s, John Lennon and Yoko Ono “took over” America’s most popular daytime talk show. Find out all about it Daytime Revolution (Kino Larber), the new documentary about the superstar Beatle and his wife “hosted” The Mike Douglas Show for a full week, filling the studio (and the airwaves) with controversial guests (Black Panther Bobby Seale, political activist Ralph Nader, edgy comedian George Carlin) and rockiin’ the house with some not-ready-for-daytime music.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Calling the Shots: A Queer History of Photography (Thames & Hudson) is an eye-opening look at nearly two centuries of LGBTQ+ imagery and subjects illustrating homosexual and pansexual representation in the arts, on the streets and in the world at large. Hey! There’s Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, David Bowie, activist Angela Davis, rocker Patti Smith, Judy Garland, singer Dusty Springfield, Queen’s Freddie Mercury, Billie Holiday and Truman Capote! 

Are you “addicted” to shopping? Author Emily Mester takes on consumerism in American Bulk (W.W. Norton), a series of thought-provoking essays about excess and how it shapes our character, our sense of self and our connections to others. It’s a first-person narrative about our endless cycle of wanting, buying, consuming—and often discarding—all sorts of things and how it can still somehow leave us feeling empty inside. 

Find out about the making of the fan-favorite sitcom Parks & Recreation by Jim O’Heir (who played Jerry Gergich), who gives a firsthand account of working alongside the top-notch cast in Welcome to Pawnee (William Morrow) and how it became a beloved pop-cultural fan favorite. Includes 60 color pics, plus interviews with Chris Pratt, Rob Lowe, Retta and the show’s co-creators.

It’s almost like being there in Midnight Moment (Phaedon), a unique photographic chronicle of watching artwork unfold in Times Square up on the gigantic electronic billboards. Learn how it’s done and see the work of more than a hundred artists who’ve been featured on one of New York City’s most iconic displays.

Magic, sleight of hand and carefully crafted and controlled illusions have been around since almost the beginning of time, so they’ve certainly made many appearances (and disappearances!) on film. In Magic and Illusion in the Movies (McFarland), author George Higham provides a thorough history of the technology, special effects, diversion and trickery (in projects as wide as early horror flicks, The Wizard of Oz, Scooby-Doo cartoons, The Sting and Spider-Man) that have been created to fool our eyes.

Nov 15 2024
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Nov. 15 – Nov. 21

Country stars, swords ‘n’ sandals, big-screen witches & Billy Bob Thornton’s a ‘Landman’

Hey Luke! Country hitmakers Luke Combs and Luke Bryant tell the stories behind their songs in ‘It’s All Country.’

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Nov. 15
Silo
Rebecca Ferguson returns for season two, about the last handful of people on Earth living deep underground in, yes, a massive silo to protect them from the toxic world above. With Tim Robbins (Apple TV+).

It’s All Country
Country star Luke Bryan explores the inspirations, personal moments and secrets that help shape the sounds fans love, with input from Sheryl Crow, Kane Brown, Wynonna Judd and others (Hulu).

SATURDAY, Nov. 16
Saturday Night Live
Charli xcx pulls double duty tonight, making her first appearance as host and her third as a musical guest, performing songs from her new remixed album “Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat.” Huh? (11:30, NBC).

The Polar Express
The first big-screen “motion capture” digital animation film (it’s in Guinness World Records as such), this 2004 fantasy “stars” Tom Hanks as a train conductor who shows a young boy what Christmas is all about. It’s based on a book by the author who also wrote Jumanji (4:27 p.m. and 10:15 p.m., TBS)

SUNDAY, Nov. 17
LandMan
Yellowstone creator Ty Sheridan’s new series stars Billy Bob Thornton (above), Ali Larter, Mark Collie and Demi Moore in a modern-day tale of oil-rigging drama (Paramount+).

Dune: Prophesy
The futuristic sci-fi movie franchise now gets a small(er) screen extension with this dramatic series about two sisters fighting forces that threaten all mankind. Cause, of course, it’s the future. Starring Emily Watson, Olivia Williams and Mark Strong (9 p.m., HBO).

