Black Monday (Sunday, Showtime 9:55 p.m.) — Don Cheadle’s Mo Monroe (and his coke-snorting ways) return for the third season of this dark comedy executive-produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Mo is still up to no good, although he’s now a jazz producer, and Dawn’s still on the hook for masterminding the historical event known as, well, Black Monday.
The Chi (Sunday, Showtime 9:00 p.m.) — Emmett’s past comes back to haunt him, and a law enforcement run-in leaves several characters feeling off kilter while Kiesha has a major decision to make.
Flatbush Misdemeanors (Sunday, Showtime 10:25 p.m.) — This show debuts with a Flatbush, Brooklyn setting, where good friends Kevin and Dan are settling in while thriving, but Kevin messes it all up by angering a local drug dealer.
Ziwe (Sunday, Showtime 10:53 p.m.) — Ziwe Fumudoh’s former status as a Desus & Mero writer will be no shocker for anyone who catches her new variety series. This week, Ziwe reveals her desire to become New York City major after Bowen Yang and Patti Harrison drop by to chat about stockpiling wealth.
Here’s the best of this week’s streaming picks:
Army Of The Dead (Netflix film) — Zack Snyder’s pretty much the King of Streaming at the moment after Justice League scored big for HBO Max on the superhero front, and he’s spreading his love around over at Netflix while going back to his undead-loving roots. This zombie-heist movie follows a group of mercenaries who head into the Las Vegas quarantine zone to pull off the ultimate heist. Watch out for those intelligent zombies, through, and an undead tiger. Fortunately, Dave Bautista is aided by hot Tig Notaro (who replaced Chris D’Elia) — both good reasons to root for humanity.
Master of None: Season 3 (Netflix series) — It’s been (four) years since we’ve seen Aziz Ansari’s brainchild do its thing, and that’s not even (officially, at least) down to the pandemic. Ansari’s been largely out of the public eye following sexual misconduct allegations, although he did emerge a few years ago for an insightful comedy special that goes a long way to show that gazing inward, and this new batch of episodes proves it. Aziz takes a step behind the camera to direct in a season that he cowrote with the Emmy-winning Lena Waithe, whose character moves to the forefront.
Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. (Hulu series) — Patton Oswalt’s indisputable knack for voice work recently managed to shock The Boys audience (that’s what happens when you “cameo” as a set of gills for the lead pervert character), and now he’s the leading man in a very adult-oriented animated series. Here, Oswalt’s portraying an egomaniacal supervillain (with a massive, unwieldy noggin) who’s struggling to balance his day job as a bad dude with family life (it happens, even to the most evil among us!). In the process, he’s gotta deal with a certain busybody named Tony Stark/Iron Man, who’s voiced by freaking Jon Hamm. Expect to hear Bill Hader, Whoopi Goldberg, Ben Schwartz, and Nathan Fillion all join the chorus as everyone on this show seems to want to push a bad man down.
And back to the scheduled programming here:
Pride (Friday, FX 9:00 & 10:00 p.m.) — This week, the 1990s Culture Wars spotlight the years following Bill Clinton’s election, and the 2000s Y2Gay years welcome the new age of queer visibility in the mainstream culture.
Pause With Sam Jay (Friday, HBO 9:00 p.m.) — The Emmy-nominated SNL writer aims to revamp the late-night talk show format with each episode taking place at Sam’s apartment, where she’s throwing a party. Get ready for some feisty conversations and, hopefully, a sense of understanding between those who hold different perspectives on cultural issues.
A Black Lady Sketch Show (Friday, HBO 11:00 p.m.) — The fast-paced, quick-witted narrative series returns with loads of celebrity guests, but of course, the sketches all happen by the grace of the core cast, including Robin Thede, Ashley Nicole Black, and Gabrielle Dennis with Issa Rae executive producing,
SNL (Saturday, NBC 10:30 p.m.) — Anya Taylor Joy (who will definitely be better than Elon Musk) hosts with musical guest Nas by her side.
Fear the Walking Dead (Sunday, AMC 9:00 p.m.) — Weeks after the show brilliantly subverted Negan’s storyline, Teddy holds Alicia prisoner, although she reunites with familiar faces and begins to plot an escape.
2021 Billboard Music Awards (Sunday, NBC 8:00 p.m.) — Nick Jonas hosts to celebrate this (difficult) year’s greatest musical achievements amid performances by The Weeknd, Pink, Alicia Keys, BTS, Doja Cat, SZA, AJR, Bad Bunny and Karol G, DJ Khaled featuring H.E.R. and Migos, and more.
In Treatment (Sunday, HBO 9:00 p.m.) — Season 4 kicks off with Brooke reestablishing boundaries as Eladio’s therapist before Colin arrives for his court-mandated sessions, for which he’s awfully evasive while claiming to love therapy.
Mare Of Easttown (Sunday, HBO 10:00 p.m.) — Kate Winslet returns not only to TV but to HBO as a hard-vaping detective in a small town where she both portrays and elevates the “complicated” cop trope. This week, the Evan Peters-centered events leave Mare reeling, although Chief Carter gives her a second chance to reexamine old suspects.
Last Week Tonight (Sunday, HBO 10:00 p.m.) — Please, let John Oliver tackle Ted Cruz again.
Here are some more fresh streaming picks:
Hacks (HBO Max series premiere) — Jean Smart’s not-so-quiet domination of recent prestige TV shows (Fargo, Watchmen, Mare of Easttown, Legion) and other popular shows of late (Big Mouth, Dirty John) has finally culminated with this leading-lady turn in a role she was arguably meant to play. Hacks hails from executive producer Michael Schur and has three Broad City alums in the writers’ room, so get ready for a (Las Vegas) buffet of complex female characters. Smart portrays a legendary comedian who forges a “dark mentorship” to a 20-something newcomer in town. Don’t miss this one.
Solos (Amazon Prime limited series) — This dramatic anthology series, which hails from David Weil (who also created Hunters), aims to explore the power of human connection while gazing through the eyes of seven individuals, who embody their own stories. The series stars Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway, Helen Mirren, Uzo Aduba, Nicole Beharie, Anthony Mackie, Dan Stevens, and Constance Wu, and expect to witness stories that will illuminate the human experience, even during times of isolation.
The Me You Can’t See (Apple TV+ series) — On the heels of *that* interview, Prince Harry and Oprah are teaming up as co-creators and executive producers of this series that will dig into stories that revolve around mental health and emotional well-being. Expect a variety of guests, including Lady Gaga, the NBA’s DeMar DeRozan and Langston Galloway, plus a popular chef, and more.
1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything (Apple TV series) — This docuseries dives into a year that was overstuffed with musical innovation and a sense of rebirth, all of which was fueled by cultural and political upheaval. Artists obliterated boundaries and stars reached higher than they’d ever done before this fateful moment.
Trying: Season 2 (Apple TV+ series) — Esther Smith and Rafe Spall return as a married couple who are painstakingly wading through the adoption process after learning that they’re unable to conceive a biological child. That particular angle on parenthood isn’t frequently tackled on TV, but as the couple moves past conquering the almighty adoption panel, they’ve got even harder work ahead of them. This show’s already landed a Season 3 renewal, so there’s an ultimate plan out there for this couple.
