Category Archives: Television

Jun 30 2023
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Books, DVDs, Movies, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

June 30 – July 6, 2023

‘Tough as Nails’ goes north, 4th of July TV specials & where serial killers hide their murderous misdeeds

Meet the competitors for this season’s ‘Tough as Nails.’

FRIDAY, June 30
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan
John Krasinski returns to the role of the scrappy super sleuth in the fourth and final season of the action-packed drama series (Prime Video).

Nimona
A knight in a futuristic medieval world is framed for a crime he didn’t commit, and a mischievous shape-shifting teen helps him in this animated fantasy series with voices of Riz Ahmed and Chloë Grace Martinez (Netflix).

SATURDAY, July 1
Buried in the Backyard
Where do serial killers hide their victims? Many times, it’s where they never anticipate their misdeeds will be discovered…or uncovered. Season two of the true-crime docuseries returns tonight. Bring your shovel! (8 p.m., Oxygen).

Brandi Carlile: In the Canyon Haze—Live From Laurel Canyon
Well, the title just about says it all. Not all you have to do is watch and listen as the former lead singer of the Go-Gos performs songs that shaped her life in this homage to the vibrant Hollywood Hills music scene (8 p.m., HBO).

SUNDAY, July 2
Tough as Nails
Who’s got what it takes to tough it out on this hit primetime competition that also a salute to the working class? Phil Keoghan returns as host for the new season, this time staged in Canada (8 p.m., CBS).

MONDAY, July 3
A Story of Bones
Documentary (above) about the discovery in Africa of an unmarked mass burial ground of an estimated 9,000 formerly enslaved people (check local listings, PBS).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Revisit a “golden age” of TV in this flashback to the year color came to television in a major way—the watershed moment in which all three major networks broadcast every show on primetime “in living color.” Primetime 1966-1967 (McFarland) is an affectionate, wide-ranging look at the wide spectrum of shows that aired that momentous year, including classic programs about superheroes, sci-fi, spies, World War II, sitcoms and cops.

TUESDAY, July 4
A Capitol Fourth
For the 43rd year, the grounds of the U.S. Capitol will ring with the patriotic sounds of the 4th of July in this primetime special (8 p.m., PBS).

The Fourth in America
Fireworks and music are on tap in this Independence Day celebration, featuring performances by Alanis Morrisette, Darius Rucker, Demi Lovato, Duran Duran, Flo Rida, Sheryl Crow, the Zac Brown Band and more (7 p.m., CNN).

WEDNESDAY, July 5
Human Footprint
No, we’re not talking tracking mud into your house. But in another way, well, yeah. This new docuseries explores the many ways humans have left our “marks” on our planet, including putting into motion the global mechanics of climate change (9 p.m., PBS).

CMA Fest: 50 Years of Fan Fair
New original documentary tells the story of Nashville’s long-running country music festival, with archival performances and commentary from Vince Gill, Luke Bryan, Dolly Parton, Lainey Wilson, Carrie Underwood and dozens of other stars who’ve performed at the event originally known as Fan Fair, so named because of its former “home” at the state fairgrounds (Hulu).

THURSDAY, July 6
Call Her King
A judge (Naturi Naughton from Power Book II: Ghost) who has just sentenced a man (Jason Mitchell) to death suddenly finds herself a hostage when his brother hijacks her courtroom in this gripping original movie drama. Think Die Hard in a courthouse (BET+).

The Lincoln Lawyer
Season two begins of the streaming spinoff about a lawyer (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) who runs his Los Angeles practice from the back seat of his Lincoln (Netflix).

Shawn White: The Last Run
Four-part documentary spotlights the life and career of the three-time Olympic gold medalist and an icon of snowboarding and skateboarding (Max).

Jun 23 2023
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The Entertainment Forecast

June 23 -June 29, 2023

A ‘Jaws’ marathon, a “new” national anthem & Idris Idra gets hijacked!

You may need a bigger boat (!) to watch the original Jaws and all its sequels!

FRIDAY, June 23
World’s Best
Hip-hop musical comedy adventure flick about a 12-year-old genius mathematician who discovers a surprising new talent as a rapping superstar (Disney+).

Cinammon
Original network film stars Hailey Kilgore (above) as a small-town gas attendant whose life is rocked after a fatal crime. With Damon Wayans and 1970s icon Pam Grier (Tubi).

SATURDAY, June 24
Keyshia Cole: This is My Story
The Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter makes her acting debut portraying herself in this biopic about her life and career, which started in Oakland, Calif., and led her singing backup for M.C. Hammer, releasing five albums and starring in two TV reality series (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, June 25
Jaws Marathon
Time to get back in the water with the most a marathon of the iconic shark flick of all time and its sharp-toothed spawn, Jaws 2, Jaws 3 and Jaws the Revenge (begins 8;45 a.m., TNT). 

