Re: Selected programming for Nov. 18-22, 2024

On 11/17/24 7:06 PM, Robin Miller wrote:

         Monday, Nov. 18
       Streaming:
  Watchmen: Chapter I      (movie; streaming premiere)        (3:01 am, Max)
 In 1985, the murder of a government sponsored superhero draws his outlawed colleagues out of retirement and into a mystery that threatens to upend their personal lives and the world itself. 1h 23m. Animated series based on a limited series DC comic published in 1986-87.
 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32627540/  [rating 7.0]
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchmen

Meh. This has already been done to death...

Jingle Bell Love       (movie)          (3:01 am, The Roku Channel)
 Jack Cooper visits his late wife’s hometown for Christmas and gets more than he bargained for when his ten-year-old daughter matches him up with a local shop owner. Joey McIntyre and Michelle Morgan star
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUY6XDigJEY
 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34377952/

OK - Michelle Morgan pinch hit for Cara Buono in "The Bad Seed Returns" sequel. I thought it was pretty awful recasting, as Morgan is nothing like Buono.

     Broadcast and cable:
  Rescue: Hi-Surf       (season 1 fall finale)         (9 pm, Fox)

I think Anim said he already flushed this one...

         Tuesday, Nov. 19
       Streaming:
  Interior Chinatown        [new; complete season 1]         (12:01 am, Hulu)
 Jimmy O. Yang (Silicon Valley) stars as Willis Wu, an actor playing an unnamed background character on a police procedural who stumbles into a larger real-life story involving a criminal conspiracy in Chinatown and his family's secret history, in an adaptation of the acclaimed best-seller of the same name by Charles Yu. Adapted by Yu himself (the author has extensive TV experience including writing for Lodge 49 and Westworld), the drama also stars Ronny Chieng, Chloe Bennet, and Lisa Gilroy. All 10 episodes stream today.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndzygetBHV0
 https://www.metacritic.com/tv/interior-chinatown/    [score 67]
 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13354972/

[shrug?]

We Got Time Today      [new]        (8 pm ET/5 pm PT, Tubi)
 Deion Sanders and Rocsi Diaz discuss the latest in news, culture, entertainment, and sports as well as conduct interviews with celebrity guests. 20 one-hour episodes released each Tuesday.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl7m0LVMQlM
 https://tubitv.com/upcoming/we-got-time-today
 https://corporate.tubitv.com/press/deion-sanders-sets-new-talk-show-we-got-time-today-exclusively-for-tubi/

O.M.G...  [roll]

     Broadcast and cable:
  Night Court     (season 3 premiere)        (8:30 pm, NBC)

Passing - I'm not getting over replacing India de Beaufort with Wendie Malick (which I think is a dumb move, for multiple reasons).

Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked       (special) (10-11 pm, NBC)
 A behind-the-scenes look at the highly-anticipated two-part film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, featuring interviews with the cast and crew.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVA4yntbWA0

And Comcast/NBC-Uni engages in self-promotion!!

         Wednesday, Nov. 20
       Streaming:
  Wish List Games         [new; complete season 1]         (12:01 am, Prime Video)
 Content creator Lele Pons will join Emmy-nominated host Nick Cannon on this high-energy, half-hour game show where contestants play for the chance to win everything on their Amazon Wish Lists, totaling up to $25,000. Five episodes.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kKKOMOBlIs

I like Lele Pons, but not enough to tolerate Nick Cannon, and not hosting a dumb game show!

GTMAX        (movie)          (3:01 am, Netflix)
 Soélie, a young motocross prodigy, sees her dreams of success shattered by an accident. She now devotes herself to training her brother, Michael. When he is recruited by TMAX scooter racers for a high-profile heist in Paris, Soélie must overcome her fears to save him. French film; 1h 40m.

Wow - I thought the French were "better" than this!!

The Merry Gentlemen         (movie)          (3:01 am, Netflix)
 To save her parents’ small-town performing venue, a former big-city dancer decides to stage an all-male, Christmas-themed revue--and meets a guy with all the right moves. Stars Britt Robertson, Chad Michael Murray, and Marla Sokoloff.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G80Q8-MJM1A
 https://www.netflix.com/title/81766198
 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32368345/

OMG - isn't CMM, like, 1-2 *decades* too old for Britt Robertson?!

Our Oceans           [new; complete limited series]          (3:01 am, Netflix)
 A thrilling five-episode series, narrated by Barack Obama

PASS!!!

     Broadcast and cable:
  58th Annual CMA Awards       (live event)        (8-11 pm, ABC)
 Luke Bryan, Lainey Wilson, and Peyton Manning share hosting duties.

I got all the country I could handle from "Twisters", thanx!

         Thursday, Nov. 21
       Streaming:
  Cruel Intentions        [new; complete season 1]          (12:01 am, Prime Video)
 Amazon's series adaptation of the 1999 film of the same name—which in turn was yet another adaptation of the 18th century novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses—is set at an elite Washington D.C.-area college in the present day where two "ruthless step-siblings" battle for power in the "cutthroat social hierarchy" of the Greek system. Sean Patrick Thomas returns from the original film—as a different character—alongside Sarah Catherine Hook, Zac Burgess, Savannah Lee Smith, and more. All eight episodes stream today.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqehRM8-B3o
 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15532306/
 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0139134/    [1999 film starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon]

Sh*t. I actually want to watch this. But can I fit it in?!

