Curb Your Enthusiasm (Sunday, HBO 10:30pm) — The world needed more Larry David and, by god, he’s giving it to us, even if he’s never gonna drop those curmudgeon ways. Expect the Seinfeld co-creator to bring his usual flavor and more of the iconic theme, so this is pure comfort food for those of us who are weary of all the ways that the world has transformed over the past 20 months or so. Larry hasn’t changed on us, and thank god for that.
Insecure (Sunday, HBO 10:00pm) — Issa Rae’s brainchild returns for one last block-party radio after a pretty substantial cliffhanger. This season, Issa begins by offering an olive branch to repair a relationship, and there’s likely a followup with Lawrence’s baby and the possibility of Nathan reentering the scene.
These streaming picks make great appetizers:
Dune (Warner Bros. film on HBO Max) — Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, and Stellan Skarsgård playing a 300-pound villain. Oh, and sandworms and spice, too. What more could you possibly want? Well, how about an interpretation of Frank Herbert’s classic from director Denis Villeneuve? That’s more like it, especially because David Lynch would love to pretend that his version never existed. Expect a mythic and epic and world-building journey of a hero, Paul Atreides (Chalamet), who must live up to his incredible destiny. No pressure, of course.
Night Teeth (Netflix film) — Debby Ryan and Lucy Fry play the lead-character vampires of this film, but there are also vampires played by Megan Fox and Sydney Sweeney, so you know what that means: any human in their sights are in big trouble. That includes a college-student-turned-chauffeur, Benny (Jorge Lendeborg, Jr.), who’s tasked with driving the two primary vamps around to parties, where they can get their thirst on. Can Benny stay alive, can he save Los Angeles, and can he possibly do both things? Talk about a guilty pleasure of a movie.
Here’s some regularly scheduled programming:
SNL (Saturday, HBO 11:29pm) — Jason Sudeikis hosts with musical guest Brandi Carlile.
The Equalizer (Sunday, CBS 8:00pm) — Queen Latifah’s McCall is working on gaining some hefty leverage this week. She can do it.
Succession (Sunday, HBO 9:00pm) — Kendall’s still trying to get is siblings to defect from Team Logan, and by god, he’s going for Sandi, too. Meanwhile, Cousin Greg’s looking out for himself. Oh boy.
Fear The Walking Dead (Sunday, CBS 9:00pm) — No time jump last week left everyone awakening in the bunker (with a baby onboard for Morgan), and this week, the action might take place within about “Six Hours” (that’s the episode title).
Hightown (Sunday, Starz 9:00pm) — Jackie and Leslie’s ambitions are matching up nicely, on and off the force, and Frankie decides to forge ahead with Jorge, but Charmaine’s looking like a wild card.
Buried (Sunday, Showtime 9:00pm) — This limited true-crime series details the story of Eileen Franklin, who suddenly experiences a decades-old memory of witnessing her childhood best friend get raped and murdered. This realization leads to the case of Susan Nason being reopened after stumping police for almost 20 years.
The Walking Dead: The World Beyond (Sunday, AMC 10:00pm) — Season 2 continues with an ambiguously described episode that indicates this: family is not the name of the game.
American Rust (Sunday, Showtime 10:00) — Jeff Daniels can swing between being comedic and dramatic, and in his new Showtime series, American Rust, he’s decidedly the latter and latest star to take on a complicated cop role after Kate Winslet’s turn in Mare of Easttown. And notably, Bridges’ new role is also set in Pennsylvania with a focus this week on the Blue Mountains.
Last Week Tonight (Sunday, HBO 11:00) — John Oliver, baby.
Here’s some more streaming goodness for the weekend.
Inside Job (Netflix series) — Lizzy Caplan and Christian Slater star in this adult animated comedy show that revolves around a shadow government that’s all up in global conspiracies. There are secret societies and orgies and shapeshifters and psychic mushrooms, along with an idealistic agent who hopes that she can make a difference in a world filled with unhinged characters.
Invasion: Season 1 (Apple TV+ series) — Apple TV+ has been crushing the outer-space game with All For Mankind, and with this Simon Kinberg sci-fi show, they’re bringing the (dubious) party to planet Earth. Kinberg, of course, has plenty of producing clout under his belt (The Martian, the Deadpool movies, Logan) and he’s teaming up here with procedural-minded director Jakob Verbruggen (The Alienist, The Fall) to focus on individual stories around the globe during the fallout of an alien invasion. There’s some Sam Neill flavor up in here, too, and if there’s a god, he’ll be wearing a hat in this show. Yes, it’s intense-looking show, and the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.
Just Beyond: Season 1 (Disney+ series) — This horror-comedy anthology bases itself on R.L. Stine’s BOOM! Studios comic book series of the same name. Expect plenty of supernatural journeys (with a personally affecting touch) through alternate dimensions with witches, aliens, and ghosts onboard.
Guilty Party: Season 1 (Paramount+ series) — Kate Beckinsale stars in this charming-looking dramedy series about a disgraced (and opportunistic) journalist who works to redeem herself by digging for the real story on a young mother who was convicted of murdering her husband, a crime that the mother insists that she did not commit. Expect (strangely enough) some whimsy amid this seemingly serious premise, including some adversaries that are a real pain in the butt.
The Next Thing You Eat: Season 1 (Hulu series) — Chef David Chang teams up with director Morgan Nevill for six episodes that follow seismic changes in the way we eat. There’s a global perspective, and expect to see robots and lab-grown food and all manner of other surprises.
Snoop and Martha’s Very Tasty Halloween (Peacock special) — The dynamic duo re-teams again, this time to host a baking competition that’s geared toward the spookiest holiday of all. Expect to see giant chocolate spiders and cotton-candy cobwebs, all packed into room-sized, edible creations. These two have been tight since their inaugural recipe, mashed potatoes, so there’s simply no turning back, ever.
Jack and Kelly Osbourne: Night Of Terror (Discovery+ special) — The famed RMS Queen Mary becomes ground central for these two siblings (and kids of Ozzy and Sharon) as they journey into the unknown. Given that the ghost-filled ship shut down for the COVID pandemic, things are even spookier as filmed for this series because no one is (officially) touring, and they’re all alone. So, good luck to both the formerly skeptical Kelly and the true-believing Jack as they make their ways down this famed Long Island haunting venue.
Halloween Kills (Universal movie on Peacock) — A horror blockbuster is here to spook you in your living rooms, y’all. Michael Myers survives that damn fire, which leads to a fully-had-it-up-to-here mindset of Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode, who’s mad as hell at firefighters and vowing that Michael Myers is going down. If it was a matter of wills and badassery, she could make it happen, but that’s not how things usually roll out in this franchise. David Gordon Green directs again here, and he’ll be back for Halloween Ends, so good luck, Laurie.
