Hulu welcomes Nicole Kidman and Nine Perfect Strangers

Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Wednesday, August 18. All times are Eastern.

Top pick

Nine Perfect Strangers (Hulu, 12:01 a.m., series premiere): Nicole Kidman leads this Hulu drama based on Liane Moriarty’s book of the same name. She plays a mysterious Russian woman named Masha who runs a health and wellness resort called Tranquillum House. The limited series follows nine strangers who arrive for a 10-day retreat, with each passing day revealing secrets about the guests, as well as their host. The stacked cast includes Melissa McCarthy, Bobby Cannavale, Regina Hall, Luke Evans, and Michael Shannon. Gwen Ihnat will be recapping the series weekly, starting with the three-episode premiere. (And be sure to check out Cameron Scheetz’s interviews with Cannavale, Samara Weaving, and Melvin Gregg after you’ve watched those episodes.)

Regular coverage

What If…?

(Disney+, 3:01 a.m.)

Wild cards

The Defeated (Netflix, 3:01 a.m.): This drama follows Max McLaughlin (Taylor Kitsch), an American cop who travels to Berlin in 1946 in search of his missing brother. There, he bonds with a German police officer (Nina Hoss), as they try and protect the city from crimes post-WWII. Michael C. Hall and Logan-Marshall Green also star. The series originally aired internationally in 2020 on Canal+.

Memories Of A Murder: The Nilsen Tapes (Netflix, 3:01 a.m.): Michael Harte directs this true-crime docuseries about notorious British serial killer Dennis Nilsen, who narrates his life and horrific crimes via a series of chilling audiotapes recorded from his jail cell. Nilsen killed 15 people over a five-year period, picking up vulnerable men and luring them back to his home before strangling them and disposing off their bodies under his floorboards.

In The Same Breath (HBO, 9 p.m.): Directed by Nanfu Wang, this documentary film first premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. It recounts the experiences of people on the ground in the earliest days of the novel coronavirus and how two countries dealt with its initial spread. From the first days of the outbreak in Wuhan to its rampage across the United States, it features emotional first-hand accounts from medical professionals, patients, and grieving family members, along with startling footage from China and the U.S.

Season Premieres

Diary Of A Future President (Disney+, 3:01 a.m.): In season two, Cuban American and future leader Elena Cañero-Reed (Gina Rodriguez) enters seventh grade. Told using the narration of excerpts from her diary, this coming-of-age family comedy follows a young Elena (Tess Romero) through middle school and the path which set her to become the president of the United States. All episodes are now streaming.

Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens (Comedy Central, 10 p.m.): Season two premieres with two new episodes, titled “Never Too Old” and “Stop! Nora Time.” The half-hour comedy follows Nora Lin (Awkwafina) as she navigates life with the help of her grandmother (played by Lori Tan Chinn), father Wally (B.D. Wong), and cousin Edmund (Bowen Yang).