Premieres Wednesday: Love & Anarchy – If you're expecting a remake of the 1974 Lina Wertmüller flick of the same name, you're going to be disappointed. (Both of you.) What you're getting instead is an eight-episode Swedish series in which a married business consultant and a young IT guy blackmail each other into increasingly outrageous public behavior. Their challenges run the gamut from walking backwards for a day to significantly riskier stuff. Like ... posing as Lina Wertmüller? Dammit, I told you to let that go. (Netflix)
Premieres Thursday: Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta? – This true-crime docuseries explores the 2002 death of Argentinian socialite Marta, which was initially chalked up as an accident but later ruled foul play. Fair warning: Though the show will examine a variety of theories, no culprit has yet been identified. But I love any program where suspicion could fall equally on Carmen Sandiego and that bitch Carole Baskin. (Netflix)
Paranormal – Egypt is the origin country of a thriller series in which a scientist of the 1960s stumbles upon a world of unexplained phenomena. The show's promo materials describe him as a "skeptical hematologist," and I don't know if I'd rather pretend that's actually a field of study, or just the title of a lost Tool album. (Netflix)
Premieres Saturday: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions 2020 – It took the coronavirus to force the first-ever cancellation of the rock hall's annual ceremony (although you have to salute the pioneering work done in that field by Johnny Rotten, Axl Rose and everybody who ever mattered in Van Halen). Instead, organizers have whipped up a tribute special to this year's honorees, with the likes of Depeche Mode, the Doobie Brothers and Nine Inch Nails being praised by Dave Grohl, Bruce Springsteen, Lin-Manuel Miranda and possibly a few folks who aren't tragically overexposed. Industry power players Jon Landau and Irving Azoff will also be recognized – I guess for being slightly less destructive to society than COVID-19 or something. (HBO Max)
Premieres Monday: Industry – Boy, the gang at HBO have their finger on the proverbial pulse. Not only are they bringing us Jon Landau this week, but also the debut of Industry, an eight-episode drama that follows a group of young recruits to the world of international banking. Will they be able to navigate the sex, drugs and intrigue that make high finance what it is? Somehow, I can't imagine your friends who just got downsized by Disney finding the question all that compelling. Then again, I never understood why Robin Leach had a board game. (HBO Max)
Premieres Tuesday: A Teacher – Filmmaker Hannah Fidell adapts her 2013 film about a Texas teacher who has an affair with one of her students into a 10-episode series starring Kate Mara. But does the material retain any real shock value? I mean, the student is male. And already a senior, for goodness sake! Somebody's going to have to work a lot harder if they want QAnon to look up from Cuties. (FX on Hulu)
