What’s on TV this week—Norm Macdonald’s final stand-up special, a Sex Pistols biopic, and more
Plus, Ben Whishaw in a medical dramedy, a newbie from The CW (believe it or not), a buzzy Danish series, and other picks
TV Features Norm Macdonald
Welcome to What’s On, our weekly picks of must-watch shows. Here’s what you need to watch from Sunday, May 29 to Thursday, June 2. All times are Eastern. [Note: The weekend edition of What’s On drops on Fridays.]
The biggies
Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special (Netflix, Monday, 3:01 a.m.)
Netflix is releasing Norm Macdonald’s posthumous stand-up performance, Nothing Special, which the comedian filmed in one take at his home before his death in 2021. There’s no trailer yet, but to prepare you can enjoy Macdonald’s other projects on the streaming platform, including his 10-episode talk show. Along with Nothing Special, Netflix will air a bonus featurette with footage from a memorial event for Macdonald, and actors and comedians like Adam Sandler, Molly Shannon, and David Letterman talking about the comedian’s legacy.
Pistol (FX on Hulu, Tuesday, 12:01 a.m.)
The six-part, Danny Boyle-directed series Pistol tells the tale of the groundbreaking British punk band the Sex Pistols and their rise to prominence and notoriety. Toby Wallace leads the cast as guitarist Steve Jones, along with an ensemble that includes Maisie Williams, Anson Boon, Jacob Slater, and Thomas-Brodie Sangster. In his review, Matt Schimkowitz writes:
These punks rarely get to be people because they’re too busy foreshadowing their downfall or meeting Richard Branson with all the grace of a Saturday Night Live sketch.
The Orville: New Horizons (Hulu, Thursday, 12:01 a.m.)
After a three-year hiatus, The Orville moves from Fox to Hulu for its third season. Seth MacFarlane’s sci-fi dramedy (now dubbed The Orville: New Horizons) follows Ed Mercer (MacFarlane), a bitter Planetary Union officer who finally gets a shot at commanding his own ship. Unfortunately, his ex-wife Kelly (Adrianne Palicki) is assigned as his First Officer. Scott Grimes, Jessica Szohr, and Penny Johnson Jerald round out the cast, with Chad Coleman joining for this batch of episodes.
Hidden gems
This Is Going To Hurt (AMC+, Thursday, 3:01 a.m.)
Adam Kay adapts his memoir of the same name into a seven-episode series. This Is Going To Hurt stars Ben Whishaw as a doctor overwhelmed by his work at the hospital’s OB-GYN department. Set in 2006 in London, the show chronicles a group of his fellow junior doctors as they face tremendous pressure without any perks. Whishaw’s co-stars include Ambika Mod, Michele Austin, and Dame Harriet Walter.
Borgen: Power & Glory (Netflix, Thursday, 3:01 a.m.)
In Power & Glory, a stand-alone continuation of the popular Danish drama Borgen, Birgitte Nyborg (Sidse Babett Knudsen) has just been appointed as Minister for Foreign Affairs when a drilling company suddenly discovers oil in Greenland. The event sparks an international struggle for power in the Arctic.
The Book Of Queer (Discovery+, Thursday, 3:01 a.m.)
The Book Of Queer is a five-part special exploring the stories of historic LGBTQ+ individuals throughout history, from artists and activists to scientists and world leaders, including the likes of Ma Rainey, Bayard Rustin, Josephine Baker, Joan of Arc, Sappho, and Michelangelo. Expect reenactments and recreations of their lives, as well as narration by Dominique Jackson, Alex Newell, Leslie Jordan, and Ross Mathews.
More good stuff
Tom Swift (The CW, Tuesday, 8 p.m., series premiere)
The CW may have gotten rid of most of its shows (including Legends Of Tomorrow, Legacies, and, soon enough, Riverdale), but it’s also launching a newbie. In Tom Swift, a spinoff of Nancy Drew, Tian Richards plays a brilliant inventor with unlimited resources who is thrust into a world of a sci-fi conspiracy after the shocking disappearance of his father. He leaves behind his comfortable lifestyle and takes to the road on a quest to unravel the truth. LeVar Burton voices Tom’s AI, Barclay, which sounds like the perfect fit.
South Park: The Streaming Wars (Paramount+, Wednesday, 3:01 a.m.)
