Premieres Wednesday: Chef's Table: BBQ – The latest spin-off from the seminal Chef's Table profiles barbecue experts from around the globe, including an octogenarian Texas restaurateur and an Australian chef who finds his ingredients in the Outback. And I don't mean the Outback Steakhouse, because that would sorta be cheating, y'know? (Netflix)
Premieres Thursday: Raised by Wolves – Executive producer Ridley Scott also directed episodes of this debuting sci-fi series, in which a male and female android are tasked with raising human children in a society riven with squabbles over religion. Ah, yes, the age-old question: Do we bring the kids up Jewish like their mother, or Alternating Current like their dad? (HBO Max)
Premieres Friday: Away – A big week for science fiction continues, with Hilary Swank playing a mission commander who ignores the needs of her husband and child to lead an expedition to Mars. It's nice to know we're going to hold female starship captains culpable for prioritizing career over family, the same way we've always done with male characters like ... like ... Hey, James T. Kirk thought Carol Marcus was on the pill, all right? (Netflix)
The Boys Season 2 – The hit deconstructive series about very bad superheroes adds a provocative new character: Aya Cash (You're the Worst) plays Stormfront, an alt-right provocateur who introduces The Seven to the persuasive power of social media. "You don't need 50 million fans," she explains. "You need to make five million people angry." And now I'm really starting to worry, because that's the closest thing to a career plan I've had since I was 20. (Amazon Prime)
Earth to Ned – With the first season of Muppets Now ending this week, you're going to need another series that has Henson creations trading quips with celebrities. Enter Earth to Ned, in which two extraterrestrials abandon their plan to enslave this planet in favor of hosting a talk show. But did they really need to pick one over the other? From what I hear, Ellen is managing both quite nicely. (Disney+)
I'm Thinking of Ending Things – Iain Reid's 2016 novel becomes a vehicle for writer-director Charlie Kaufman, who offers us his take on the story of a young woman who learns some uncomfortable truths about the boyfriend she's intending to dump. Then again, in breakups, are any truths comfortable to begin with? Hell, in Charlie Kaufman movies? (Netflix)
Mulan – There was uproar when Disney announced that the latest live-action remake of one of its animated hits will carry a price point of $30 to stream, even if you already subscribe to their Disney+ service. But there's a loophole I'm going to let you in on that will let you watch the film absolutely free! All you have to do is two simple things: Move to France, and wait until the unspecified future date the movie is available there. Because when that happens, you're going to be on Easy Street! And to think we all laughed at Ivanka when she told us to Find Something New. (Disney+)
