Premieres Wednesday:
34th GLAAD Media Awards — This year’s tribute to positive LGBT representation in film, TV and other media is hosted by comedian/actress Margaret Cho. Or, as you know her in her other line of work, “George Santos.” (Hulu)
American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombings — Revisit the crazy case of Dzhokar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev via a combination of archival footage and reenactments. Hard-core history buffs will appreciate the ample amount of screen time devoted to the forgotten third sibling, Chip. (Netflix)
Celeste Barber: Fine, Thanks — The star of the current Wellmania takes to the stage of the Sydney Opera House to sound off on topics that include the phenomenon of “celebrity-branded sex toys.” In retrospect, those Gilbert Gottfried anal beads were kind of a bad call. (Netflix)
Rennervations — Jeremy Renner told Variety that this four-episode series, in which he oversees the radical refurbishing of decommissioned government vehicles for charity, has been “a driving force” in his recovery from his recent accident. Meanwhile, a true-to-form Jay Leno is speeding his own healing process by leaving flaming bags of shit on Conan O’Brien’s porch. (Disney+)
Premieres Thursday:
Alex Schwazer: Running for My Truth — The title of this documentary profile isn’t exactly accurate, because disgraced Olympian Schwazer is technically a race walker, not a runner. But really, would you watch a show called Alex Schwazer: Hustling to Catch the Bus of Destiny? (Netflix)
The Boss Baby: Back in the Crib — In Season 2, Boss Baby Ted and niece Tina start their own company. Do they have what it takes to run a startup? Or will they end up screaming and crying that it’s all unfair while begging grownups to bail them out? Oh, wait: That is running a startup. (Netflix)
Florida Man — Édgar Ramírez stars in a dramedy series about an ex-cop who returns to the Sunshine State and immediately gets caught up in a web of lies and corruption. But to be fair to him, nothing in the national news could have warned him that’s what he’d find here. (Netflix)
Obsession — That “Make Good Choices” plaque gets turned against the wall as a British surgeon (Richard Armitage) begins a heated affair with his son’s fiancée. All right, Pops, time to pour some ice on it. This ain’t Bridgerton here, y’know. (Netflix)
Titans — The final six episodes of the series find the team struggling to escape an alternate reality while life takes a nightmarish turn without them. “I guess I never should have gotten on that Zoom call with James Gunn,” reflects a chastened Dick Grayson. (HBO Max)
Premieres Friday:
#BringBackAlice — Two Polish girls go missing; one comes back, one doesn’t. Is it the setup of a gripping crime series? Or did Tommy from Goodfellas convince his Ma to put a little more oomph into her paintings? (HBO Max)
Greek Salad — From 2002-2013, the Spanish Apartment trilogy of films captivated audiences with their continuing story of students from all over Western Europe who meet while sharing a flat in Barcelona. The sequel series Greek Salad looks in on their kids, who are now grown and experiencing the culture of modern-day Athens. As a sop to Americans, we’ll also find out which one of their dads was Indiana Jones and which one was a Ghostbuster. (Prime Video)
Jane — A combination of live action and CGI is used to tell the story of a 9-year-old environmentalist who tries to emulate her hero, Dr. Jane Goodall, by saving endangered animals. Her chief adversary: a homeschooled preteen who wants to be Ted Nugent. (Apple TV+)
Kids vs. Aliens — Hobo With a Shotgun director Jason Eisener brings us the tale of teenagers who have to protect the world from an extraterrestrial invasion while their parents are away. The kids’ parents, that is, not the aliens’. But admit it: I’ve spoiled you now. (Shudder)
Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die — The historical drama series The Last Kingdom ended last year, but now we’re getting a sequel movie that finds Uhtred and his pals fighting to create a unified England. You’ll be moved yet a bit confused when they unveil their official flag and slogan, “Uhtred on me.” (Netflix)
The Last Thing He Told Me — This adaptation of the best-selling novel casts Jennifer Garner as a woman whose search for her missing husband depends on developing better communication with her stepdaughter. Come on, girls! You were able to work together to snag those Taylor Swift tickets. Surely you can handle this. (Apple TV+)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel — As the show’s fifth and final season commences, Midge has been inspired to re-enter the stand-up game. But getting to the top may be more difficult than she thought. SPOILER: The strategy she hits on just might involve a sledgehammer, a watermelon and a whole lotta moxie. (Prime Video)
Queenmaker — A political mastermind pulls out all the stops to turn a civil-rights lawyer into her community’s next mayor. In South Korea, of course, because no way in H-E-double-hockey-sticks is that gonna happen here. (Netflix)
Rugrats — Tommy Pickles gets a brother in Season 2 of the computer-animated reboot. My, what a wonderful opportunity to expand licensee profits … I mean, “impart valuable lessons about growing up.” (Paramount+)
Weathering — It was bad enough that her baby was born dead, but now the grieving mother is being tormented by supernatural forces. Or as they’re otherwise known, “The Federalist Society.” (Netflix)
Premieres Monday:
Longest Third Date — In the mood to revisit the early days of the pandemic? Of course you aren’t. But wait: What if I told you you could revisit the early days of the pandemic through the eyes of a couple who had flown to Costa Rica on their third date and were stuck there for three months while you were fighting the mobs at Publix for toilet paper? Hey, put down that croquet mallet! (Netflix)
Para: We Are King — Our four young heroines have even higher hopes of escaping Berlin’s Wedding district in Season 2, but the shadows of the past just might hold them back. But hey, if they can’t make it out of Wedding, they can at least rule the streets of its even tougher subdistrict, Shotgun Wedding. (HBO Max)
Premieres Tuesday:
Alex Borstein: Corsets & Clown Suits — If you haven’t gotten enough of Borstein in Mrs. Maisel, here she is performing a hybrid of storytelling and music from the stage of the Wolford Theatre — the burly-Q joint from the show’s penultimate season. I tell ya, the producers of Oz really missed a step when they didn’t favor us with Rita Moreno: Live From the Oswald State Correctional Facility. (Amazon Prime Video)
How to Get Rich — Learn the secrets of financial freedom from money guru Ramit Sethi, author of 2009’s I Will Teach You to Be Rich. Wait a minute — if his book came out 14 years ago, why does he still have to work? (Netflix)
This article appears in Apr 12-18, 2023.