Premieres Wednesday: Growing Up Animal — A Muppet Babies spinoff? You wish! What we have here instead is a six-episode nature series that focuses on the maturation process of lions, bears, elephants, chimpanzees ... every type of critter except Paul Rudd, because that boy's going to be a pup forever. (Disney+)
Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes — This true-crime doc addresses a question that's bedeviled the British public for decades: What could have motivated Dennis Nilsen to murder 15 strangers in 1983 — way before "wouldn't stop singing 'Tubthumping'" existed as an excuse? (Netflix)
Nine Perfect Strangers — If it's Wednesday, there must be a new streaming series starring Nicole Kidman. This one has her as a wellness guru who requires almost cult-like obedience from her clients. Wait a minute, I thought the whole point of divorcing Cruise was to get out of situations like that. (Hulu)
Premieres Thursday: Eyes on the Prize: Hallowed Ground — Just as the seminal 1987 PBS series Eyes on the Prize is being made available to stream, along comes this companion special to explore the ways in which mainstream America has warmed to the civil-rights movement since then. As Derek Smalls of Spinal Tap would say, "That's a cozy 10 minutes." (HBO Max)
Looney Tunes Cartoons Back to School Special — Get ready to laugh as your favorite Warner Bros. characters wrestle with the challenges of a new school year. You can watch with your kids, now that their entire class is home on quarantine! (HBO Max)
Marlon Wayans: You Know What It Is — The guy who almost played Robin for Tim Burton takes to the stage to explore his deepest fears in front of a live audience. Fear No. 1: All things considered, Burt Ward did more for humanity. (HBO Max)
Sweet Life: Los Angeles — Issa Rae created this reality series about Black 20-somethings trying to keep their personal and professional lives together in South L.A. So basically, it’s like Jersey Shore for people who would be chased down the street by the cast of Jersey Shore. (HBO Max)
Premieres Friday: Annette — Fresh from its limited theatrical release, here's the talked-about musical that has Adam Driver singing while performing cunnilingus. He used to be Kylo Ren, but now he's Grand Muff Talkin'! (Amazon Prime)
The Chair — Amanda Peet created this drama series that features Sandra Oh as the first woman and person of color to chair the English department at her university. See, to us white guys, the preservation of cultural literacy is like control of the TV remote: We only let you have it when nobody else is using it anymore. (Netflix)
Reminiscence — Sci-fi goes noir as Hugh Jackman plays a private dick who helps clients retrieve their memories. Writer-director Lisa Joy (Westworld) says she considered doing the film under a male pseudonym; unfortunately, "Christopher Nolan" was already taken. (HBO Max)
Sweet Girl — Can Jason Momoa avenge the death of his wife and keep his daughter alive? Hey, if he can work with Amber Heard and survive to tell the tale, anything's possible. (Netflix)
Premieres Monday: The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf — This spinoff of the popular fantasy series is anime, not live action. And Henry Cavill didn’t even provide voice work. So it’s Theo James you’ll have to picture dubbing his dialogue without pants on. (Netflix)
Premieres Tuesday: Untold: Caitlyn Jenner — Close out your week with an insightful retrospective of the decathlete's every achievement, from winning Olympic gold to living her truth. And by "her truth," I mean whatever excuse she's going to give for getting her ass kicked in the California recall. (Netflix)
