Natasha Lyonne is a Gen-X Columbo in ‘Poker Face,’ debuting Thursday on Peacock

click to enlarge

Photo courtesy Peacock

Natasha Lyonne stars in the latest creation from Rian "Knives Out" Johnson

Premieres Wednesday:

Against the Ropes — Nacho Libre meets Orange Is the New Black in a Mexican series about an ex-con who turns to wrestling to impress her kid. The WWE’s own Rey Mysterio has a supporting role — because the Iron Sheik was too busy with his preschool series, My Little Jabroni. (Netflix) 

Extraordinary — Being a late bloomer has cosmic implications for Jen (Máiréad Tyers), a 25-year-old Londoner who’s the only member of her squad still waiting to develop superpowers. And since she has a mere eight episodes for it to happen, the gods of Always Knowing Where to Find the Best Takeaway Kebabs had better act fast. (Hulu)

Mila in the Multiverse — Brazil sends us a youth-oriented sci-fi series in which a teen heroine has to defeat beings that are bent on destroying life as we know it in every timeline. Damn Bolsominions! Why can’t they just take the L and go home? (Disney+)

Premieres Thursday:

The 1619 Project — The journalistic endeavor that inadvertently spurred the CRT flap becomes a six-part docuseries on racial bias in America, as brought to our screens by Oprah Winfrey and her people. If you look real hard, there might be a word in that sentence that doesn’t make Scott Adams’ head explode. (Hulu)

Killing County — Colin Kaepernick’s production company presents a three-part true-crime series that probes the corruption lurking just below the surface of Bakersfield, California. If you still have a hard-on for Kaepernick, here’s your chance to put your money where your mouth is by watching the entire thing standing up. (Hulu)

Poker Face — Rian Johnson directs Natasha Lyonne in an old-fashioned mystery series that sees a highly intuitive ex-casino worker solving another case in every episode. With a guest cast that ranges from Adrien Brody to Cherry Jones to John Hodgman, I think the biggest mystery here is “What are all you guys doing in my dream?” (Peacock)

Record of Ragnarok: Season 2 — In the first 10 of 15 new episodes, the epic showdown between gods and humans continues with a round that pits Hercules against Jack the Ripper. Pretty sure those guys are in different weight classes, but maybe the judges are going to give points for creativity. (Watch out, Venus: Casey Anthony says you’re gonna be hearin’ footsteps.) (Netflix)

Wolf Pack — Sarah Michelle Gellar stars in a new series that shows the California wildfires releasing a rampaging supernatural monster. Wait a minute, I thought we had canceled Joss Whedon. (Paramount+)

Premieres Friday:

Kings of Jo’Burg — The COVID-related death of creator/star Shona Ferguson hasn’t stopped this supernaturally inflected crime drama from going to a second season: The focus is simply shifting from Ferguson’s crime-lord character, Simon “Vader” Masire, to his brother Mo. In related news, the next season of Diamond and Silk Crystal Clear will be a crossover adventure set in the realm of Wakanda. (Netflix)

Lockwood & Co. — Two teenage boys and a girl psychic team up to save London from a ghostly menace. In the U.K. tabloids, the haunts in question are known as “the scare and the spare.” (Netflix)

Shotgun Wedding — Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel play a betrothed couple who have to rescue their wedding party from kidnappers. Jennifer Coolidge and Cheech Marin are among the supporting performers in this high-stakes game of “What Would You Do for a Salad Shooter?” (Prime Video)

Shrinking — The creative team behind Ted Lasso introduces us to a therapist (Jason Segel) who breaks with professional protocol by giving his patients his unvarnished opinion. But if a mental-health professional isn’t telling you what you pay him to hear, what’s the point of personal growth anyway? (Apple TV+)

The Snow Girl — A little girl gets lost in the shuffle of a Spanish parade, and it’s up to a valiant female journalist to find her. I’m no expert here, but maybe she should try looking behind the refrigerator. (Netflix)

You People — Fresh from becoming the last person in the world to make a Will Smith joke, Eddie Murphy takes on the role of Jonah Hill’s potential father-in-law in an equally 11th-hour comedy about interracial relationships. If Sam Alito hasn’t made this movie obsolete by February, I’ll pay off your student debt. (Dogecoin only, please.) (Netflix)

Premieres Tuesday:

Nate Bargatze: Hello World — The so-called “Nicest Man in Stand-Up” moves to Prime for his latest special after several successful outings on Netflix. Wouldn’t it be funny if he dropped the image and just read them for filth because they cancel all the good shows? (Prime Video)

Pamela, a Love Story — Having seen her story dramatized in Pam and Tommy, the erstwhile Ms. Anderson-Lee is surely relishing the opportunity to tell her side of things in her own official documentary. But director Ryan White told People that his star doesn’t know exactly which archival footage and diary entries were used in the final edit. So in other words, it’s This Is Your Life for hot messes. (Netflix)