There's a lot of great TV this week worth catching up on.
My favorite two launches of the week would actually pair together as pretty good back-to-back viewing. Yellowjackets is a story split across two timelines - in the mid 90s we watch a plane that goes down with a girls team of soccer players on board. The teenage girls are left to fend for themselves as they wait to be rescued. And then in the modern day we see the girls as adult women grappling with the trauma (and secrets) of what took place following the crash. It's dark, funny, propulsive TV. I really liked it. Meanwhile The Sex Lives of College Girls is a relationship comedy about four girls each with different life experiences who start at Essex college and are placed in a dorm room together. They form a friendship as they navigate a world of sex and drama and freedoms. It's a great hang-out show. You'll want to spend a lot of time with these girls.
I haven't seen this one yet, but Hellbound has my attention - it is a new series from cult favorite zombie film Train To Busan director Yeon Sang-ho. A show that fails to match its promise is Mayor of Kingstown from writer-director Taylor Sheridan. Starring Jeremy Renner, the show's only real failing is that it is relentlessly dark and dull.
returning:
The Flash (s08), Riverdale (s06), Tiger King (s02), Star Trek: Discovery (s04), The Great (s02), Gomorrah (s05)
new:
Yellowjackets - Paramount+
Stars: Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, Sophie Thatcher, Tawny Cypress
A team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the Ontario wilderness.
Mayor of Kingstown - Paramount+
Stars: Dianne Wiest, Jeremy Renner, Derek Webster
The McLusky family are power brokers tackling themes of systemic racism, corruption and inequality in Kingstown, Michigan--where the business of incarceration is the only thriving industry.
The Sex Lives of College Girls - HBO Max | BINGE
Stars: Pauline Chalamet, Amrit Kaur, Isabella Roland
Three 18-year-old freshman roommates at Evermore College in Vermont. A bundle of contradictions and hormones, these sexually active college girls are equal parts lovable and infuriating.
Cowboy Bebop - Netflix
Stars: Daniella Pineda, Elena Satine, John Cho
A ragtag crew of bounty hunters chases down the galaxy's most dangerous criminals. They'll save the world - for the right price.
Hellbound - Netflix
Stars: Yoo Ah-in, Kim Hyun-joo, Jeong Min Park
People hear predictions on when they will die. When that time comes, a death angel appears in front of them and kills them.
Harriet The Spy - Apple TV+
Stars: Beanie Feldstein, Lacey Chabert, Jane Lynch
A curious 11-year-old who seeks to learn everything about anything in order to pursue her dreams of becoming a professional writer.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus - Adult Swim
Stars: Jessica Henwick, Will Yun Lee, Wes Bentley
Animated series that takes place 17 years before 'Blade Runner 2049'.
The Wheel of Time - Amazon Prime Video
Stars: Rosamund Pike, Daniel Henney, Madeleine Madden
Set in a high fantasy world where magic exists, but only some can access it, a woman named Moiraine crosses paths with five young men and women. This sparks a dangerous, world-spanning journey. Based on the book series by Robert Jordan.
Hit Monkey - Hulu
Stars: Jason Sudeikis, Fred Tatasciore, Olivia Munn
It tells the tale of a wronged Japanese snow monkey, mentored by the ghost of an American assassin, as he cuts a wide swath through the Tokyo underworld.
King Richard - HBO Max
Stars: Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Jon Bernthal
A look at how tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams became who they are after the coaching from their father Richard Williams.
Tick, Tick... Boom! - Netflix
Stars: Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesus
On the cusp of his 30th birthday, a promising young theater composer navigates love, friendship and the pressures of life as an artist in New York City.