Mini Reni
Joanna Gaines (above) and her team downsize their scale and budgets to renovate three rooms in an outdated home in one week and for under $15,000 (9 p.m., Magnolia).

MONDAY, June 26
After Sherman
Filmmaker Jon-Sesrie Goff returns to the coastal South Carolina land his family purchased after emancipation in this exploration of Black experience, trauma and wisdom (check local listings, PBS).

Cannes Confidential
Six-part international crime series, shot on location in France, stars Lucie Lucas and Jamie Bamber about a no-nonsense detective and a charming conman (Acorn TV).

TUESDAY, June 27
Happiness for Beginners
Ellie Kempler (from The Office and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) stars in this new series (above) as a newly divorced woman who joins a back-country survival hike on the Appalachian Trail with a group of oddball strangers in hopes of learning how to live—and love—again (Netflix).

Casa Susanna
This PBS-produced documentary is about an underground 1960s network in the Catskills region of New York state for transgender women and cross-dressing men (9 p.m., PBS).

BRING IT HOME

Find out about the inspiring life and astonishing career of one of the greatest boxers of all time in Big George Foreman (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment), a drama about his journey from an impoverished childhood to the title of world heavyweight champion, and then into the pulpit. Khris Davis (Judas and the Black Messiah) plays Foreman.

The hit horror franchise moves out of the woods and into the ‘hoods in Evil Dead Rise (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), a terrifying tale of two estranged sisters (Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland) whose urban family reunion is undermined by flesh-eating demons.

WEDNESDAY, June 28
Anthem
What would happen if Grammy-winning producer and a film composer took a journey across America to create a “new” national anthem, one as if it had been written today? Find out in this probing documentary that rei-magines “The Star Spangled Banner” for a modern era (Hulu).

Hijack
Idris Elba is one unhappy air passenger in this new thriller series (above) about the passengers on a hijacked international airplane flight and people on the ground working to avert a disaster (Apple TV+).

THURSDAY, June 29
Secret Chef
It sounds nuts, but here it is: Ten contestants from all walks of life are isolated in an underground kitchen labyrinth connected by a series of conveyor belts, where they perform various cooking challenges, guided by an animated “talking hat” on a retro TV screen. Yep (Hulu).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

When is a monster more than just a monster? That’s not a riddle, it’s the theme of Dark Dreams 2.0 (McFarland), in which author Charles Derry unpacks the real-world fears, tears and terrors that have shaped the evolution of horror movies for more than half a century—from anxieties over the atomic bomb to the Cold War, sexual liberation and other fear factors that have fueled the work of filmmakers Alfred Hitchcock, Brian de Palma, George Romero and many others.

Generation Gap
Kelly Ripa returns for season two of this game show (below) in which teams of older adults and their grandkids compete by answering pop-culture questions (9 p.m., ABC).

Jun 16 2023
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DVDs, Movies, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

June 16 – June 22

The time-traveling lovers of ‘Outlander,’ ‘Walking Dead’ bite into the Big Apple & Robert Downey Jr.’s auto obsession

FRIDAY, June 16
Outlander
The fan-favorite drama based on the historical-fiction novel series by Diana Gabaldon returns for season seven tonight (above), starring Catriona Balfe as a time-traveling WWII nurse who falls in love with a dashing Highland warrior (Sam Heughan) from another era (8 p.m., Starz).

Extraction 2
Chris Hemsworth is back in the slam-bam action franchise as Rake, a black ops mercenary tasked with another deadly mission—to rescue the family of a ruthless Soviet gangster (Netflix). 

The Righteous Gemstones
The profanely funny TV-evangelist family returns in this hell-aciously hilarious series starring Danny McBride, Edi Patterson, John Goodman and Adam Devine (HBO).

SATURDAY, June 17
John Early: Now More Than Ever
In his first comedy special, the comedian lays on the laughs in a spoof of rock documentaries, performs stand-up riffs and song covers from Britney Spears, Neil Young and more, and peels back the show-biz curtain on Spinal Tap-inspired backstage sketches (10 p.m., HBO).

Exposing Parchman
Documentary brings to light the dark history, deplorable conditions and distressing abuses at the Mississippi prison known as Parchman (8 p.m., A&E).

SUNDAY, June 18
Walking Dead: Dead City
It’s hard to fathom how a franchise built on anything dead can have so much life. Here’s the latest spinoff in the Walking Dead zombie-verse, starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Laurie Cohen as survivalists fighting the undead in the decaying urban setting of an apocalyptic Manhattan (9 p.m., AMC).

Beachside Brawl
Cooks from the East and West meet on the sand to determine which ones—and which side of the country—does coastal food the best. Celebrity chef and restauranteur Antonia Lafosa hosts the new competition (10 p.m., Food Network).

MONDAY, June 19
Juneteenth: A Global Celebration of Freedom
Live concert event from the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, timed to the federal holiday commentating the official end of slavery in America, features an array of Black artists and performers (8 p.m., CNN and OWN).  

