Week of January 10 – 16
After a sleepy couple of holiday weeks, television is back in full force this week. We are getting the long-awaited return of Tom Hiddleston in “The Night Manager,” after a full decade away, plus new seasons of “Hijack” and Genndy Tartakovsky’s animated “Primal.” There’s also a new Ben Affleck/Matt Damon thriller (“The Rip” on Netflix), a pair of new British mysteries (“Bookish” on PBS and “Seven Dials” on Netflix) and the long-awaited “Star Trek” series “Starfleet Academy.” There’s also a new “Stranger Things” documentary about the making of the final season. Because part of the grieving process, when you’re a celebrated streaming series that comes to an end, is a polished making-of doc.
On with the television!
The Night Manager
Sunday, January 11, Prime Video
Source: Prime Video
Somehow, “The Night Manager” has returned. The original series, which ran on AMC 10 years ago (!), starred Tom Hiddleston as a former military operative turned hotel manager who is recruited by a spy network to bring down a dangerous arms dealer (Hugh Laurie). (It was based on a John le Carré novel from 1993.) The first season was elegant and sexy, written by celebrated English playwright David Farr and directed by Danish filmmaker Susanna Bier, who would go on to direct other prestige series like “The Undoing” and “The First Lady.” Now, “The Night Manager” has been ensnarled in a whole new mystery. Hiddleston, Laurie, Olivia Colman, Alistair Petrie, Noah Jupe, Douglas Hodge and Michael Nardone all return for Season 2, this time joined by Camila Morrone, Diego Calva, Indira Varma, Paul Chahidi and Hayley Squires. In this new batch of episodes, Hiddleston’s character is brought out of retirement when a Colombian arms dealer is suspected of conspiring with the British government. When the series was announced to return, they mentioned that it would be back for two additional seasons. We haven’t heard much about Season 3 since then, but if the new season (which moves from AMC to Prime Video) is as good as it looks, another go-around is all but assured. [TRAILER]
Palm Royale
Wednesday, January 14, Apple TV
Source: Apple TV
Apple TV’s celebrated series, starring Kristen Wiig as a social climber in late-1960s Florida, concludes its second season this week. If you’ve never seen the show, it features an incredibly stacked cast that also includes Laura Dern, Ricky Martin, Josh Lucas, Leslie Bibb, Allison Janney and Carol Burnett, is festooned with lavish period detail worthy of “Mad Men,” and walks a fine tonal balance between comedy and drama. Doesn’t a visit to sunny Florida sound nice this time of year? [TRAILER]
The Rip
Friday, January 16, Netflix
Source: Netflix
Following the death of one of their own, a group of elite Miami cops, tasked with seizing drug money, follows an anonymous tip to a rundown house where they make the discovery of a lifetime – millions of dollars in dirty money, sealed inside of metal drums. Is the money so staggering that it will send them down a morally questionable path? And will they even survive the night, with drug dealers and other shadowy figures after them? This is the basic setup of “The Rip,” the latest nerve-shredding thriller from writer/director Joe Carnahan (“Narc,” “Smokin’ Aces”) and producer/stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, who play the senior members of the task force.
The rest of the cast is ridiculously great too, with Steven Yeun, Scott Adkins, Kyle Chandler, Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Nestor Carbonell all turning in great performances. And while the movie takes place over the course of a single night, there are plenty of twists and some truly edge-of-your-seat moments, with Carnahan’s muscular direction complementing his sharp, thoughtful script. Hollywood used to make a few of these types of movies a year – mid-budget, star-driven, R-rated thrillers for grown-ups. Now we’re lucky if we get one a year – much less one that is this good. Let us celebrate “The Rip.” It’s the year’s first must-watch thriller. [TRAILER]
One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5
Monday, January 12, Netflix
Source: Netflix
There might not be a surprise extra episode of “Stranger Things” (that series finale pretty much covered it all, folks), but there is a surprise, feature-length documentary about the production of the final season. And it’s already here. “One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5” is “a sweeping behind-the-scenes chronicle that follows the cast, creators, and crew as they bring the final season to life — and say goodbye to the show that changed them forever,” according to the official synopsis. Filmmaker Martina Radwan spent an entire year with the Duffer Brothers as they filmed the season, getting a front-row seat to perhaps one of the most anticipated (and, now, widely debated) seasons of television ever. Expect lots of intimate moments captured and revealed for the first time and, if we’re being honest, some tears – from both the cast and crew and those of us watching at home. Hellfire lives! [TRAILER]
Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal
HBO Max, new season starts on Sunday, January 11 at 11:30 p.m., Adult Swim
Source: Adult Swim
Genndy Tartakovsky’s “Primal,” which won Emmys and became a sensation when it first debuted in 2019, is finally back for its third season. The show is set in a primordial fantasy world where humans and dinosaurs coexist with all manner of supernatural characters and otherworldly creatures. Wordless and told through expressive animation, the second season saw main characters Spear (a caveman) and Fang (a dinosaur) tested when they arrive upon more advanced humans – testing their bond and their loyalty to one another. And – spoiler alert – at the end of season 2, Spear died. How (and why) he returns is the central question of the third season. And if he does come back, what is left of the (cave)man inside? The third season is the best thing that Tartakovsky has ever done and if you never watched the first two seasons, well, you have a few days to get ready. They’re on HBO Max. Time to get lost in “Primal.” [WATCH]
Source: Paramount+
“Bookish”