What’s on TV this week—Special Ops: Lioness, Twisted Metal, The Witcher

Welcome to What’s On, our weekly picks of must-watch shows. Here’s what you need to watch from Sunday, July 23 to July 27. All times are Eastern. [Note: The weekend edition of What’s On drops on Fridays.]

The biggies

Special Ops: Lioness (Paramount+, Sunday, 3:01 a.m.)

Taylor Sheridan continues to attract famous actors to his Paramount+ universe. Before Matthew McConaughey takes over Yellowstone, check out Sheridan’s newest offering, Special Ops: Lioness. The spy drama centers on Joe (Zoe Saldaña), who is tasked with befriending the daughter of a terrorist that the CIA is trying to nab. The cast also includes Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Kelly, Laysla De Oliveira, and Jill Wagner.

After The Last Of Us’ success, Peacock is trying its hand at video-game adaptations with Twisted Metal. The post-apocalyptic comedy follows John Doe (Anthony Mackie), a driver who takes a job to deliver a package across a wasteland while being chased by marauders. Stephanie Beatriz, Will Arnett, Samoa Joe, Neve Campbell, Thomas Haden Church, Chloe Fineman, Jason Mantzoukas, Richard Cabral, and Mike Mitchell round out the cast. Look out for The A.V. Club’s review on Wednesday.

Less than a month after Netflix dropped part one of The Witcher’s third season, the streamer is releasing the second batch of episodes. Does this system make sense or benefit anyone? Probably not, but they’re continuing to handle shows like this anyway. Catch up on our review of the initial outings before bingeing the latest eps, which mark Henry Cavill’s final appearance as Geralt of Rivia before Liam Hemsworth takes over.

Hidden gems

Futurama (Hulu, Monday, 12:01 a.m.)

A new round of Futurama is finally beaming down thanks to Hulu’s 20-episode revival. Brace yourself for more of Fry and Leela’s hijinks, including the former’s attempt to binge-watch every TV show ever made. (Good luck with that.) Billy West, Katey Sagal, Philip LaMarre, and David Herman reprise their voice roles. Here’s a bit from The A.V. Club’s review:

If you want more Futurama, then that’s exactly what this is. One-hundred percent. You won’t walk away from this revival thinking anything else. And, as dismissive as it may sound, that actually might be enough.

Jim Gaffigan is back for his 10th comedy special, Dark Pale, in which he chats about the post-pandemic landscape we’re living in. (You can also see him in person: The seven-time Grammy-nominated comedian, actor, writer, and producer embarks on an arena tour with Jerry Seinfeld in the fall.)

The animation powers-that-be must be smiling down on us because Harley Quinn also returns this week. In its fourth season, Harley (Kaley Cuoco) has to prove her worth to the Bat-family after abandoning her villain era. Meanwhile, her girlfriend Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) takes over the Legion of Doom. The returning voice cast includes Alan Tudyk, Ron Funches, Jason Alexander, Tony Hale, Harvey Guillén, Brianna Cuoco, and of course, the best Batman of all, Diedrich Bader. The A.V. Club’s review drops on Monday.

More good stuff

The Golden Boy: Part 1 (HBO, Monday, 9 p.m.)

Boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya, better known as The Golden Boy, is the subject of HBO’s latest documentary, which reveals a man struggling to come to terms with his lifelong demons.

The true-crime doc Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case delves into the murder of British tourist Lucie Blackman, who vanished in Tokyo in July 2000. In it, director Hyoe Yamamoto interviews local detectives about the case and the obstacles they overcame to bring the culprit to justice.

Can’t miss recaps

The Righteous Gemstones (HBO, Sunday, 10 p.m.)

Secret Invasion (Disney+, Wednesday, 3:01 a.m., season one finale)

And Just Like That… (Max, Thursday, 3:01 a.m.)

What We Do In The Shadows (FX, Thursday, 10 p.m.)

Arriving now

The Hardy Boys (Hulu, Wednesday, 12:01 a.m., season three premiere)

Teenage Euthanasia (Adult Swim, Thursday, 12:01 a.m., season two premiere)

Ending soon

See You In My 19th Life (Netflix, Sunday, 3:01 a.m., season one finale)

The Lazarus Project (TNT, Sunday, 9 p.m., season one finale)

The Walking Dead: Dead City (AMC, Sunday, 10 p.m., season one finale

The Kardashians (Hulu, Thursday, 12:01 a.m., season three finale)

Full Circle (Max, Thursday, 3:01 a.m., finale)