The Great American Recipe
Season two of the eight-part cooking competition (above)—with judges Leah Cohen, Graham Elliott, Tiffany Derry and Alejandra Ramos—celebrates the multiculturalism that makes American food unique and iconic (9 p.m., PBS)

TUESDAY, June 20
Mama Bears
Documentary about mothers of gay, trans and gender-fluid children, who fearlessly advocate for their kids (10 p.m., PBS).

WEDNESDAY, June 21
LA Fire & Rescue
New docuseries examines the inner workings of the Los Angeles County Fire Department as it works to protect the citizens and the property of an area containing 4 million residents and 59 different municipalities (NBC).

Secret Invasion
In the latest Avengers franchise flick (which is skipping theatrical release to go straight to streaming), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) leads a mission to save the Earth from extermination by a sneaky group of extraterrestrial shape-shifters. All in a day’s work in the world of Marvel (Disney+).

THURSDAY, June 22

The Bear
Get ready to roll up your sleeves and return to kitchen for season two of this acclaimed drama (above) about restaurant workers in Chicago trying to turn a greasy spoon into a golden goose (Hulu).

Downey’s Dream Cars
New streaming docuseries on Discovery’s new Max platform follows actor Robert Downey Jr., his passion for classic cars and his work to combat climate change by retro-fitting them to make them “cleaner” and more fuel efficient (Max).

Jun 09 2023
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The Entertainment Forecast

June 9 – June 15

Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Big Apple murders & British working-class chaps disrobing…again!

Jesse Garcia stars in ‘Flamin’ Hot,’ the true story of a popular snack.

FRIDAY, June 19
Flamin’ Hot have art
How hot are flamin’ Hot Cheetos? Hot enough that this movie dramatizes the inspiring story of the spicy snack’s founder, a Frito Lay janitor who channeled his Mexican American heritage to upend the food business with a fiery new treat (Hulu).

I Am Legend
Watch (or re-watch) Will Smith as the only living New Yorker who’s not a monster-fied mutant in this latest film adaptation of the Richard Matheson apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, previously made into a pair of other movies starring Charlton Heston (1974) and Vincent Price (1964). It’s the second part of a double “Friday Night Vibes” double feature with Avengers: End Game (7 p.m., TBS)

SATURDAY, June 10
New York Homicide
Catering to TV viewer’s seemingly insatiable appetite for true crime, season two of this docuseries continues its examination of some of the most troubling murders in the Big Apple (9 p.m., Oxygen).

Build It Forward
Designer Taniya Nayak teams with builder Shane Duffy to surprise outstanding community leaders with home renovations in season two of this series inspired by an outreach program by Lowe’s (6 p.m., HGTV).

SUNDAY, June 11
The Tony Awards
Overture, curtains, lights, this is it, the night of nights. You might remember that as the memorable theme to Bugs Bunny cartoons. But, sorry Bugs, your loony tune won’t be among the showtunes, performances and projects honored tonight at this 76th annual awards event, honoring Broadway’s best and hosted by Ariana Dubose (8 p.m., CBS).

MONDAY, June 12
Hey Yahoo!
Actor Tom Cavanaugh hosts this new game show in which contestants try to correctly fill in the blanks for what people are seeking on Yahoo Search (8 p.m., GSN).

TUESDAY, June 13
Amy Schumer: Emergency Contact
New stand-up special is the third for Schumer (right), the hilariously uncensored Emmy-winning Tony and Golden Globe-nominated actor, filmed on stage at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles (Netflix).

Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta
They’re women, they’re friends, and they’re all involved with Hot ‘Lanta’s hip hop scene. The so-fly docuseries returns tonight with more real-life drama and original castmates—including Spice, Bambi, Rasheeda and Bambi—as well as a trio of newcomers (8 p.m., MTV).

WEDNESDAY, June 14
Our Planet II
The acclaimed nature-documentary series returns to unravel the mysteries of migration with more compelling stories of animals “on the move” across the globe (Netflix).

The Full Monty
New original series follows the same characters from the 1997 movie, now older but living in working-class England, and thinking about putting their saucy strip show on the road again (Hulu).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Religion has always given outliers a bad name, or worse. Pagans (Thames & Hudson) takes a respectful new look at this culture that predates Christianity, looking closely at its objects, artwork, rituals and myths, with eye-opening insights into pagan magic, superstition and the afterlife.

How might you have lived through a doomsday asteroid, being eaten by dinosaurs, the civilization-destroying eruption of Mt. Pompei, or the 1906 San Francisco earthquake? Science and tech writer Cody Cassidy tells you about all those scenarios, and more, in How to Survive History (Penguin), a witty and retro-practical guide to outwitting history’s greatest calamities.

