Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Friday, January 15, and Saturday, January 16. All times are Eastern.
Top picks
WandaVision (Disney+, 3:01 a.m., series premiere): “With two episodes that are fun sitcom parodies and a third that ends as a vaguely horror-flavored take on a Marvel movie, WandaVision has the makings of what could be a riveting entry in the MCU canon. After all, where does a TV show go when it has already been madcap black-and-white sitcom, a slightly saucier high-concept comedy, and a super-powered mystery with possibly enormous repercussions for the wider universe? It’s hard to say, because such a feat’s never really been done before, and it only makes sense now because of the seemingly bottomless—yet often sparingly utilized—storytelling potential of the MCU. WandaVision is tapping into a power that the MCU has been sitting on for a decade, and like Wanda ripping Thanos apart in Endgame, it’s about time we see what this thing can really do.” Read the rest of Sam Barsanti’s pre-air review of WandaVision.
One Night In Miami… (Amazon Prime Video, 12:01 a.m., Friday): “The film opens with a series of insightful vignettes that peek in on each figure at a particularly low point. That includes a young Cassius (Eli Goree) publicly struggling to prove his prowess in the boxing ring, as well as Sam’s (Leslie Odom Jr.) hard-fought performance at the Copacabana turning tense by the anti-Blackness of the crowd and staff. Pulling some of the focus away from the play’s singular setting does have a slight drawback: It gives the film a somewhat slow start, rather than the anticipation that it was likely intended to build. However, it does task each figure with facing their deepest insecurities as Black men in America—a conscientious touch that adds additional context to their eventual gathering.” Read the rest of Shannon Miller’s review of One Night In Miami… This Regina King-directed film also stars Kingsley Ben-Adir and Aldis Hodge.
Regular coverage
Search Party (HBO Max)
RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1, Friday, 8 p.m.)
Vikings (Amazon Prime Video)
Wild cards
Bling Empire (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): This reality show—which may very well become social media’s favorite new topic—follows a wildly wealthy group of Asian and Asian American friends (and frenemies) in Los Angeles. While their days and nights are filled with fabulous parties and expensive shopping sprees, don’t let the glitz and glamour fool you. Between running multi-billion dollar businesses and traveling the world, these friends are as good at keeping secrets as they are at spilling them. And there is certainly no shortage of secrets.
Servant (Apple TV+, Friday, 12:01 a.m.): In his review of season two of Servant, Alex McLevy writes, “To say where the show goes in its second season would be to quickly enter spoiler territory; by the end of the third episode, enough startling twists have generated sufficient material for an average series’ entire season. But this is Servant, where no choice is too extreme, no situation so awkward it can’t be made more uncomfortable still.” The show stars Lauren Ambrose, Toby Kebbell, Rupert Grint, Nell Tiger Free.
Tandav (Amazon Prime Video, Friday, 12: 01 a.m.): If you’re tired of following the disastrous nature of American politics, turn your attention to the (fictional) world of Indian politics in this new drama. Set in the capital city of New Delhi, it explores the chaos and manipulation that goes on behind the scenes of the world’s largest democracy. It stars some big Bollywood stars, including Saif Ali Khan and Tenet’s Dimple Kapadia.
Disenchantment (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): Matt Groening’s animated fantasy parody returns with a third part, technically a second season. According to Vikram Murthi’s review of Netflix’s Disenchantment, it might “whet the appetites of anyone already invested in the series’ mythology or its mysteries,” b But, “Disenchantment gets lost in its thicket of mythos and intrigue and forgets to come up for air.”
3 Comments
There is surprisingly enough to keep me occupied for the three day weekend. Things are looking up.
Having watched the first two episodes of WandaVision, I can say they’ve definitely got something here.I was worried about the lengths of the episodes, but once you’re watching there’s a lot going on but they don’t over stay their welcome.Also, they’re slow rolling the big reveals but giving you just enough of an unsettling feel that something big is going on. If it weren’t for the pandemic this would absolutely be a water cooler show.There’s going to be a moment where this whole thing blows up, and they’re making me anxious thinking about it. But it’s also going to be fun watching the reveals come in and seeing how things have played in to it from the get go.(Just a side note: Bettany’s comedic timing is spot on. He’s great in the third act of the second episode.)
WandaVision’s first episode is such a slog, but so rewarding to finish with. The 30 second choking scene made the whole thing worth watching. Amazing how something so simple and sinister can turn what was a really generic 50’s sitcom into something fantastic and creepy. Second episode was even better. Can’t wait for the next episode!