Your TV GPS, Globe critic Matthew Gilbert’s guide to what’s on television, appears at the beginning of each week at BostonGlobe.com. Today’s column covers May 4-10.
CHIT CHAT
I’m curious to see how this new Fox show turns out. On Thursday at 8 p.m., the network is premiering “Celebrity Watch Party,” a weekly series that will have famous people — OK, maybe I should call them people known to many — watching and reacting to what Fox is calling “the week’s most interesting television shows,” obviously a highly subjective term.
The first episode will give us Rob Lowe, Meghan Trainor, Raven-Symoné, Master P and his son Romeo, Steve Wozniak, Curtis Stone, and others talking about TV shows from their couches at home, sometimes with their family members. The format is modeled after a British series called “Gogglebox,” which predates the pandemic.
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Will this be a fun experiment? A few weeks ago, I wrote about how the networks could deal with their upcoming shortage of fresh material, as the pandemic shuts down conventional TV production. One of my suggestions was to get actors, directors, and writers to talk about a show while we’re watching said show — kind of like the early days of “Beavis and Butt-head,” “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” and “Pop-Up Video,” or like the commentary extras that sometimes come with the purchase of a movie or a series.
After all, TV has an amazing history, as well as a triumphant present. Why not celebrate it with some revisitation — which a lot of podcasts, including ones from actors who were in the likes of “The Office” and “The Sopranos,” are also doing?
Of course, the guests on “Celebrity Watch Party” aren’t exactly the more substantive professionals I was thinking of, and the stuff they’ll be talking about probably won’t include all the shows that have made this the Golden Age — or, as some would have it, the Platinum Age — of TV. Alas, it may just be a lot of semi-famous people getting loud and sassy about reality TV, and I’m also expecting “Tiger King” to be in the premiere.
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WHAT I’M WATCHING THIS WEEK
1. It’s sometimes hard at first, watching a show in which an actor plays identical twins. You can spend more time looking for the technical trickery than giving yourself over to the story. I’m hoping the twin stuff works in HBO’s new six-part miniseries adaptation of Wally Lamb’s “I Know This Much Is True.” Mark Ruffalo stars in this dark family saga as twins, one of whom has schizophrenia. The production, directed by Derek Cianfrance (“Blue Valentine,” “The Place Beyond the Pines”), filmed the movie with Ruffalo as Dominick, then shut down for six weeks so that he could gain 30 pounds to play brother Thomas. Also in the miniseries, which starts Sunday at 9 p.m.: Melissa Leo, Rosie O’Donnell, Archie Panjabi, Imogen Poots, Rob Huebel, Bruce Greenwood, Juliette Lewis, and Kathryn Hahn.
2. Damien Chazelle, the guy behind “La La Land,” has a new Netflix series called “The Eddy” that includes music. The show is set in Paris, and it’s about the struggles of an American musician — played by Andre Holland of “Moonlight” and “The Knick” — who’s trying to get a jazz club called The Eddy up and running. Meanwhile, his teen daughter shows up for a long visit. Let’s see if it’s any good, as it tries to capture the moody side of creativity and the dangers of debt. The eight-part miniseries is available Friday.
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3. How does it look now? PBS revisits the life and times of our 43rd president this week with the two-part documentary “American Experience: George W. Bush” on Monday and Tuesday nights at 9 on WGBH 2. It’s a detailed look at the relatively inexperienced man who became president at 54 and presided over the aftermath of 9/11 attacks, the invasion of Iraq, a horrific hurricane, and a recession. The documentary includes interviews with historians, journalists, and Bush insiders including Andy Card, David Frum, Ari Fleischer, and Karl Rove.
4. On Wednesday, Netflix is releasing a documentary about the 30-plus city tour Michelle Obama made in support of her 2018 memoir, “Becoming.” Called “Becoming,” too, it follows Obama as she interacts with fans across the country. It’s directed by Nadia Hallgren, and it was produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions, which has a multiyear deal with Netflix.