THURSDAY, June 15

Look Into My Eyes
Four-part limited series unfurls the bizarre story of Dr. George Kennedy, whose career as a high school principal (and hypnotist) was derailed after the suspicions deaths of three teenage students (Sundance and AMC+).

60 Days In
Volunteers in North Carolina go undercover into a county detention center to help bring positive changes to the system (9 p.m., A&E).

Jun 02 2023
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The Entertainment Forecast

Friday, June 2 – Thursday, June 9

Ah-nold gets real, Shatner returns to space & dark Duggar Family secrets

The ‘Terminator’ star gets real in his new Netflix series.

FRIDAY, June 2
Searching for Soul Food
The term “soul food” means different things to different people in different places. Celebrity chef Alisha Reynolds travels the world to experience this time-honored ethnic cuisine and its various regional and international incarnations (Apple TV+)

Shooting Stars
Hoops fans will want to watch this original film, a dramatization of how LeBron James grew up to become a peerless basketball superstar (Peacock).

Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets
Limited docuseries (below) exposes the dark secrets of abuse behind America’s infamous TV family (remember their reality show, 19 Kids and Counting?) and the radical, cult-like church in the background (Prime Video).

NOW HEAR THIS

Air is this year’s movie for people who say they don’t like sports movies, a feel-good flick that feels like a mashup of vibes from Jerry McGuire and Moneyball. The soundtrack is etched with deep-dish ‘80s grooves from Dire Straits, Violent Femmes, Mike & The Mechanics, Bruce Springsteen, Run-D.M.C, Squeeze and more, all woven into director-actor Ben Affleck’s true-story tale of how a third-tier shoe company launched the business of superstar sports marketing by lacing up a deal with basketball phenom Michael Jordan.

SATURDAY, June 3
TLC Forever
Don’t go chasin’ waterfalls…. Instead, watch this two-hour documentary about the Atlanta-based female group (below) that led the way with their music, message and style in the 1990s, going on to sell more 85 million records (8 p.m., Lifetime and A&E).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Jessica Lange: An Adventurer’s Heart (University Press of Kentucky) is author Anthony Uzarowski’s new deep-dive biography of the award-winning actress, covering her early years in Minnesota, her carefully guarded private life, and her fruitful partnership with playwright/actor Sam Shepard, which became one of Hollywood’s most tumultuous secretive relationships.

Ever since Moneyball, we’ve been much more savvy about how much the information age has shaped pro sports. In Game of Edges (W.W. Norton), author Bruce Schoenfeld goes even deeper for a fascinating inside look at how data analysis, tech and commercial considerations continue to reform the landscape of baseball, soccer, football, basketball and even gaming. 

You know that filmmaking brothers Joel and Ethan Coen have made some classic films, including Raising Arizona, O Brother, Where Art Thou and The Big Lebowski. Find out in The Coen Brothers and American Roots Music (McFarland) just how important the musical soundtracks have always been to their cinematic work.

SUNDAY, June 3
The Lazarus Project
New drama series follows a recruit (Paapa Essiedu) in an organization that has harnessed the ability to turn back time whenever the world is on the precipice of extinction (9 p.m., TNT).

MONDAY, June 4
The Eric Andre Show
Season six of the cult-fave grownup sketch series begins, and its slate of upcoming guest stars is pretty impressive—Natasha Lyonne, Jon Hamm, Raven-Symone, Cypress Hill, Lil Yachty and many more (midnight, Adult Swim).

TUESDAY, June 5
Stars on Mars
Star Trek icon William Shatner hosts this space-y reality competition (below) in which “celebronauts”—including Lance Armstrong, Natasha Leggero, Marshawn Lynch and Rhonda Rousey—don spacesuits and embark on a mission to see who’s got the right stuff to colonize the Red Planet (8 p.m., Fox).

Cruel Summer
Season two of the hit anthology series follows intense teenage friendships in an idyllic Pacific Northwest waterfront community (9 p.m., Freeform).

WEDNESDAY, June 6
The Luckiest Guy in the World
New two-part “30 For 30” sports doc covers the life and times of basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton, known as “The Big Redhead” (8 p.m., ESPN).

Destination: European Nights
Five-part docuseries follows CBS sports analyst Gillem Balague through months of travel across Europe covering the UEFA Champions League and catching the continent-wide buzz of the world’s most prestigious annual soccer tournament (Paramount+).

THURSDAY, June 8
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It’ll be sunny tonight for fans of this acclaimed comedy series, which has become the longest-running live-action sitcom in TV history as it begins its landmark 16th season with stars Danny Devito, Charlie Day, Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney (10 p.m., FX).

Arnold
Yes, that Arnold—the Terminator, the former gov of California, the muscle man who became a movie icon. New docuseries pulls back the curtain on the fascinating story of Arnold Schwarzenegger (Netflix).

