6 things to watch on TV this weekend

Welcome to the weekend edition of What’s On. Here are the big things happening on TV from Friday, April 5 to Sunday, April 7. All times are Eastern. [Note: The weekly edition of What’s On publishes on Sundays.]

1. Colin Farrell plays a hot, broody investigator in Sugar

Apple TV+, Friday, 12:01 a.m.: Casting Colin Farrell as a PI named John Sugar so that everyone else affectionately gets to call the man “Sugar”? Genius. Set in Los Angeles, this neo-noir series sees him investigate the disappearance of a major Hollywood producer’s granddaughter. It’s the perfect case for John, who loves old-timey movies (and brooding). The genre-bending show also stars Amy Ryan, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Anna Gunn, James Cromwell, and Dennis Boutsikaris. It premieres with two episodes, with the remaining six dropping every Friday. Here’s a bit from The A.V. Club’s review:

Sugar seems to enjoy seeing himself enmeshed in the industry of Hollywood. He rebuffs being called a buff, instead considering it “more like an addiction.” And throughout, fragmentary flashbacks are relentless, unapologetic, and quite cool.

2. Meet Mary & George, your latest salacious period drama

Starz, Friday, 9 p.m.: Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine take Starz by storm with the risqué British historical drama Mary & George. The seven-episode show centers on the titular mother-son duo as they scheme and seduce their way to be part of the Court of England. After airing in the U.K., Mary & George unfolds weekly in the States through May. Here’s an excerpt from The A.V. Club’s review:

Ultimately, Mary & George, which is wanting to sit alongside shows like The Great, Rome, The Tudors, and the like, remains much too committed to a painterly kind of history-making. So many of its scenes look like Jacobean tableau vivants, with each character and every prop so perfectly positioned that the emotions it tries to wring out of the audience feel needlessly constrained.

3. Watch Prince Andrew’s downfall in Scoop

Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.: Netflix can’t say no to royal drama. On the heels of The Crown, it’s releasing another Gillian Anderson project, this one about Prince Andrew’s (Rufus Sewell) public undoing. Scoop tells the behind-the-scenes story of journalist Emily Maitlis’ major interview—often described as a car crash taking place in slow motion—with him about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. With a screenplay by Peter Moffat, the ensemble features Billie Piper, Keeley Hawes, Connor Swindells, and Charity Wakefield.

4. Sundance fave Girls State comes to streaming

Apple TV+, Friday, 12:01 a.m.: Directed by Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine, the coming-of-age documentary Girls State reimagines democracy in the hands of teen girls. Specifically, it follows young female leaders from different backgrounds in Missouri who participate in an immersive experiment to craft a new government.

5. Kristen Wiig returns to SNL

NBC, Saturday, 11:30 p.m.: Saturday Night Live welcomes one of its funniest former cast members this week. Kristen Wiig, who currently stars in Palm Royale, drops in to host and join the Five-Timers Club. And tonight, she’s joined by musical guest Raye. The A.V. Club’s recap of the evening publishes on Sunday.

6. Now is the time to watch The Zone Of Interest

Max, Friday, 3:01 a.m.: Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar-winning film The Zone Of Interest arrives on Max, so now there’s no excuse to miss it. The masterful historical drama starring Christian Friedel and Sandra Hüller is about the daily life Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss and his wife Hedwig, who live next to the concentration camp. Check out The A.V. Club’s review of the film.