5. I watched the first season of Netflix’s black comedy “Dead to Me,” and I liked it enough to want to watch season 2, which is available Friday. Season 1 is a breezy — at times rushed — binge, with half-hour episodes, about a woman (Christina Applegate) whose husband is killed by a hit-and-run driver and another woman (Linda Cardellini) who befriends her in the aftermath. It’s crammed with big reveals, as the mystery plays out, but it keeps the focus on the complex friendship at its center. I’m curious to see if show creator Liz Feldman can keep the energy going for a second round.
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6. The HBO documentary “Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind” looks at the actress whose death by drowning at age 43 in 1981 still drifts in and out of the world of infotainment. Directed by Laurent Bouzereau and produced by Wood’s daughter Natasha Gregson Wood, the film includes new interviews with Wood’s famous friends and family including the now 90-year-old Robert Wagner, old home movies, and archival footage. By the way, it does explore the controversial night of Wood’s death, which she spent on a boat with Wagner, her husband, and with Christopher Walken, but it doesn’t make accusations. “It’s outrageous and completely unacceptable that others have created this narrative about my dad and the night my mom died,” Gregson Wood recently told People magazine. “I know that if my mom had been in any kind of distress he would have given his life for her. I know that as well as I know my name.” It’s on Tuesday at 9 p.m.
7. On Sunday at 7 p.m., NBC will be airing a comedy special that, like the “Parks and Recreation” reunion, will double as a fundraiser. “The Feeding America Comedy Festival” will include pre-taped segments from a long list of comics. Here are a few of the names: Eddie Murphy, Tiffany Haddish, Adam Sandler, Louie Anderson, Judd Apatow, Jack Black, Wayne Brady, Adam Carolla, Cedric the Entertainer, Margaret Cho, Andrew Dice Clay, Billy Crystal, Whitney Cummings, Bill Engvall, Brad Garrett, Whoopi Goldberg, Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Kevin James, Keegan-Michael Key, George Lopez, Marc Maron, Tim Meadows, Caroline Rhea, Chris Rock, Sarah Silverman, JB Smoove, Kenan Thompson, and Marlon Wayans.
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CHANNEL SURFING
“Tyler Perry’s Bruh” A dramedy about the long-term friendship between four college pals. BET+, Thursday
“Solar Opposites” An animated comedy about four aliens who move to Earth and have very different reactions to America. Hulu, Friday
“Jimmy O. Yang: Good Deal” A stand-up set from the guy who played Jian-Yang on “Silicon Valley.” Amazon, Friday
“Gold Digger” A six-episode romantic thriller about a May-December romance, with Julia Ormond and Ben Barnes. Acorn TV, Monday
“Reno 911” The 2003-09 “Cops” spoof returns as a short-form series with episodes under 10 minutes. Quibi, Monday
“Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill” The comic and sitcom star puts on a stand-up concert. Netflix, Tuesday
RECENTLY REVIEWED
“Normal People” A beautifully made adaptation of Sally Rooney’s bestseller about early love, with two indelible leads. Hulu
“Upload” A clever romantic comedy from Greg Daniels in which people can live forever as digitized versions of themselves. Amazon
“Hollywood” A misty-eyed look back at the post-World War II movie biz, reframed as a diverse fairy tale. Netflix
“Defending Jacob” Based on the novel by William Landay, it’s a familiar mystery series about the murder of a suburban boy, but the acting by Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery, and Jaeden Martell is terrific. Apple TV+
“Bad Education” An enjoyable movie about embezzlement based on a true story, it features Hugh Jackman at his best. HBO
“Unorthodox” A beautiful, absorbing four-episode miniseries about a 19-year-old married woman who leaves her Satmar Hasidic community in Brooklyn. Netflix
“Ozark” The third season is the best yet from this tale of a family turned bad starring Laura Linney and Jason Bateman. Netflix
“Masterpiece: World on Fire” A sweeping ensemble drama set against the early years of World War II. WGBH 2
Matthew Gilbert can be reached at matthew.gilbert@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewGilbert.
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