Based on a True Story
Inspired by a real event, this dark-comedy thriller (above) set in L.A. follows a realtor, a plumber and a former tennis star whose lives unexpectedly collide in a true-crime caper. Starring Kaley Cuoco, Chris Messina and Tom Bateman (Peacock).

Hailey’s On It!
Auli’I Cravalho stars in this animated comedy-adventure about a teenager on a mission to complete her ambitious list of tasks to save with world. With supporting voices by Julie Bowen, Jo Koy and Al Yankovic (8 p.m., Disney Channel).

May 26 2023
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The Entertainment Forecast

Friday, May 26 – Thursday, June 1

Harlem gal pals plot to “Run the World.”

FRIDAY, May 26
Run the World
Three fiercely loyal best friends (Amber Stevens West, Andrea Bordeaux and Bresha Webb) in Harlem continue their plans for “world domination” for the new season of the acclaimed sitcom (9:30 p.m., Starz).

Influencer
A chilling tale of a social influencer who finds something truly scary when she goes off the grid on the other side of the world. With Riverdale’s Emily Tennant, below (Shudder).

SATURDAY, May 27
Sarah Silverman: Someone You Love
If you loved her in School of Rock, History of the World Part II or Crank Yankers, you’ll love this saucy stand-up comedy special from the Emmy-winning actress, writer, producer, podcaster and comedian, filmed at the Wilbur Theater in Boston (10:15 p.m., HBO).

SUNDAY, May 28
Silo’s Baking Competition
Home improvement queen Joanna Gaines hosts this new competition in which bakers from across the country come to the Texas site of the Magnolia network’s Silos Baking Company to try to impress their hostess (8 p.m., Magnolia).

Bama Rush
Docuseries uncovers the dark underside of Tik-Tok fueled “rushing” at the University of Alabama, following the trajectories of four young women who embark on the process of finding (and fitting into) a sorority (HBO Max).

Discover the dark side of the sorority pledging process in Bama Rush.

MONDAY, May 29
The Curious Case of Natalia Grace
Curious, indeed. Find out about the strange case of a young Ukrainian orphan adopted by an American couple who later suspected their “little girls” was actually an adult masquerading as a child—with a devious plan to harm them (9 p.m., ID).

Marriage
In this British series, a couple (played by Sean Bean and Nicola Walker) navigates continuing needs for love and companionship within their 30-year relationship (PBS Prime).

TUESDAY, May 30
The American Gladiators Documentary
Two-night event goes behind the scenes of the reality-competition TV series, which began in 1989 and became a pop-cultural phenomenon (ESPN).

BRING IT HOME

Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman star in A Good Person (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) about two people who bridge the generation gap to discover friendship, forgiveness and hope after a tragedy.

WEDNESDAY, May 31
Drag Me to Dinner
This 10-episode send-up of reality competition, below, features 40 drag queens vying to see who can throw the best, most outlandish dinner party for judges including Neil Patrick Harris and Elijah Wood (Hulu).

Ghost Adventures
Ready to be scared? Come along with paranormal investigator Zak Bagans and his crew as they stir up more haunted histories (10 p.m., Discovery).

THURSDAY, June 1

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Horror fans will flip over Hammer Complete (McFarland), a compendium of the fabled British movie studio that launched in the 1930s, becoming an icon of horror in the 1970s and ‘80s with pulpy titles like The Curse of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula and Prehistoric Women. But Hammer did more than blood-‘n’-guts flicks, as this lavishly detailed collection shows, along with all the films’ budgets, actors, directors, and more!

The Dead Files
Series returns as its NYPD homicide detective teams up with a medium to help solve paranormal-activity phenomena for homeowners across America (9 p.m. Travel Channel).

Eli Roth Presents: The Legion of Exorcists
The horror-movie maestro hosts this new series, examining tales of demonic possession and exorcists around the world who use their tools to address the situation (10 p.m., Travel Channel).

May 19 2023
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The Entertainment Forecast

Friday, May 19 – Thursday, May 25

Church cover-ups, cross-cultural girl rock & something to ‘Cheer’ about

I’m diggin’ Donna Summer in Saturday’s new doc about the disco queen!

FRIDAY, May 19
The Secrets of Hillsong
Documentary explores the rise of the global megachurc, its precipitous fallout leading to the expulsion of its co-pastor husband-and-wife couple, and the patterns of cover-ups the organization used to protect itself (10 p.m., FX).

Spy Master
Six-part espionage drama stars Adina Sadeanu as secret agent for the KGB during the Cold War who makes a daring escape to the United States (HBO Max).

SATURDAY, May 20
Love to Love You, Donna Summer
An in-depth look at the life, career and music of the singer who helped define the so-called “disco era” with hits including “Last Dance,” “She Works Hard for the Money,” “Love to Love You Baby” and “On the Radio” (8 p.m., HBO Max).

Cheers to Cheers
Thirty years ago tonight, Cheers (above) went off the air. Watch a commemorative marathon of the final season’s episodes, all revolving around TV-dom’s most famous watering hole—and toast by hoisting a sudsy beverage of your choice (Pluto TV).

