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Jamie Bell and Richard Gadd in Half Man. Photo by Anne Binckebanck/HBO
The family and I finally got out to see Project Hail Mary this weekend, and man what an excellent time at the movies that is. It’s still going pretty strong at the box office, but with summer releases on the horizon it might not be in theaters a lot longer. If you haven’t had a chance to see it yet, I wholeheartedly recommend a trip to your local screen.
The week that just ended included the annual CinemaCon event in Las Vegas, where movie studios hype their coming releases to theater owners and fans. Here’s a rundown of the highs and lows of the week from my Hollywood Reporter colleague James Hibberd.
If you’re all caught up on The Pitt, which ended its second season on Thursday, Kathryn VanArendonk has an excellent story at Vulture about the filming of the season finale (she was on set) and a thoughtful critique of whether the show is maybe a little bit too beholden to Dr. Robby’s (Noah Wyle) point of view.
Here’s what’s coming this week in the TV and streaming world. All times are ET/PT unless otherwise noted.
Premieres
Monday
• 4×20: Quick Hits (Hulu) - Hard to believe no one’s done this before, but Hulu has a set of four short weed-related documentaries, including ones about the making of stoner classic Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle and one about High Times magazine. Jimmy Kimmel is an exec producer of the films.
• Kevin (Prime Video) - Aubrey Plaza co-created and has a voice role in this animated series about a cat named Kevin (Jason Schwartzman) who gets tired of living with humans and decides to go out on his own.
• Funny AF With Kevin Hart (Netflix) - Stand-up comedy competition (very much a la Last Comic Standing), hosted by Hart.
• Freak Brothers (Tubi) - Probably not a coincidence that this is also premiering on 4/20.
• 8 p.m.: Sullivan’s Crossing (The CW)
Tuesday
• Unchosen (Netflix) - A British thriller about a woman (Molly Windsor) trying to leave a cult.
• 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.: Farmer Wants a Wife and Bear Grylls Is Running Wild (Fox) - Two more early summer premieres for Fox.
Wednesday
• Criminal Record (Apple TV) - Season two of the British crime series starring Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo.
• This Is a Gardening Show (Netflix) - And it stars Zach Galifianakis.
• SisterS (IFC/AMC+/Acorn TV) - Season two of a dramedy starring Sarah Goldberg of Barry and The Audacity (which also stars Galifianakis) and Susan Stanley as half-sisters uncovering their chaotic family history.
• Hulk Hogan: Real American (Netflix) - A WWE-approved docuseries about the life and career of the pro wrestling icon.
Thursday
• Running Point (Netflix) - Should you want some fictional basketball in between NBA playoff games.
• Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85 (Netflix) - It’s an animated series set in between seasons 2 and 3 of Stranger Things, with the familiar characters (though voiced by different actors) facing a new threat in Hawkins.
• 9 p.m.: Half Man (HBO/HBO Max) - In his first series after Baby Reindeer, Richard Gadd stars with Jamie Bell in a story about two brothers (though not blood related) who were once as close as could be but now, as one of them is about to get married, have an extremely uneasy reunion. Though it’s likely not what the title refers to, a bulked-up Gadd looks like he is half a man bigger than he was in Baby Reindeer.
Sunday
• 8:30 p.m.: Bob’s Burgers (Fox) - Back after a fairly long hiatus.
Finales
Wednesday
• 8 p.m.: Abbott Elementary (ABC) - The still very good ABC comedy finishes its fifth season with two episodes, starting a half-hour earlier than usual. The Greatest Average American (a game show hosted by Nate Bargatze) and Shark Tank also end their seasons at 9 and 10 p.m.
Thursday
• 9 p.m.: Matlock (CBS) - Promos for the two-episode finale suggest things are about to hit the fan for Maddy (Kathy Bates) and the handful of people in on what she’s really up to at the law firm where she works.
• 9 and 9:30 p.m.: Animal Control and Going Dutch (Fox)
Friday
• 8 p.m.: Happy’s Place (NBC)
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Sports, specials and movies
Wednesday
• Lainey Wilson: Keepin’ Country Cool (Netflix) - A concert film/documentary about the country star.
• Orangutan (Disney+) - Disney’s annual nature documentary release timed to Earth Day.
Thursday
• 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT: NFL Draft (ABC/ESPN/NFL Network) - Round one of the draft is this evening, followed by rounds two and three on Friday night and rounds four through seven on Saturday afternoon.
Friday
• Apex (Netflix) - Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton star in a thriller set in the Australian wilderness
• Nikki Glaser: Good Girl (Hulu) - Her fifth stand-up special and first on Hulu.
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