Coming 2 America (Amazon Prime film) — The much-anticipated sequel is (according to our own Vince Mancini) a rare example of a comedy that lives up to the original with a bang-up job in the costume department to boot. The followup also, naturally, celebrates the much-heralded return of Eddie Murphy as King Akeem, who’s definitely got Arsenio Hall around as confidante while they travel from Zaumda to Queens, New York, to take things back to basics. More good news: James Earl Jones is back, and the film co-stars Wesley Snipes, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Louis Anderson, Jermaine Fowler, Bella Murphy, Rotimi, KiKi Layne, Nomzamo Mbatha, and Teyana Taylor.
Boss Level (FX film) — Underappreciated action hero Frank Grillo stars as a former special forces agent who’s trapped in a not-so-wacky version of a Groundhog Day-esque time loop and forced to continuously relive his own murder. Sounds like a good time! Mel Gibson plays the government agent that Grillo’s hunting down in a race against the time loop, and the film also co-stars Naomi Watts, Ken Jeong, and Annabelle Wallis. The film’s one of many upcoming projects from Grillo and director Joe Carnahan’s War Party production company.
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (Paramount+ movie) — Look for Keanu Reeves’ cameo in this irreverent animated adventure, which follows SpongeBob and Patrick, his starfish pal, looking to vindicate Mr. Krabs after he’s been framed for heisting King Neptune’s crown. In doing so, they must leave their Bikini Bottom refuge and make their way to Shell City in a journey that illuminates the power of friendship. In addition to the actual movie goodness, check out our “Rapid Fire” video with rapper 2KBaby as he looks to beat the buzzer in a quiz.
Wandavision: Episode 7 (Disney+ series) — This week’s series finale resists pulling a “Luke Skywalker” moment, which works out best for all parties, other than Pietro, and thank goodness this show didn’t become a cameo-fest. Only two more weeks, and it’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier time.
Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special (Sunday, CBS 8:00 p.m.) — This two-hour landmark interview with the British-royal-and-press embattled Meghan Markle and Prince Harry promises to be an event. The pair will open up about their hopes and dreams of the future, along with talking about their move stateside.
Supermarket Sweep (Sunday, ABC 8:00 p.m.) — Leslie Jones and every bit of her enthusiasm will host contestants in this revival of the grocery-shopping game show.
The Walking Dead (Sunday, AMC 9:00 p.m.) — The bonus episodes of Season 10 continue with Daryl and Carol stumbling upon an old cabin that takes Daryl back in time. Memories abound as past traumas rise to the forefront again, and yes, Daryl is thinking about Dog this week.
Allen V. Farrow (Sunday, HBO 9:00 p.m.) — This four part documentary series continues this weekend to dig into a notorious and still-raging scandal of what, exactly, happened with Woody Allen and his family. This week, Mia Farrow attempts to shield Dylan from being repeatedly questioned while Woody’s legal and PR teams go into overdrive.
Shameless (Sunday, Showtime 9:00 p.m.) — The Gallagher family home might be going up for sale, for real, while Frank attempts to give input, but no one should listen to him.
Last Week Tonight: Season 8 Premiere (Sunday, HBO 10:00 p.m.) — Everyone’s favorite sarcastic and satiric late-night host returned a few weeks ago, and not a moment too soon. Can’t wait to see who he skewers this week.
Here are a few more recent streaming picks:
Raya and the Last Dragon (Disney+ film) — Kelly Marie Tran stars in this ambitious fantasy film with striking visuals about Kumandra, yet another world where humans and dragons coexisted together until the dragons sacrificed themselves to save the humans. Oh, this one’s gonna be a tear-jerker but sounds like it’s entirely worth it, especially after reemerging monsters inspire a warrior to find the last living dragon and repeat the path to victory. The film integrates mythologies from many Southeast Asian cultures and promises to be a soaring ride for all ages.
Mr. Mercedes: Season 3 (Peacock series) — The crime-thriller series that’s based upon Stephen King’s best-selling Bill Hodges Trilogy continues from executive producer David E. Kelley and director Jack Bender. Viewers know that this series brings us a very different Holly Gibney (as portrayed by Justine Lupe) than the one we witnessed on HBO’s The Outsider (as played by Cynthia Erivo), and this season was co-written by Kelley and King. Settle in as the murder of a beloved local author (and American icon) becomes the focus of Hodges, Holly, and Jerome, who find that this case is much more complex than mere cold-blooded killing.
Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years: Season 1 (Paramount+ series) — This accompanying prequel series (which landed on the Paramount+ launch day) follows 10-year-old Spongebob at his summer Kamp Koral, which really shakes up the kelp forest as underwater campfires are all the rage near Lake Yuckymuck.
Pacific Rim: The Black (Netflix series): This animated series is as bonkers as the live action-ish films. There’s massive robots and Kaiju overrunning Australia, which renders the whole continent inhabitable. Amid the mayhem, two siblings search for their missing parents and basically embark upon their search by piloting a Jaeger, which is their only shot at survival. The only thing that’s missing here is an obvious ingredient: Charlie Hunnam.
The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Hulu Original film) — Directed by Lee Daniels and starring Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Andra Day, this film follows the legendary jazz musician who was targeted in the 1940s by the federal government. This was all part of an effort to radicalize the war on drugs, which led to the feds attempting to stop Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” ballad from happening. It’s an at-times heart-wrenching portrait of a powerful civil rights activist and musical icon whose work still resonates, 80 years later and beyond.
Tom And Jerry (Warner Bros. film) — This live-action/CGI-animation hybrid follows the continuing legendary rivalry between the title cat and mouse. They’re taking a New York City hotel by storm and launching mayhem-filled adventures as a massive, high-profile wedding looms. Chloe Grace Moretz stars as a wedding planner who’s there to wrangle them, and I believe we can all guess how well that goes. Godspeed.
Punky Brewster: Season 1 (Peacock reboot series) — Hear me out here on this one. Reboot madness won’t stop (no matter what we do), and after NBCU’s streaming service did the Saved By The Bell thing (which is already renewed for a second season), the progression toward Punky Power shouldn’t be too surprising. In this series, Punky’s a single mom who finds herself inspired by meeting a young orphan who possesses of all her old spunk. Both Soleil Moon Frye and Cherie Johnson reprise their roles, and Freddie Prinze Jr. plays Punky’s ex-husband. Did she go by “Punky” or “Penelope” while taking wedding vows? I kind-of need to know.