TV Watchlist: A New Jennifer Lopez Netflix Movie, Beach Boys Doc and 'SNL' Finale

Plus Shane Gillis gets his own Netflix comedy series Week of May 18 – 25 With Memorial Day just around the corner, the summer is finally heating up. And you know what else is hot? All of the shows and movies available this week. This week features the first episode of the last season of “Evil;” a Jennifer Lopez Netflix movie where she’s stuck inside of a robot (“Atlas”); a Disney+ Beach Boys documentary; and the return of “The Kardashians” and “Jurassic World.” Plus documentaries on Lollapalooza (“Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza”) and Stax Records (“Stax: Soulsville U.S.A”). Turn these documentaries up, way up! On with the television! Evil Thursday, May 23, Paramount+ Source: Paramount+ “Evil” has had quite the journey since it premiered in 2019. It started off as a network series, debuting on CBS, but its offbeat attitude and general weirdness, with a trio of supernatural investigators (played Katja Herbers, Mike Colter and Aasif Mandvi) looking into possible demonic activity, was too much for the home of “Blue Bloods.” Thankfully, Paramount+ was gearing up and needed content and “Evil” fit the bill. Not only would the streaming platform get a marquee show, beloved by critics and its dedicated fanbase, but “Evil” could open up a little bit more. It could get more evil. This, its fourth season, is also its final season. It’s also the first batch of new episodes since the summer of 2022. Thankfully, this is a super-sized season, with a whopping 14 episodes. And the first episode of this grand, undoubtedly blood-soaked finale, is written by the show’s creators and showrunners Robert King and Michelle King. It’s rare that a show this deranged gets through the various gatekeepers, for it to have been on for this long and amassed the fan base that it has, is nothing short of a miracle … or maybe some kind of demonic intervention. Either way, we are very lucky to have had the “Evil” experience. If you never watched “Evil,” buckle up. It’s a wild journey. [[TRAILER](] Saturday Night Live Saturday, May 18 at 11:29 pm, NBC Source: NBC “Saturday Night Live” has had an undeniably terrific season, with highlights like Nate Bargatze, Ryan Gosling and Maya Rudolph transcending the usual “SNL” fandom to penetrate the culture at large. (In particular, the Gosling episode was a certifiable scream. Just thinking about that “Beavis and Butthead” sketch is enough to make you giggle.) The season ends with the dynamic duo of Jake Gyllenhaal, whose new show “Presumed Innocent” debuts soon on Apple TV+, and musical guest Sabrina Carpenter, who is vying for song of the summer status with her earworm-y “Espresso.” “SNL” will be back soon enough (this is an election year after all), but hopefully this season will go out on a high note. [[TRAILER](] Atlas Friday, May 24, Netflix Source: Netflix Jennifer Lopez’s Netflix thriller “The Mother” was one of the most watched streaming titles of 2023. Now she’s back with another movie for the streaming giant. And this time, she’s tackling sci-fi. In “Atlas,” she plays the title character, Atlas Shepherd, a brilliant analyst who doesn’t play by the rules. She’s tasked with helping capture a renegade robot (Simu Lui) who, years earlier, instigated a robot uprising and is now hiding on an inhospitable planet. But to nab him, she’s got to make peace with the AI in her mech suit. (Think the suits from “The Matrix Revolutions” or James Cameron’s “Avatar.”) Complicated emotions! “Atlas” was directed by Brad Peyton, who has overseen similar largescale destruction with movies like “Rampage” and “San Andreas.” And the movie comes chock full of eye-popping visual effects from legendary effects house Industrial Light & Magic. Will Atlas learn to trust her handy AI sidekick and get the villains robot? Only one way to find out. [[TRAILER](] The Beach Boys Friday, May 24, Disney+ Source: Disney+ The Beach Boys are underrated, and this new documentary should hopefully turn some people around who only think of the group as the band behind “Kokomo.” Featuring never-before-seen footage, the film traces the origins and rise of the band. The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, David Marks and Bruce Johnston sit down for new interviews, with Lindsey Buckingham, Janelle Monáe, Ryan Tedder and Don Was taking part as well. The doc is directed by Frank Marshall, who was behind 2020’s excellent Bee Gees documentary from HBO. [[TRAILER](] Fringe Max Source: Max If the end of “Evil” has got you down, why not give “Fringe” a whirl? Swapping “Evil’s” emphasis on religion for scientific weirdness (think Ken Russell’s “Altered States” meets “The X-Files”), the show follows a mad scientist (John Noble), who teams with his son (Joshua Jackson) and a no-nonsense FBI agent (Anna Torv) to investigate science-y crimes. This being a show co-created by J.J. Abrams (alongside Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci), there are also a series of interconnected and long-gestating mysteries, mostly about an alternate universe that is trying to destroy our own. (There are also a race of mysterious Observers, who are seen at pivotal moments in history.) Plus, the series racked up 100 episodes over the course of five seasons. This is a mystery that you can really get lost in. [[WATCH](] Source: Paramount+ “Stax: Soulsville U.S.A” Monday, May 20 at 9 p.m., HBO This four-part documentary series, with two episodes airing Monday and two Tuesday night, follows the influential Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee, which “grew from a family-owned record store and studio to one of the most influential producers of soul music — launching the careers of Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & The M.G.’s, and Sam & Dave, and more” (according to the official synopsis). This documentary “chronicles the musicians, songwriters, and producers who smashed racial barriers and created the signature Stax sound that defined an era.” [[TRAILER](] “Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza” Tuesday, May 21, Paramount+ This documentary premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. And it is terrific. The documentary chronicles the history (and histrionics) of the iconic music festival, including how the festival and its founder (Perry Ferrell) are interconnected. Featuring great talking head interviews with people like Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor and archival footage that will send you back in time, this documentary is entertaining and super interesting. It rocks. [[TRAILER](] “The Kardashians” Thursday, May 23, Hulu Yes. They’re back. This is Hulu’s top-rated reality show, too, so they’re probably not going anywhere. What will they get into this season? [[TRAILER](] “Tires” Thursday, May 23, Netflix This new workplace comedy was co-created by star Shane Gillis, the former “Saturday Night Live” cast member who was let go, only to return and host “SNL.” (The other co-creators are Steven Gerben and McKeever.) The official synopsis reads: “At his father's auto shop, a hapless manager strives to improve customer service and drive profits while keeping his troublemaking cousin in line.” The show was executive produced by Rough House, the production company behind “The Righteous Gemstones,” and it feels like “Tires” could share some of that HBO show’s DNA. We’re in. [[TRAILER](] “Jurassic World: Chaos Theory” Friday, May 24, Netflix The animated series “Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous,” a joint venture between Netflix and DreamWorks Animation, wrapped up its five-season run in 2022, after 49 episodes and one special. But don’t worry, the characters from the show (minus the character played by Jenna Ortega, for obvious reasons) have returned for a new show, “Jurassic World: Chaos Theory.” The characters are now adults and are unraveling a vast conspiracy. Hopefully they get to the bottom of what’s going on! Anything “Jurassic”-related is always fun and this looks no different. 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