MONDAY, Nov. 18
Leonardo da Vinci
Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns turns his lens to his first “non-American” subject, the 15th century Italian innovator and how he influenced and inspired future generations to this day (8 p.m., PBS).

The Making of Gladiator II
Go behind the scenes of director Ridley Scott’s new mega-movie (above), an epic extension (starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington and more) of the 2000 original. Learn about new characters, the spectacle and the scale, training the cast in gladiatorial combat, costumes, props and the movie’s historical accuracy (10:30 p.m., CBS).

TUESDAY, Nov. 19
Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande (below) host this TV event taking viewers inside their new movie based on the hit Broadway musical (10 p.m., NBC).

Interior Chinatown
A small-part actor (Jimmy O. Yang) in a TV police procedural set in Chinatown inadvertently become a witness to a real crime, leading him to unravel a hidden criminal web in San Francisco (Hulu).

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 20
The CMA Awards
Luke Bryan, Peyton Manning and Lainey Wilson host tonight’s 58th annual awarding of trophies bestowed by the Country Music Association, live from Nashville (8 p.m., ABC).

THURSDAY, Nov. 21
Based on a True Story
Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina star in season two as a couple capitalizing on America’s true-crime obsession by starting a podcast…partnering with the serial killer terrorizing Los Angeles (Peacock).

Nugget is Dead? A Christmas Story
When her beloved family dog falls sick over Christmas, a young woman (Vic Zerbst) has to make new plans with her family in Australia (8 p.m., CBS).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Remember the ‘80s? In The 1980s: Image of a Decade (Thames & Hudson), author Henry Carroll looks at the eventful decade through images of its design, art, fashion, technology, games, sports and global events. From the rise of hip hop to the fall of the Berlin Wall, it’s all here, in a kaleidoscope of culture from all corners—a world big enough to contain Pee-Wee Herman, Dirty Dancing, the Berlin Wall, the Challenger disaster and Live Aid at the same time!

The iconic singer and actress tells her own story in Cher: The Memoir, Part One (Harper Collins), from being a dyslexic child who dreamed of being famous to becoming the only woman to top the Billboard charts in seven consecutive decades, an Oscar winner and an inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

How much do you know about the forces that shape our world, sometimes cause chaos and destruction, and have inspired poets, scientists and philosophers for eons? Elements (Thames & Hudson) takes a close and evocative look, with accompanying photography and insightful texts, on the five natural elements (wood, fire, earth, water and metal) essential to life on planet Earth, how they’ve been represented, interpreted, revered and feared across the centuries.

In American Artifacts (Thames & Hudson), award-winning photographer Matt Black presents a diverse collection of flotsam and jetsam he’s come across in his 100,000-mile, six-year, cross-country odyssey. A continuation of his 2021 photobook American Geography, it’s spectrum of discarded objects, from scribbled notes to cigarette boxes, shoes, bottles, cans, yard signs and busted locks. It’s a strikingly unique portrait of America, revealed and symbolized by the things we throw away, lose or leave behind. And you may not think your old dirty glove or broken hairbrush is “art,” but he might.

BRING IT HOME

The new deluxe steelbook reissue of the epic 1984 fantasy movie Labyrinth is a true collectors’ set with a 4k restoration of the film directed by Jim Henson, and featuring his fanciful non-Muppet “puppet” creatures alongside the actors, which included rock star David Bowie and Demi Moore. (Shout! Factory).

Happy anniversary to three classic movies, all now available remastered on 4K! The West was never wilder—or as wildy funny—as it was Blazing Saddles (1974), director Mel Brooks’ spectacularly hilarious spoof of the cowboy genre. (And Richard Pryor helped write the screenplay!). Ah-nold is the iconic cyborg assassin from the future in The Terminator (1984). Didja know his costar, Linda Hamiliton, would go on to marry the director, James Cameron? And Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest (1959) was one of his greatest thrillers, with Cary Grant chased across the country in a case of mistaken identity.

The ghost with the most is back in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), with Michael Keaton reprising his 1980s role as the devious netherworld demon, with former castmates Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara, plus newcomer Jenna Ortega. Extras include commentary by director Tim Burton, a feature on the movie’s stop-motion artistry, and other insider stuff!

Nov 08 2024
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Nov. 8 – Nov. 14

Boy bands, an award for “The Beav” and a salute to soldiers

All times Eastern.

