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 25-31.
HBO MAX JOINS THE CLUB
Yup. Another new streaming service launches this week, on Wednesday, in case you’re not already too busy with Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, Apple TV+. Hulu, CBS All Access, and the many others. This one, though, is aiming to be the crème of the crop, not least of all because it will carry current HBO original programs such as “Westworld” as well as the HBO back catalog, including the likes of “Game of Thrones.”
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It’s called HBO Max, but it’s different from HBO Now and HBO Go. I know, it’s somewhat confusing. While the two older HBO streamers will still exist, the new one is a broader portal that will include content from the many other content outlets owned by HBO’s corporate parent WarnerMedia, including CNN, TNT, Adult Swim, TBS, DC Comics, and Looney Tunes. HBO Max aims to be for kids and their parents. It will be the exclusive streaming home of all 10 seasons of “Friends,” which is no longer on Netflix, as well as “The Big Bang Theory,” “Sesame Street,” blockbuster franchises such as “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Matrix,” and classics such as “Casablanca” and “The Wizard of Oz.”
HBO Max will feature its own original series that will be separate from HBO’s shows. It is promising more than 30 originals this year, including “College Girls” from Mindy Kaling, the high school comedy “Generation” from Lena Dunham, a “Gossip Girl” sequel series, and a miniseries based on the novel “Americanah” starring Lupita Nyong’o.
The app arrives on Wednesday with six originals — one documentary film (“On the Record,” about the sexual assault accusations against hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons), and five series:
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• “Love Life,” a romantic comedy anthology series that, each season, follows a different person’s search for love. Anna Kendrick stars in the 10-episode first season. (Watch the trailer; here is my review.)
• “Legendary,” an unscripted series that pits real-life voguing teams against each other, with judges Jameela Jamil, Law Roach, Leiomy Maldonado and Megan Thee Stallion. (Watch the trailer here.)
• “Looney Tunes Cartoons,” featuring all new cartoons of the Warner Bros. characters including Bugs Bunny and Foghorn Leghorn, and Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd. (Watch the trailer here.)
• “Craftopia,” a kids crafting competition. (Watch the trailer here.)
• “The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo,” a goof on late-night shows with Elmo, Cookie Monster, and celebrity guests. (Watch the trailer here.)
HBO Max costs $14.99 a month, but if you sign up before Wednesday, you can get a discounted first-year rate of $11.99 a month. (A cheaper version, with commercials, is due next year.) If you already get HBO Now, or you get HBO through AT&T, DirectTV, Hulu, or Spectrum, you’ll get it without extra cost; if you get HBO through Comcast, Amazon, or Roku, you’ll need to get the HBO Max app on your own — preferably without paying for HBO twice (here are more details about this somewhat complicated situation).
Like Apple TV+ and Hulu, HBO Max is not following the binge model, instead releasing new episodes of original series weekly.
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WHAT I’M WATCHING THIS WEEK
1. Netflix’s “Space Force” couldn’t have asked for a better lead-in to its premiere on Friday than the president’s recent touting of his new military branch, its “super-duper missile,” and its official flag. The new workplace comedy from Steve Carell, Greg Daniels, and Howard Klein of “The Office” is set in this sixth branch, with Carell starring as the general in charge of getting the Space Force running and, per the president, getting “boots on the moon.” The cast includes John Malkovich, Lisa Kudrow, Ben Schwartz, Noah Emmerich, Jessica St. Clair, Jane Lynch, Tawny Newsome, Jimmy O. Yang, and alas, the late Fred Willard, who plays the father of Carell’s character.
2. “Nanette” was an extraordinary 2018 stand-up concert that was groundbreaking for its intimacy, honesty, and unconventionality. Ultimately, Hannah Gadsby did not give up comedy, as she claimed, and she’s back with another stand-up special called “Hannah Gadsby: Douglas,” named after her dog. This one was filmed in L.A., and it premieres on Tuesday on Netflix.