SUNDAY, May 21
Ghosts of Beirut
An international cast circulates through this new limited series about a true-life espionage saga, the two-decade manhunt for an elusive Lebanese terrorist (10 p.m., Showtime).

American Idol
Who’ll be the new champ? Tune in tonight for the superstar-packed three-hour live season finale, featuring a singing square-off between the three finalists (8 p.m., ABC).

MONDAY, May 22
Prehistoric Planet
The new season of the natural-history series uses groundbreaking research and high-tech visuals to take you deep into the past, to a time before time, when dinosaurs ruled the world (Apple TV+).

Fanny: The Right to Rock
Engrossing documentary about the first all-female rock band to release an LP with a major label—the Filipina-American sister act Fanny (above), which went on to make four more albums in five years during the 1970s (10 p.m., PBS).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Ever wanted to live on a boat? Or in a floating house? Indulge your fantasy with Making Waves (Thames & Hudson), author Portland Mitchell’s generously illustrated look at people who’ve pulled up their land stakes and now live “on the water.”

TUESDAY, May 23
Smartless: On the Road
New docuseries follows three actor friends (Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes) on their cross-country, coast to coast podcast tour (HBO Max).

Reality
Sydney Sweeney (below, from season two of The White Lotus) stars as in this dramatization of a real incident—as a former American intelligence agent, Reality Winner, sentenced to prison for releasing confidential information about Russian interference in the 2016 elections. (10 p.m., HBO)

BRING IT HOME

Creed III (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) continues the Rocky spinoff franchise with the continuing saga of boxing champ Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan, who also directs) who faces off in the ring with an old friend (Jonathan Majors), now an ex-con with nothing to lose.

The fun-filled story of a teenager (Billy Batson) who finds out a magic word (Shazam!) turns him into a superhero (Zachary Levi) continues in Shazam! Fury of the Gods (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), which includes commentary by director David F. Sandberg.

WEDNESDAY, May 24
Born Chinese
If you loved this year’s big Oscar winner, Everything Everywhere All the Time, then check out this genre-hopping worlds-collide action comedy about a high school teen who becomes engaged in a battle between mythological Chinese gods. It features three of Everything’s  stars, Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu (Disney+)

Platonic
New comedy series stars Seth Rogan and Rose Byrne (above) as two best friends approaching midlife who reconnect after a long rift (Apple TV+)

THURSDAY, May 25
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
The broadcast TV premiere of the hit martial-arts movie based on Marvel comics and starring Simu Lee as a modern San Francisco resident who taps into an ancient power (8 p.m., ABC).

May 12 2023
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The Entertainment Forecast

Friday, May 12 – Thursday, May 18

A chip off the ol’ Rocky block, stars sing Broadway’s praises & Natalie Portman has a (soccer) ball

Meet the fam of ‘Rocky’ star Sylvester Stallone in a new docuseries.

FRIDAY, May 12
City on Fire
Eight-episode original drama revolves the shooting of a NYU student in Central Park, creating an ever-deepening mystery about a series of citywide fires, the downtown music scene and a wealthy family imploding under the stress of a lifetime of dark secrets (Apple TV+).

Great Performances at 50
The iconic Public Television documentary-film series celebrates a birthday milestone with a revue of milestone Broadway shows and songs, hosted by Sutton Foster and featuring Jane Krakowski, Betty Buckley, Vanessa Williams and many more. It’s like going to the theater…without going to the theater! (9 p.m., PBS).

SATURDAY, May 13
Banded
Talented singing, songwriting and instrument-playing musicians compete in this new “build a band” competition hosted by Brandon Jenner and mentored by Grammy-winning artists and producers (9 p.m., AXS TV).

SUNDAY, May 14
Fear the Walking Dead
They’re still dead, they’re still walking, and they’re heading tonight into the eighth and final season of this installment of the hit post-apocalypse franchise. So, there’s still plenty to fear! With Lennie James, Kim Dickens, Karen David and Ruben Blades (9 p.m., AMC and AMC+).

The Cube
Three-time NBA champion Dwayne Wade hosts the new season of this high-octane competition series in which contestants confront physical and mental challenges while confined inside a moving glass box (9 p.m., TBS).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Cosplay, you may be aware, is when people dress up for conventions and other events in the “costumes” to “play” their favorite characters from comics and movies. Thurstan Redding’s explosively illustrates this pop-culture phenomenon in Kids of Cosplay (Thames and Hudson), with more than 70 surreal portraits of young people getting their cosplay on.

The Neighborhood
Dave (Max Greenfield) finally learns the truth about the long-ago disappearance of his father (guest star Kevin Pollack) (8 p.m., CBS).

