ON THE SMALL SCREEN
By Jenny Peters
ALL ABOUT THE WASHINGTONS
Netflix
Art imitates life in this “fictional” hip-hop comedy starring rapper Rev Run (Joseph Simmons) playing a character that’s only a few steps away from reality. As an aging hip-hop star, he’s joined by his real-life wife Justine Simmons for the scripted show, which centers on the fifty-something couple’s trials, tribulations, and role-reversals while raising four kids. Expect to hear plenty of rap and hip-hop tunes on this raucous family sitcom.
CARTER
WGN
Affable Jerry O’Connell stars as Carter, a down-on-his-luck Hollywood star who heads home to rethink his life. There he gets entangled in a series of mysterious crimes, as his cinematic persona begins to merge with his actual existence. What’s a guy to do, except go with the flow and become a wisecracking detective whose childhood pals are all on the force? Think The Rockford Files with a slightly different twist, if O’Connell and company can pull it off.
DISENCHANTMENT
Netflix
Animation comedy genius Matt Groening (The Simpsons, Futurama) brings a new comedy to Netflix, this time chronicling the distinctly adult sensibilities of a medieval princess who loves trouble—and her booze, too. Bean (Abbi Jacobson) isn’t your typical princess, which is what makes her such a comical heroine for the 21st century. Her adventures might remind you a bit of Game of Thrones, just with jokes replacing all the nasty bits. She’s got a personal elf and her very own demon; Netflix is so sure that Groening has another hit on his hands that this series is already renewed through 2019.
LODGE 49
AMC
What’s the kid of two movie stars going to do with his life? If you’re Wyatt Russell, the son of Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, you’re going to get yourself a TV show. Lodge 49 is the seriocomic tale of Sean “Dud” Dudley’s aimless life. He’s an ex-surfer dude living a slightly lost life in Long Beach, California, who finds meaning in the world via his late father’s somewhat strange fraternal lodge.
RANDOM ACTS OF FLYNESS
HBO
Get your weird on with artist Terence Nance, as he brings a slightly surreal vision to late-night television on HBO. He’s doing it all here, from producing, writing, directing, composing music and starring in every episode of this subversive modern variety show. He’s got plenty of talented help joining him, however, including Whoopi Goldberg, Gillian Jacobs, Paul Sparks and Ntare Guma Mwine.
AGATHA CHRISTIE’S ORDEAL BY INNOCENCE
Amazon Prime
There’s a reason that Agatha Christie’s novels keep coming back to the screen—her plots are some of the greatest mystery stories ever imagined. Ordeal by Innocence is the first of an ongoing series of her works coming to Amazon Prime, starring top-notch actors including Bill Nighy, Matthew Goode and Alice Eve. This three-part mystery set in the early 1950s has it all—murder, sex, intrigue and gorgeous costumes, too!
THE INNOCENTS
Netflix
Take a pinch of Romeo and Juliet, add in a smidgeon of Altered States and a dollop of The Wolf Man and you’ve got the general idea of The Innocents, the weird new Netflix show. When a mixed-race teenage couple runs away from their disapproving parents, strange things begin to unfold. With a cast of relative unknowns—except for Guy Pearce, who plays a key controller of the action—The Innocents breathes a new life the well-worn idea of shapeshifters living among us and of the havoc they inevitably wreak on society when pushed to their limits.
JACK RYAN
Amazon Prime
John Krasinski is the latest talented actor to step into the role of Jack Ryan, author Tom Clancy’s most famous super spook. Following Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin, Ben Affleck, and Chris Pine into the shoes of the CIA agent who might be the toughest American ever. In this TV series, Ryan is at the beginning of his career, moving from desk-bound analyst to a full-blown secret agent/action expert. Krasinski’s take on the character seems to be hitting on all cylinders, for this show has already been renewed for a second season, well ahead of its premiere on Prime.
