What’s on TV this week—Constellation and Avatar: The Last Airbender premiere

Welcome to What’s On, our weekly picks of must-watch shows. Here’s what you need to watch from Sunday, February 18 to Thursday, February 22. All times are Eastern. [Note: The weekend edition of What’s On drops on Fridays.]

The biggies

Constellation (Apple TV+, Wednesday, 12:01 a.m.)

Constellation explores what happens to astronaut Jo Ericsson (Noomi Rapace) after she returns home from an accident on the International Space Station. The show, which is a part-conspiracy thriller and part-emotional drama, co-stars Jonathan Banks, James D’Arcy, and Rosie and Davina Coleman. Here’s a bit from The A.V. Club’s review:

The show uses an epic scope—the cosmos!—to pin down the nitty-gritty horrors of isolation and grief. And at the very least, Constellation deserves merit for its ambitious attempt to balance the contradictory vastness of space with the astronauts’ claustrophobia and inner turmoil.

Nickelodeon’s acclaimed 2005 anime Avatar: The Last Airbender finally gets a live-action adaptation. Set in a war-torn world, the Netflix series follows Aang (Gordon Cormier), the last living Airbender. Aang, who can bend all four elements and is responsible for balancing peace in the world, is being pursued by the exiled prince Zuko (Dallas Liu), who wants to capture the Airbender to regain power. The ensemble cast of this epic saga includes Kiawentiio, Ian Ousley, Elizabeth Yu, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Leung, Danny Pudi, Amber Midthunder, Arden Cho, and Utkarsh Ambudkar. Look for The A.V. Club’s review and other coverage on the show this week.

Hidden gems

Mike Epps: Ready To Sell Out (Netflix, Tuesday, 3:01 a.m.)

Mike Epps’ fourth comedy special, Ready To Sell Out, was filmed in Phoenix and features the comedian talking about this particular stage of his life and career, where he spends his money, and a whole lot of other “street observations,” according to the Netflix synopsis.

Can I Tell You A Secret? tells the real stories of women who were cyberstalked and harassed for years in the U.K. by serial stalker Matthew Hardy. The title of the two-parter docuseries stems from the initial message he’d send to his victims.

More good stuff

People’s Choice Awards (NBC/Peacock, Sunday, 8 p.m.)

Barbie’s Simu Liu is set to host the 49th annual People’s Choice Awards, which streams on Peacock and airs on NBC and E! Top nominees include Barbie, Oppenheimer, The Color Purple, and Anyone But You on the film side. Only Murders In The Building, The Last Of Us, and The Morning Show are among the big TV contenders.

The four-part sports docuseries Messi’s World Cup gives a behind-the-scenes look at the soccer superstar’s 2022 FIFA World Cup win and looks back at his storied career.

Can’t miss recaps

True Detective: Night Country (HBO, Sunday, 9 p.m., finale)

Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO, Sunday, 10 p.m.)

Arriving now

The Equalizer, CSI: Vegas (CBS, Sunday, 8-11 p.m., season premieres)

American Idol (ABC, Sunday, 8 p.m., season 22 premiere)

The Great North (FOX, Sunday, 9 p.m., season premieres)

The Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO, Sunday, 11 p.m., season 11 premiere)

Will Trent, The Rookie, The Good Doctor (ABC, Tuesday, 8-10 p.m., season premieres)

Quantum Leap (NBC, Tuesday, 9 p.m., season three premiere)

Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Disney+, Wednesday, 3:01 a.m., season three premiere)

Ending soon

Monsieur Spade (AMC, Sunday, 9 p.m., season one finale)

All Creatures Great And Small (PBS, Sunday, 9 p.m., season four finale)

The Irrational (NBC, Monday, 10 p.m., season one finale)

Criminal Record (Apple TV+, Wednesday, 12:01 a.m., season one finale)