MONDAY, May 15
Street Outlaws: Locals Only
It’s fast and it’s furious as cameras follow local race drivers across America in a bracket-style elimination to determine, well, who’s the fastest and the furious-est (8 p.m., Discovery).

TUESDAY, May 16
Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me
Documentary (below) delves into the life, death and secrets of Vickie Lynn Hogan, who became international famous as model turned actress Anna Nicole Smith (Netflix).

The Tower 2: Death Message
Season two of the streaming crime-drama series begins as London dig for clues into grisly murders, organized crime and other dark turns of events. Starring Gemma Whelan and Jimmy Akingbola (Britbox).

Angel City
Actor Natalie Portman founded the Angel City Football Club, an all-female soccer team in 2020, and now she’s one of the producers of this docuseries (above) about the players worked to build the franchise (9 p.m., HBO). 

WEDNESDAY, May 17
Conor McGregor
New documentary series goes inside the world of mixed martial arts champ Conor McGregor as he prepares for a return to the UFC octagon (Netflix).

The Family Stallone
It’s Rocky, with all the chips off the ol’ block-y! This new docuseries takes you inside the life of actor Sylvester Stallone and his family, including wife Jennifer Flavin and their three daughters (Paramount+).

THURSDAY, May 18
I Survived Bear Grylls
The TV survivalist joins with comedian Jordan Conley to host this new competition series featuring simulations of some of Gryllis’ most grueling and hair-raising endurance situations (9 p.m., TBS).

The Geography of Bliss
Rainn Wilson (from TV’s The Office) goes on a global trek in this new docuseries (above) to find the happiest places on the planet (Peacock).

Apr 28 2023
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DVDs, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Friday, April 28 – Thursday, May 4, 2023

A new ‘Afterparty’ whodunnit, Star Wars shorts & a fem-centric spin on ‘Fatal Attraction’

FRIDAY, April 28
The Afterparty
Season two of the feisty murder-mystery whodunnit comedy series begins with returning cast members Tiffany Haddish (above), Sam Richardson and Zoe Chao, and new players including Elizabeth Perkins, Paul Walker Hauser, Ken Jeong, Jack Whitehall and others (Apple TV+).

Peter Pan and Wendy
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should—I really don’t see a reason for this remake of the classic childhood tale from Scotland’s J.M. Barre, but Peter Pan has become one of Disney’s most enduring characters. He’s even the host of his own attraction, Peter Pan’s Flight, in most Disney parks. And hey, it’s a kick to see Jude Law as Capt. Hook (Disney+).

SATURDAY, April 29
Moonage Daydream
Acclaimed 2022 doc about the music and life of glitter rocker David Bowie comes to TV (8 p.m., HBO).

SUNDAY, April 30
Tom Jones on Masterpiece
Four-part new adaptation (above) of one of the great novels in the English language, with a new twist to its tale of a young man’s love for a wealthy heiress (9 p.m., PBS).

Fatal Attraction
This new series spin on the 1980s psychosexual classic (stewed rabbit, anyone?) stars Joshua Jackson, Lizzy Caplan, Amanda Peet and Toby Huss in a torrid tale of forbidden love and infidelity through a contemporary prism of strong women, personality disorders and dangerously tangled webs (Paramount+).

MONDAY, May 1
A Small Light
Bel Powley, Joe Cole and Live Schreiber star in this new limited series based on the inspiring true story of the women who played a critical role in hiding Anne Frank and her family during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam (9 p.m., National Geographic).

Undercover Underage
Reality series focuses on a nonprofit working with decoys to entrap would-be predators (9 p.m., ID).

TUESDAY, May 2
Thalia’s Mixtape
Docuseries about the young Latin global superstar and her musical influences (Paramount+).

King Charles: The Boy Who Walked Alone
Royals alert: Longtime friends, school chums and Buckingham Palace staffers offer up recollections of Britain’s new monarch ahead of his coronation in this new 90-minute documentary (above) sure to delight fans of all things Brit-ty (Paramount+).

Bring It Home

Woody Harrelson stars in Champions (Universal Home Entertainment) as a former basketball coach who finds new purpose in his life when he’s court-ordered to take on a team with intellectual disabilities. With Cheech Marin, Ernie Hudson and Kaitlin Olson. 

WEDNESDAY, May 3
Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All
How did a young stuttering British child grow up to become a global superstar? Find out in this new musical documentary that examines the life and career of the London-born singer-songwriter (Disney+).

Pete Davidson stars in ‘Bupkis,’ based on his own life.

THURSDAY, May 4
Bupkis
Pete Davidson stars in this new half-hour live action comedy with a fictionalized spin on his life (Peacock). 

Star Wars: Visions
Second installment of the popular streaming series, pushing the Star Wars mythos into new realms of storytelling with animated shorts from studios around the world (Disney+).

