Resident Alien (SyFy, 10:30pm) — Alan Tudyk (Firefly, Rogue One) is an alien. That might be enough to reel you into this show, but just in case, let’s keep going. Alan plays Harry, an alien who crash-landed on Earth and soon occupies himself as a small-town doctor while secretly plotting to murder humans. That doesn’t go so well, and he ends up helping to solve a local murder, which causes him to re-evaluate his morals within his mission. Yep, this looks like the best kind of ridiculousness and is based upon the Dark Horse comic of the same name.
Penguin Bloom (Netflix film) — Naomi Watts (Samantha) and Andrew Lincoln (Cameron) star in this story about a family who holidays in Thailand when tragedy strikes. Sam falls off a rooftop and ends up paralyzed, which sends her lifelong outdoorswoman status flailing. She falls into a depression that makes her question her whole identity, and when her children bring home wounded baby bird (that they call “Penguin”), the process of healing and hope begins for both bird and human family.
Nancy Drew (CW, 8:00pm) — Nancy and her gang are (obviously) hunting for clues on how to fight the Algaeca while George has an unpleasant run-in with Nick’s mother.
C.B. Strike (HBO, 10:00pm) — This series is adapted from the novels of Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) and follows a London-based private detective who investigates the most complex cases with the help of his military training. This week, the story of the strangled child is aided by a startling discovery, but an interruption in the investigation may endanger its conclusion.
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — Billy Crystal, Rep. Jackie Speier
Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Naomi Watts, Leslie Odom Jr
The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon — Rami Malek, Bridget Everett, Jesus Trejo
Late Night With Seth Meyers — Stanley Tucci, Kate Berlant, Jacqueline Novak
In case you missed these recent picks:
Flack: Season 1 (PopTV series moving to Amazon Prime) — Flack came out two years ago on Pop TV, presumably as a limited series, but all that has changed now. Amazon picked up the Anna Paquin-starring show for an unexpected second season, which will arrive later this year. If you are in need of some guilty-pleasure escapism, consider giving this series a whirl. It’s voyeuristic and at times thrilling to watch. Flack also feels like an amalgamation of many shows and movies you’ve seen before, including The Devil Wears Prada, Scandal, and Sex and the City.
Fate: The Winx Saga (Netflix series) — Based upon the Italian cartoon Winx Club (by Iginio Straffi), this live-action reimagining serves as a coming-of-age tale set in the Otherworld, at a magical boarding school. It’s essentially a journey for five young fairies at the Alfea school, and those with human parents don’t even know that this school doesn’t exist in the “real” world. Expect a lot of teenage drama as the young women hone their powers while dealing with all the usual stuff, like love, rivalries, and monsters.
The Sister: Season 1 (Hulu series) — ITV commissioned this series with Hulu, and it’s already a hit in the U.K. The show’s based upon Burial, a best selling novel by Neil Cross (Luther) and involves a family’s life being rocked into oblivion when a presence from the past literally shows up on the porch with some unwelcome and shocking news. This development, of course, transforms into catastrophic decisions and long-lasting effects that aren’t so desirable.