Paramount+’s third South Park film (and the fourth movie from the series overall) is considered to be the Comedy Central comedy’s 318th episode. Just take a minute to digest that number. Done? Alright, let’s move on. In this special, Cartman locks horns with his mom in a battle of wills while an epic conflict unfolds and threatens their town’s very existence.
City Of Queens (Peacock, Wednesday, 3:01 a.m.)
Peacock welcomes the British doc City Of Queens, which follows RuPaul’s Drag Race star Bimini Bon Boulash and seven other London drag queens, and aims to humanize them by showing their families, communities, and unrelenting resilience and glamor.
Cant-miss recaps
Barry (HBO, Sunday, 10 p.m.)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+, Wednesday, 3:01 a.m.)
Ending soon
Fear The Walking Dead (AMC, Sunday, 9 p.m., season seven finale)
We Own This City (HBO, Monday, 9 p.m., season one finale)
Under The Banner Of Heaven (FX on Hulu, Thursday, 12:01 a.m., season one finale)
Hacks (HBO Max, Thursday, 3:01 a.m., season two finale)
Top Chef (Bravo, Thursday, 8 p.m., season 19 finale)
14 Comments
Wait, Joan of Arc was LGBTQ? I’ve legitimately never heard this before, hmmmm. Anyway how ironic would it be if the last Norm McDonald comedy special was more respectful to trans people then Dave Chappelle or Ricky Gervais?
I’ll take you up on the effort and will let you know when I watch it. (At this point it’s like whom’s boomer/Late Gen X brains are deteriorating the fastest.)
Sounds good.
Wouldn’t it be ironic? Alas, five minutes in…Couldn’t finish the special. I’d rather my last good memories of Norm be his appearances in Conan, and not his “back in my day” humor.
You know I almost laughed at it. Not because it was funny, but at the sheer odds and audacity of three back to back Netflix comedy specials including punching down trans jokes. At least it wasn’t the entire special and it wasn’t as cruel as Chappelle and Ricky, also Bill Burr had meaner trans jokes. Progress?
Historians have debunked the idea that Joan of Arc was “non-binary” as “the Book of Queer” claims. She always called “the Maiden” (“la pucelle”) which is definitely feminine beyond any doubt; and her “male clothing” was just the soldier’s riding outfit that they gave her to wear, and which (according to several eyewitnesses) she said she continued wearing in prison because she could securely lace the different parts together to make it difficult for her guards to pull her clothing off when they tried to rape her, which doesn’t make her non-binary.
Oh no its one of those assumptions? I know how that goes, so many people think the pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read were lovers and disguised themselves as men because a 1724 book said so. Trial transcripts debunk that and it seems they only wore mens clothing during pirate actions and were back in womens attire during off duty hours. But you’ll find some people claiming they were lovers or trans or something along those lines. I’m trans and I’m well aware trans people have been around throughout history, the Chevalier D’Eon is a perfect example of a trans historical figure. But stuff like Anne and Mary or some Roman emperor get mentioned more often, when the evidence is somewhat thin. Identity is complicated.
Part of the problem with assuming historical people were trans, particularly the ones who were biologically female, was that there were other reasons for someone born female to present as male in their societies besides their sexual identity — namely that it was almost impossible for women to do anything in their societies other than be a mother and homemaker. If a woman wanted to be a soldier, a pirate, hell, even to just to get an education in many cases, they had to present as male.
I hope somebody makes a SPR3 biopic (or miniseries) soon!
The way that picture looks I’m imagining Norm Macdonald quipping on Maisie’s get up.
Norm Macdonald’s posthumous stand-up performanceThe performance wasn’t posthumous, you fucking moron. Jesus, you actually get paid to write?
I always thought Arya Stark was punk.
I watched it and man I miss him.
I watched the Norm MacDonald thing and liked it a lot. The look in his eyes during some of his bits was just hilarious. The little roundtable bit at the end, with Chappelle, Letterman et al was interesting. During that, someone -Conan, I think -made the point that Norm could set something up, and then take you on a journey till you forgot the setup, and suddenly there was the punch…(They also pointed out how effective Norm’s language quirks were – saying “teevee” for instance – and his deliberate grammatical sloppiness [double negatives and saying “ain’t”]. Listening to him, watching him, especially on Conan or another talk show, was a delight, in part because of this.)