Alien: Romulus       (movie; streaming premiere)          (12:01 am, Hulu)
 While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonists come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe. 1h 59m.
 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18412256/     [rating 7.2]

Awesome! Was wondering when this would show up on a streamer!!
I'll plan on getting to this on Thursday or this weekend.

Based on a True Story      (complete season 2)       (3:01 am, Peacock)
 A realtor, a former tennis star, and a plumber seize a unique opportunity to capitalize on America's obsession with true crime. All eight episodes of the Kaley Cuoco- and Chris Messina-led dark comedy stream today.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5B7Zfuz8zY
 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19500224/    [rating 7.2]

Meh.

Human vs. Hamster        [new; complete season 1]           (3:01 am, Max)
 Reality competition; 8 episodes. This is actually not from The Onion.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gABQeNeZQ9w

I'm rooting for the hamsters!!

The Sex Lives of College Girls      (season 3 premiere)       (9 pm, Max)
 Ten episodes released weekly through Jan. 23.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJjamFXh63c
 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11212276/      [rating 7.8]

Pass.

     Broadcast and cable:
  Nugget Is Dead? A Christmas Story        (movie)         (8-10 pm, CBS)
 When her beloved family dog, Nugget, falls sick over Christmas, Steph Stool must abandon her very elegant holiday plans with her boyfriend’s family, and return instead to her small Australian coastal hometown to confront the chaos of her own…less elegant family. In the week leading up to Christmas, each member of the Stool family must grapple with the mortality of the one thing that unifies them. Australian film;
 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32424777/
 https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nugget_is_dead_a_christmas_story
 https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9906x4

Wait - So CBS is showing a random Aussie X-Mas flick starring Gia Carides, Kerry Armstrong and relative newcomer Vic Zerbst, because...??...

My Mother Stole My Life        (movie)        (8 pm, LMN)
 A mother steals her estranged daughter’s identity to escape an abusive boyfriend, but when he finds her again, she’s threatened all the more. But is the ex-boyfriend behind the threat or someone else? It’s the forgiving daughter who must save her mother from the exposed villain. Stars Patrice Goodman and Blaise Crocker.
 https://www.mylifetime.com/movies/my-mother-stole-my-life
 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32055512/

Probably, yeah, though I can't say I'm looking forward to it...
Actually, it may get bumped by "Alien: Romulus" now.

A Novel Noel       (movie)         (8 pm, Hallmark Mystery)
 A successful New York City book editor (Julie Gonzalo), who is losing touch with her passion after a few setbacks this year learns she was chosen to run a bookstore in the small town of Saint Ives for the month of December. While realizing a childhood dream, but butting heads with the handsome son (Brendan Penny) of the bookstore owners, she comes to realize that her love for bringing out the creativity of others is still her true calling, and untapped talent (and love) can be found anywhere... even in the writings of a cranky business-minded man, especially at Christmas.
 https://www.hallmarkmystery.com/a-novel-noel
 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33829446/

I saw an ad for this today - Julie Gonzalo is so unrecognizable (now?)/in this that I had to look it up and was shocked to find out she was the female lead.

         Friday, Nov. 22
       Streaming:
  Blitz         (movie)           (12:01 am, Apple TV+)
 Writer-director Steve McQueen's first narrative feature since 2018's Widows is set in England during WWII. When a London mother (Saoirse Ronan) sends her 9-year-old son (newcomer Elliott Heffernan) to live in safety (away from the Blitz) in the countryside, the child becomes determined to find his way back home—an adventure that comes with many perils. The film screened in select theaters beginning November 1. 1h 54m.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZwykQK9aZo
 https://www.metacritic.com/movie/blitz-2024/     [score 71]
 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15939198/    [rating 6.7]

Yikes! - I like Saoirse, but this seems like tough sledding.

The Empress       (complete season 2)        (3:01 am, Netflix)
 When rebellious Elisabeth falls for Emperor Franz and becomes his unlikely bride, she enters a world of tension and intrigue at the Viennese court. German series; six episodes? Season 1 streamed in September 2022.
 Season 2: Elisabeth fights for the future of the empire­ and for her own ­in the face of political crises and age-old traditions.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KMmZc49lXE
 https://www.netflix.com/title/81222923
 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13720112/    [rating 7.8]

It can't possibly be better than "Maxton Hall", right?!  ;p

Married to a Balla      (movie)        (3:01 am, Tubi)
 When a mother suffering from domestic abuse escapes her dangerous, pro athlete husband, she will stop at nothing to keep her family safe. Stars Dominique Madison, Emanuel Alexander, Darian J. Barnes, Mario Golden and Alonte Williams. 1 hr 45 min.

Oh, Tubi...

Note: "Toxic Harmony," originally scheduled for today, has been postponed until Dec. 6.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-bD68NqohM
 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32514475/
 https://tubitv.com/movies/100027719/married-to-a-balla
         Broadcast and cable:
  Christmas on Call      (movie)        (8 pm, Hallmark Channel)
 In the lead-up to Christmas, emergency room doctor Hannah Michaels juggles her demanding job and a budding romance with EMT Wes Sullivan in Philadelphia. They spend time together as Wes helps her become more acquainted with the sights, sounds and tastes of Philadelphia, it’s clear that they’re starting to fall for each other. As the local First Responders balance duty with holiday celebrations, they come together to face challenges, support each other and find moments of joy. Stars Sara Canning and Ser’Darius Blain.
 https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/christmas-on-call
 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33829451/

I like Canning, but I am so off X-Mas movies this year (at least, so far)...

 (end)

So, outside of "Alien: Romulus", there's not much this week at all...