Your TV GPS, Globe TV critic Matthew Gilbert’s look at the week ahead in television, appears every Monday morning on BostonGlobe.com. Today’s column covers Dec. 7-13.
WINTER IS COMING
Television is on a relentless, year-round release schedule, as the old “fall season” concept has fallen away. The streamers and the cable channels premiere new shows in all seasons, week after week, forming the Peak TV phenomenon, and the broadcast networks are veering in that direction, too. But still: The holiday period tends to be rather quiet, as you can see in the listings below, where there aren’t many exciting new series to be found.
The silver lining: You now have a few slow weeks – slower than ever, alas, due to the pandemic – during which you can play some catch-up with all those shows you haven’t seen.
I recommend paying attention to all the Top 10s that are coming out everywhere this month – including mine, of course. There are so many discerning TV critics out there, and each of them will publish a list of their favorites, giving you a chance to update your To-Watch lists, which I know you are keeping – right? – so you won’t lose track. That way you won’t ever sit down in front of the TV and not know what to watch. These days, when everything is available on demand, you should always be watching something you want to see; it has been a long time since we had to suffer through whatever the major networks decided to put in front of us.
I like to browse the year-end music Top 10s for the same reasons, in order to update myself on the year’s releases and find the good stuff that, in the deluge of new music, I missed.
Oh, and you can catch-up on those things called movies, too, from “Mank” and “The Personal History of David Copperfield” to “Belushi” and “Zappa.” You have my permission.
WHAT I’M WATCHING THIS WEEK
1. Is it still notable, or is this an effort to usher it back into relevance? Is this the Golden Globe Awards of tomorrow, a pointless prize whose value is only as a popular telecast? Time magazine is expanding its “Person of the Year” franchise to TV for the first time this year. The special, on Thursday at 10 p.m., will feature expert panels going over the contenders, as well as guests including Issa Rae, John Cena, Mark Cuban, Jay-Z, and Yo-Yo Ma.. This year’s nominees include Dr. Anthony Fauci, Stacey Abrams, Joe Biden, Mitch McConnell, Andrew Cuomo, and COVID-19 essential workers. Last year, Greta Thunberg got the title. Also, the hour will salute Time’s Businessperson of the Year, Entertainer of the Year, Athlete of the Year, and Guardians of the Year.
2. HBO is flooding its subscribers with documentaries and docu-series these days, and many of them are worthwhile. I’m looking forward to director Frank Marshall’s “The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart,” a deep dive into the brothers Gibb – Barry, Maurice, and Robin, who had 20 No. 1 hits in their time. The movie, Saturday night at 8 p.m., includes never-before-seen archival footage of recording sessions and performances, as well as interviews with Eric Clapton, Noel Gallagher, Nick Jonas, Chris Martin, Justin Timberlake, Mark Ronson, and Lulu. Before that, on Tuesday at 9 p.m., HBO is premiering “40 Years a Prisoner,” about the 1978 Philadelphia police raid on the group MOVE, and a son’s decades-long fight to free his parents, who were imprisoned for the death of a cop. And on Wednesday at 9 p.m., HBO is premiering “Alabama Snake,” about a Pentecostal preacher accused of trying to kill his wife with the snakes he employed in his church services.
3. Twitter had fun at the expense of Matthew Morrison, who is playing the lead in a recorded stage version of “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Musical” on Wednesday at 8 p.m. When images of him in the role, looking like a stalk of asparagus with some kind of punk bouffant, witty insults – some called it a “war crime” – flew. Judge for yourself? It was recorded in London (rather than performed live, as NBC’s musicals generally are), and it costars Denis O’Hare and Amelia Minto.
4. If you get Acorn TV, you’ll be able to see “A Suitable Boy,” a six-part BBC adaptation of Vikram Seth’s fat coming of age novel. Set in North India in the 1950s, it was adapted by Andrew Davies and directed by Mira Nair. It’s available on Monday, having received mixed reviews upon its premiere across the pond.
5. When your primetime schedule is in need of fresh material in the middle of a pandemic, Canada is your friend. NBC’s latest import is called “Nurses,” and, in case you can’t tell from the title, it’s about a group of nurses. It’s set in Toronto, and filmed in Toronto, and it features a Canadian cast (whose zodiac signs are listed here). The premiere is Monday at 10 p.m.
CHANNEL SURFING
“Pennyworth” A four-episode run, with the remaining six of season 2 due later next year. Epix, Sunday, 9 p.m.
“The Trial of Christine Keeler” A six-part British series based on the Profumo affair in the 1960s, starring Sophie Cookson, James Norton, and Ben Miles. HBO Max, Wednesday
“One Night Only: The Best of Broadway” Tina Fey hosts this showcase for a few Broadway shows, with performances by the casts of “Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of The Temptations,” “Chicago,” “Jagged Little Pill,” and “Mean Girls.” NBC, Thursday, 8 p.m.
RECENTLY REVIEWED
“Your Honor” Bryan Cranston’s uneven return to TV as a judge covering up his son’s guilt in a hit-and-run fatality. Showtime
“My Psychedelic Love Story” Errol Morris’s documentary follows Joanna Harcourt-Smith’s five-year affair with Timothy Leary during his exile. Showtime
“The Flight Attendant” The thriller starring Kaley Cuoco takes you for a ride that doesn’t always track but almost always entertains. HBO Max
“Black Narcissus” A three-part miniseries about nuns in the Himalayas, based on the novel by Rumer Godden. FX and Hulu
“Between the World and Me” A star-studded, poetic adaptation of the bestseller by Ta-Nehisi Coates. HBO
“The Crown” An eventful and poignant fourth season tracks the punishing Thatcher era and the courtship and marriage of Charles and Diana. Netflix
“Moonbase 8” Fred Armisen, John C. Reilly, and Tim Heidecker have great chemistry in this comedy series, but the scripts mostly fall flat. Showtime
Matthew Gilbert can be reached at matthew.gilbert@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewGilbert.
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December 07, 2020 at 05:51AM
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This week’s TV: Time to catch up on TV, the ‘Person of the Year,’ and the Grinch - The Boston Globe
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