The Backstreet Boys—and other boy bands—are featured in the new doc ‘Larger Than Life.’

FRIDAY, Nov. 8
Gold Rush
The rush is on in the new season of the mining drama as soaring gold prices ignite greed, competition and family turmoil in the Klondike (8 p.m., Discovery).

Cold Case Files: The Grim Reaper
Regina Hall narrates the new crime series about an infamous serial killer who preyed on women in South Central California over a 25-year span (9 p.m., A&E).  

SATURDAY, Nov. 9
Family Film and TV Awards
Leave It to Beaver’s Jerry Mathers (above) will receive tonight’s Icon Award at this event honoring family-themed shows and films across the eras. Hosted by Kevin Frasier and Amanda Kloots (8 p.m., CBS).

SUNDAY, Nov. 10
Yellowstone
Fans of the hit modern-day Wild West series can rejoice with tonight’s return of the series as it prepares to wrap up its five-season run—but without founding star Kevin Costner aboard (Paramount).

Moonshiners
New season begins tonight of more backwoods booze-makers continuing the fight the obstacles to their “tradition” and way of livelihood (8 p.m., Discovery).

MONDAY, Nov. 11
The American Soldier
In honor of Veteran’s Day, this special (executive produced by Payton Manning) tells the story of America’s fighting men and women throughout history and into the modern era (8 p.m., History Channel).

Larger Than Life
Remember boy bands? This music doc looks at how male groups—from the Beatles to the Backstreet Boys—became woven into our pop culture, with interviews from Donnie Wahlberg, Donny Osmond, Hanson and more (Paramount+).

TUESDAY, Nov. 12
Operation Undercover
Docuseries takes viewers inside real-life down-low operations run by police to keep communities safe from drug dealers, arms suppliers, human traffickers and other criminal enterprises (10 p.m., ID.

St. Denis Medical
Tonight’s back-to-back episodes launch this mockumentary series about the medical staff at an Oregon hospital trying to maintain their own sanity. With Wendi McLendon-Covey, David Alan Grier and Allison Tolman (8 p.m., NBC).

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 13
Bad Sisters
Comedy series (above) blends more dark comedy and thrills for season two, starring creator Sharon Hogan, Ava-Marie Duff and Eve Hewson as part of a group of sisters after the “accidental death” of an abusive husband (AppleTV+).

Building Stuff
Learn all about engineering, how it works, who creates it and the many ways it enriches our lives in this cool new NOVA documentary (PBS, check local listings).

THURSDAY, Nov. 14
Cross
If you’re a fan of author James’ Patterson’s detective fiction, check out this new series starring Aldis Hodge as Alex Cross, Patterson’s gumshoe forensic psychologist digging into crimes through the minds of killers and victims (Prime).

Say Nothing
Based on the bestselling book by Patrick Raden Keefe, this nine-episode limited series presents a dramatic tale of murder and memory in Northern Ireland during the three decades of political unrest known as The Troubles (Hulu).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

In The Endless Refrain (Melville House), veteran music journalist David Rowell puts the spotlight on a music culture run amok, driven by conformity and subverted by the internet and social media, from streaming’s paltry revenues for musicians and songwriters to the rise of dead artists “touring” via high-tech holograms. It’s both a wake-up call and a requiem for music the way it used to be, just a few years ago.

BRING IT HOME

Director Oliver Stone’s classic Born on the Fourth of July gets a new shine for Veteran’s Day with this new two-disc 4K UHD edition from Shout! Factory. Tom Cruise plays a Vietnam vet (based on real-life Ron Kovac) who returns from war bitter—and paralyzed from the waist down. Extras include commentary and interview with the director and others who worked on the film.

What is folk horror? Well, it’s scary stuff that mixes elements of folklore into tales rich with fear and foreboding—like the 24 flicks in this roundup of folk-horror classics from around the world. All the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror (Severin) is a horror lover’s feast, with loads of special features and a 252-page hardbound book of folk horror fiction. If you’ve never seen Psychomania (1973), Who Fears the Devil (1972) or The White Reindeer (1952), gird your loins up and dive in!

← Older posts
Newer posts →