Apr 21 2023
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Books, Movies, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Friday, April 21 – Thursday, April 27

Ana de Armas goes ghost, James Cordon goes out with a bang & Carol Burnett gets an all-star birthday party

FRIDAY, April 21
Ghosted
Knives Out castmates Chris Evans (yes, he’s Captain America!) and Ana de Armas (she was Marilyn Monroe!) reunite for this rollicking romcom (above) about a guy who falls in love with a girl—and finds himself in a whirlwind international adventure to save the world after he finds out she’s really a secret agent (Apple TV+).

Dear Mama
Docuseries explores the linked lives and Black-activism legacies of iconic rapper Tupac Shakur and his mother, Afeni, a proto-feminist leader in the Black Panther party of the 1970s (10 p.m., FX).

SATURDAY, April 22
Chasing the Rains
Bridgerton’s Adjoa Andoh narrates this four-episode streaming series, timed to Earth Day, which takes viewers on a journey into one of Africa’s most majestic and rarely filmed areas, beyond the peaks of Mount Kenya where water is lifesblood (AMC+).

Otter Dynasty
It’s like Dynasty, only with otters. This real-life “family drama” series centers on a group of smooth-coated otters all battling for turf on the island of Singapore (9 p.m., Animal Planet). 

SUNDAY, April 23
Somebody Somewhere
Bridget Everette returns to season two of this Duplass Brothers comedy series, about a young Kansas woman struggling to find a fit in her hometown—and gradually finding a community of her own (10:30 p.m., HBO).

Amityville: An Origin Story
Learn the true story about America’s most infamously haunted house (above)—and about the heinous murders that launched its horrific reputation (MGM+).

MONDAY, April 24

Saturdays
New series (above) follows Danielle Jalade as a young teen on a quest to take her roller-skate crew, the We-B-Girls, to the top (9 p.m., Disney Channel).

TUESDAY, April 25
Supermarket Stakeout
New season of the on-location speed-shopping competition, in which host Alex Guarnaschelli gives contestants $$ to purchase the ingredients for what they’ll be making—by negotiating with customers in the store’s parking lot (9 p.m., Food Network).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Author Claire Dederer dives into a serious—and seriously timely—subject in Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma (Knopf), which examines the contradictory impulses when people whose art we might admire (like filmmakers Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, superstar Michael Jackson, and super-macho writer Ernest Hemingway) give in to darker impulses we deplore. It’s not an easy question, and it doesn’t offer easy answers, but it’s certainly a probing read from a writer who’s covered our culture in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Nation and other publications. 

If you were a country singer from Texas, what might your favorite foods be? In the new cookbook Ya’ll Eat Yet?(Dey Street), hitmaker Miranda Lambert takes us on a tour of the recipes that fed her when she was growing up in the Lone Star State, with a heartfelt look at the women whose kitchen expertise made lifelong impacts far beyond her tummy. 

In Pilgrims, Pickers and Honky Tonk Heroes (Backbeat Books), veteran Nashville journalist Tim Ghianni relates fascinating accounts of his work during a bygone era covering Nashville and its music-makers, making many of them his friends. It’s a one-of-a-kind, personalized journeyman’s glimpse into a world where Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Chet Atkins, Waylon Jennings, Charlie Daniels, Willie Nelson and Roy Clark all breathed the same rarefied Music City air, with richly detailed side trips about rock legend Jimi Hendrix (yes, also a Nashville resident at one time), the proto-country punk band Jason & the Scorchers, and much more. 

TUESDAY, April 25
Family Legacy
Does the musical apple fall far from the tree? Not in this new docuseries, which follows the children of famous musical artists and band members, including Van Halen, Melissa Etheridge, the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC (Paramount+).

The Light We Carry: Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey
Special presentation with the TV talk-show queen interviewing the former First Lady as she wraps up the tour for her 2022 book, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times (Netflix).

WEDNESDAY, April 26

Saint X
New streaming series (above), told through multiple timelines, follows a woman’s mysterious death during a Caribbean vacation and her sister’s dangerous pursuit of the truth. Starring Alycia Debnam-Carey, Josh Bronzie and Betsy Brandt (Hulu).

Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter and Love
Bernadette Peters, Billy Porter, Jane Lynch, Katy Perry, Kristen Chenoweth and many others pay tribute with song and reflections to one of comedy’s leading ladies (above) on her 90th birthday in this two-hour special filmed live in Hollywood (8 p.m., NBC).

THURSDAY, Aprll 27
Love & Death
Based on a true story, this new series tells the tale of a pair of churchgoing couples enjoying their smalltown Texas life…until extramarital dilly-dallying causes someone to pick up an axe. Yikes! Starring Elizabeth Olsen, Jesse Plemons and Lily Rabe (HBO Max).

The Last Last Late Late Show
Primetime special celebrates the show’s final night (right) on the air just ahead of its farewell episode, as host James Cordon welcomes a parade of guest stars—including superstar Tom Cruise—to commemorate 8 years of Karpool Karaoke and other antics (10 p.m., CBS)

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