3. Stephen Frears, whose recent TV projects (including “State of the Union” and “A Very English Scandal”) have been excellent, directs the three episodes of a new miniseries called “Quiz.” Premiering Sunday at 10 p.m. on AMC, it’s about the attempt by a man named Charles Ingram to cheat on the UK version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” Matthew Macfadyen (Tom Wambsgans from “Succession”!), Michael Sheen, and Sian Clifford star.
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4. I want to knit you a sweater, write you a love letter, make you feel better, and possibly get you to watch “Laurel Canyon,” a new two-part documentary. It’s about the artists who came of age in the Los Angeles area in the late 1960s and early ’70s, including Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Doors, Linda Ronstadt, the Byrds, Eagles, the Mamas & the Papas, Jackson Browne, and Buffalo Springfield. Oh, and Joni Mitchell. “Laurel Canyon,” which premieres Sunday at 9 p.m. on Epix, features original interviews with Browne, Don Henley, Michelle Phillips, Graham Nash, Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, and Roger McGuinn.
5. On Monday at 9 p.m., National Geographic is premiering an eight-part adaptation of Annie Proulx’s 2016 novel “Barkskins,” about hard living in the wild and a conflict between French and English settlers in a small 1690s settlement in New France. The cast features David Thewlis and Marcia Gay Harden. Two episodes will air back-to-back on Monday, and on each of the following three Mondays. Episodes will also stream on Hulu a day after airing on National Geographic.
6. Amazon is premiering the science fiction film “The Vast of Night” on Friday. Directed by Andrew Patterson, and starring Sierra McCormick and Jake Horowitz, it’s a thriller set in 1950s New Mexico, when two high school kids discover a strange audio frequency. The film, which involves a UFO and some romantic suspense, currently has an impressive 88 on Metacritic.
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7. “Bob’s Burgers” creator Loren Bouchard has a new animated series on Apple TV+ called “Central Park.” It’s a music-filled comedy about a family living in the New York City park and their efforts to stop a developer’s scheme to get rid of the landmark. The voice cast features Kristen Bell, Josh Gad (who co-created the series), Leslie Odom Jr., Kathryn Hahn, Tituss Burgess, Daveed Diggs, and Stanley Tucci. By the way, the show, which premieres Friday, has already been renewed.
CHANNEL SURFING
“Haircut Night in America” Jerry O’Connell and Rebecca Romijn host top hair stylists remotely guiding celebrities and health-care workers through DIY hairstyling. CBS, Friday, 8 p.m.
“America’s Got Talent” The 15th-season premiere, with Sofia Vergara, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, and Simon Cowell on the judges panel. Expect only a partial season, since production was halted in March. NBC, Tuesday, 8 p.m.
“Ramy” Muslim American comic Ramy Youssef brings his New Jersey-set comedy back for a second season. Hulu, Friday
“Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich” A four-part miniseries about the late sex offender. Netflix, Wednesday
“Grant” A three-night docu-series about the Civil War general turned 18th U.S. president. History, Monday, 9 p.m.
RECENTLY REVIEWED
“The Great” A sparkling period satire about Catherine the Great from Tony McNamara of “The Favourite.” Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult star. Hulu
“The Lovebirds” The romantic comedy starring Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae is easy to watch and easier to forget. Netflix
“Dead to Me” Like season 1, season 2 of the dark comedy is built to breeze through, letting all of its many major twists roll by despite their (often intentional) absurdity. Netflix
“I Know This Much Is True” An adaptation of Wally Lamb’s novel starring Mark Ruffalo as twin brothers, one of whom has schizophrenia. HBO
“Never Have I Ever” A breezy coming-of-age comedy co-created by Mindy Kaling about a 15-year-old Indian-American girl in the year after her father dies. Netflix
“The Eddy” Filled with jazz, the series from Damien Chazelle (“La La Land”) is about a struggling nightclub in Paris, with Andre Holland as one of the owners. Netflix
“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 fairytale. Netflix
Matthew Gilbert can be reached at matthew.gilbert@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewGilbert.
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This week’s TV: HBO Max arrives, Carell’s ‘Space Force’ launches, and Hannah Gadsby returns - The Boston Globe
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