Always Be Streaming... sad sack college professors

The good news is that there are two very different TV shows that are very much worth your time this weekend as you lay on the couch eating chips.

I have some screener access and it means getting to watch a lot of shows in advance, which is good at times. It means not having to wait week to week for some shows which are simply just better enjoyed as a binge watch. For example, I think Lucky Hank (discussed below) works pretty well as a week-to-week watch, but I saw the first four episodes within a matter of days and think it plays so much better as a show that can just be dived into when the mood strikes rather than an artificial release schedule.

But there's some downsides too - for example, I recently gorged on a show I cannot mention yet that is entering its final season. I have seen 8 of the 9 episodes - the streamer has held back the final episode from critics. And it is killing me. I have one damn episode left to see and won't be able to watch it until mid May. If you see me walking around in a stupor mumbling about rugelach over the next month and a half, please leave me be to my pain...

Here's what you need to know about TV this week:

Lucky Hank is a goddamn delight. It is about an insular English professor who gets caught up in himself and is challenged by having to deal with human interactions. He can deal with them - he just doesn't really want to. Some people will find the low-key presentation of the show similar to bamboo fingernail torture. But I am very much here for it.

The first episode opens with Hank telling a student in his class that he is at a mediocre school for mediocre students and mediocre faculty. Not everyone appreciates that level of honesty.

Bob Odenkirk from Better Call Saul stars, while Paul Lieberstein (The Office) is a co-showrunner. That's reason enough to watch.

You'll like this if you also liked: Wonder Boys

Also worth a watch is The Night Agent. It's a Tom Clancy-style action thriller about a disgraced FBI agent (who was really a hero) who is working the night desk at the White House tasked with monitoring a single phone line. The action begins when he answers the phone, which never rings.

The show is from Shawn Ryan, best known as showrunner on series like The Shield and Terriers. He knows how to make fast moving, engaging TV. It's good and diverting fun - sometimes that's all good telly needs to be.

You'll like this if you also liked: Jack Ryan