What’s on TV this week—American Horror Stories starts, and Our Flag Means Death ends
Plus, a doc on the Wiggles, Zainab Johnson's comedy special, and more
TV Lists Murray Cook
Welcome to What’s On, our weekly picks of must-watch shows. Here’s what you need to watch from Sunday, October 22 to Thursday, October 26. All times are Eastern. [Note: The weekend edition of What’s On drops on Fridays.]
The biggies
American Horror Stories (FX on Hulu, Thursday, 12:01 a.m.)
Get ready to celebrate “Huluween” with American Horror Stories, the anthology series from Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk that’s a companion series to American Horror Story, which recently wrapped its first half of season 12. Stories returns for season three with four episodes, just in time for Halloween. Each installment features a different director and ensemble, with the likes of Reid Scott, Havana Rose Liu, Lisa Rinna, Jessica Barden, and Rob Yang popping up this time around.
Our Flag Means Death (Max, Thursday, 3:01 a.m.)
Aw, it’s time to bid our favorite gay pirates goodbye. David Jenkins’ Our Flag Means Death ends its second season with episode eight. Set in the 17th century, the comedy follows the unexpected romance between gentleman pirate Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) and Blackbeard (Taika Waititi). Season two follows their slow-burn reunion across its installments, while the rest of their fascinating crew goes on exciting adventures. Look for The A.V. Club’s recap and an interview with Jenkins on Thursday.
Hidden gems
Hot Potato: The Story Of The Wiggles (Prime Video, Tuesday, 12:01 a.m.)
Sally Aitken directs Hot Potato, a documentary about the popular ’90s band The Wiggles, whose children’s music led them to global fame. The film dives into their success and sits down with members Anthony Field, Murray Cook, Greg Page, and Jeff Fatt.
Krishnas: Gurus. Karma. Murder. (Peacock, Tuesday, 3:01 a.m.)
Peacock attempts to deliver its own Wild Wild Country with the docuseries Krishnas: Gurus. Karma. Murder. The three-episode project delves into the surprising story of a group of Hare Krishnas, their late Indian spiritual leader, and an American guru who tried to replace him, as well as the crimes that led to an FBI investigation.
Life On Our Planet (Netflix, Wednesday, 3:01 a.m.)
Morgan Freeman narrates Life On Our Planet, an eight-part nature docuseries that focuses on how major natural events lead to the rise and fall of various species and ecosystems over time. Co-produced by Steven Spielberg, Life On Our Planet uses modern-day technology to reexamine extinct creatures from millennia ago.
More good stuff
A.K.A. Mr. Chow (HBO, Sunday, 9 p.m.)
A documentary directed by Nick Hooker, A.K.A. Mr. Chow unpacks how the noted restaurateur, after facing severe trauma and prejudice over the years, reinvented himself as a painter and artist against all odds.
Zainab Johnson: Hijabs Off (Prime Video, Tuesday, 12:01 a.m.)
Upload’s extremely funny Zainab Johnson drops her first comedy special, Hijabs Off, in which she talks about her identity as a Black Muslim American, growing up in Harlem with 12 siblings, and embarking on a Hollywood career.
Can’t miss recaps
The Morning Show (Apple TV+, Wednesday, 12:01 a.m.)
Our Flag Means Death (Max, Thursday, 3:01 a.m., season two finale)
Loki (Disney+, Thursday, 9 p.m.)
Gen V (Prime Video, Friday, 12:01 a.m.)
The Great British Bake Off (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.)
Arriving now
Fear The Walking Dead (AMC, Sunday, 9 p.m., season eight fall premiere)
Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills (Bravo, Wednesday, 8 p.m., season 13 premiere)
Ending soon
Invasion (Apple TV+, Wednesday, 12:01 a.m., season two finale)
Chucky (Syfy, SYFY/USA, Wednesday, 9 p.m., season three fall finale)
9 Comments
I would be hesitate to try and tie Our Flag Means Death to any century. Yes the historical Stede Bonnet was alive from the late 1600s to 1718, but the show is so intentionally anachronistic that history basically ceases to be a guideline. Anne Bonny and Mary Read are old despite probably being 30ish in 1720, Edward Low wasn’t even a pirate in 1718, and Ching Shih wasn’t even born until nearly the 1800s. Also, I don’t be “that” lady, but 17th century means the 1600s. While the Golden Age of Piracy is said by some to start around 1630 or 1650 with the Buccaneers, that’s not what’s being referenced. Sorry. Excuse to discuss piracy.
YAAAARRRRR!!! (That’s all the high-seas piracy I have, since I don’t speak any languages from Somalia)
You do realize piracy has been practiced from China to the Netherlands? Not sure why you’d land on one African country as the one other example other then repeating Newtons famous West Country accent he hammed up for Treasure Island.
I was going for the most historically “famous” part of piracy, due to “Talk Like A Pirate” Day, and also the most recent famous example of modern sea piracy. The area around the Somali coast has been in the news a lot, but western Africa has also had issues. If you’re running any kind of ship around there, and see speedboats coming your way, you’d best hope some effective preparation has been made already.
They aren’t much of an issue since the mid 2010s, impressive that the staple of modern piracy is an event from nearly 15 years ago now.
These days, Somalia has gotten somewhat calmer.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piracy_off_the_coast_of_Somalia In January 2023, the Indian Ocean High Risk Area (HRA) was lifted due to a significant absence of Somali pirate attacks over the past few years. Despite this positive development, the IMB PRC cautions that Somali pirates still possess the ability and resources to conduct attacks in the Gulf of Aden region. Therefore, ship captains are strongly advised to maintain a state of vigilance to ensure the safety and security of their vessels.[5] However, West Africa has become more of an area of concern for this kind of activity.https://maritime-executive.com/article/six-crewmembers-abducted-in-west-africa-as-piracy-attacks-increaseThis article was published in July 2023. All of this happened as the UN Security Council was meeting to discuss the recent increase in piracy in West Africa.
The lead picture from American Horror Stories made me wonder how Harley Quinn managed to get into a J-Horror film.
What was offensive that got this post dismissed?
The lead picture from American Horror Stories made me wonder how Harley Quinn managed to get into a J-Horror film.
I think Harley would handle an internet ghost with more aplomb than that hapless Jugalette.