TV Watchlist: Glen Powell Is a Hit, Man and 'Star Wars' Goes to the Dark Side

Plus a new WWII documentary and Hulu's chronicle of the LA Clippers Week of June 1 – 7 It’s another solid week of television, with something for everybody – “Star Wars” enthusiasts (“The Acolyte”), history buffs (“Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial”), NBA fans (“Clipped”) and fashionistas (“Becoming Karl Lagerfeld”). And that’s just the half of it, there’s also one of the best movies of the year, debuting exclusively on Netflix (“Hit Man”), a Sundance hit from a couple of years ago on Max (“Am I OK?”), a documentary on historical pageants (“Ren Faire”) and whatever the latest Julio Torres treasure will end up being (“Fantasmas”). If you can’t find something to watch this week, it’ll be a miracle. On with the television! The Acolyte Tuesday, June 4, Disney+ Source: Lucasfilm The first live-action “Star Wars” series since “Ahsoka” aired last fall, “The Acolyte” is a very different type of galactic adventure. Set in the High Republic, a period of “Star Wars” lore hundreds of years before Anakin Skywalker was born, this new series from creator Leslye Headland (co-creator of “Russian Doll”) definitely leans into the Dark Side of the Force. Amandla Stenberg plays Osha, a former trainee, who is recruited to help solve a series of Jedi murders being perpetrated by... someone. But can she put her unease about the Force aside long enough to help her former master and put a stop to this reign of terror? Part “Watchmen”-like procedural (more the comic book than the HBO series), part vibrant space opera, “The Acolyte” features a terrific supporting cast that includes “Squid Game” breakout Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Carrie-Anne Moss and Joonas Suotamo as a Wookie Jedi with a cool hairstyle. “The Acolyte” has its own unique sensibilities, with episodes directed by Headland and “After Yang” filmmaker Kogonada. This new series is also proof that “Star Wars” can still take you to places an even longer time ago and galaxies farther and farther away. Ready to take the journey? [[TRAILER](] Sweet Tooth Thursday, June 6, Netflix Source: Netflix “Sweet Tooth,” which was, true to its title, sweet (along with weird and compelling and emotionally complex) ends its three-season journey Thursday with its third and final season. Created by Jim Mickle and based on the comic book series written and drawn by prolific creator Jeff Lemire, “Sweet Tooth” imagines a post-apocalyptic world both cuddly and dangerous. A virus has wiped out most of humanity, with new children being born as half-human, half-animal hybrids (yes, this is as cute and as odd as you’re probably expecting). As the seasons went on, the story of a half-deer child named Gus (Christian Convery) has expanded into a much larger narrative, deepening the world in meaningful ways. Expensive and strange, we’re lucky we had “Sweet Tooth” for as long as we did. That doesn’t mean we won’t miss it. [[TRAILER](] Hit Man Friday, June 7, Netflix Source: Netflix One of the best movies of the year, “Hit Man” debuted at the fall festivals last year, where it won critical acclaim and declarations that co-writer and star Glen Powell’s big movie star moment had arrived. (A couple of months later, this would be cemented by the release of his sleeper hit “Anyone but You.”) “Hit Man,” co-written and directed by Richard Linklater and based on a Texas Monthly article by Skip Hollandsworth (who also wrote an article that Linklater’s earlier, underrated “Bernie” was based on), follows Gary Johnson (Powell), a mild-mannered college professor who moonlights as a fake assassin for the New Orleans Police Department. His life gets markedly more complicated when he falls in love with Madison (Adria Arjona), a woman who tries to hire him to kill her abusive husband. As amusing and soulful as any Linklater project, with a ratatat romantic comedy/thriller vibe that is utterly infectious and will make you swoon while also being perched at the edge of your seat. There’s a reason that, when the movie played as part of the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, the crowd erupted into spontaneous applause before the film even ended. This is a crowd pleaser of the highest order, so invite some friends over, order a pizza and try to reproduce the sensation of seeing this in the biggest auditorium possible. [[TRAILER](] Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial Wednesday, June 5, Netflix Source: Netflix Documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger, whose films include “Paradise Lost,” “Metallica: Some Kind of Monster,” and that documentary about a creepy Los Angeles hotel (“Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel”) tackles an even more insidious subject – Nazis. “Framed by the Nuremberg Trials, the series explores the shocking rise and fall of Hitler and his enablers via a campaign that was fueled through propaganda, censorship, and antisemitism,” according to the official synopsis. The series was largely informed by the groundbreaking 1960 nonfiction book “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” by journalist William L. Shirer. Again, the official synopsis: “Shirer was one of the last Western journalists to leave Germany, only doing so in late 1940, more than a year into the Second World War. He chronicled Hitler’s rise to power from a front row seat.” While this isn’t the sunniest subject matter, it’s just as essential today as it was immediately following World War II. What is that they say about those who don’t learn from the past? [[TRAILER](] Andor Disney+ Source: Lucasfilm With a new live-action “Star Wars” series on Disney+ and Adria Arjona leading the week’s best movie, it seemed like a good idea to revisit “Andor,” the very best “Star Wars” series thus far and one of the best things ever set in a galaxy far, far away. If for some reason you skipped “Andor” when it originally streamed on the platform back in 2022, the show follows the title character (played by Diego Luna), first seen in $1 billion-grossing prequel “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” In the series we watch as Andor goes from a fairly ambivalent scoundrel to a radicalized Rebel tasked with taking down the Empire’s ultimate weapon. This is a series as emotionally and philosophically complex as any top-tier HBO series, with jaw-dropping set pieces that could only be conjured by the geniuses at Lucasfilm, peerless performances (including from Andy Serkis, Kyle Soller, Stellan Skarsgård, Genevieve O'Reilly and Fiona Shaw) and a peek into unseen corners of the “Star Wars” universe. It’s just the best. And should be more universally regarded as such. “Andor” should be back for its second and final season next year. It deserves a parade upon its return. [[WATCH](] Source: Max “Ren Faire” Sunday, June 2 at 9 p.m., HBO Just read the official synopsis and tell us that this isn’t going to be must-watch television: “For half a century, George Coulam has reigned over the Texas Renaissance Festival with an iron fist. Now, he is ready to spend the last years of his life on a quest for a romantic companion. But before he retires, King George must choose an employee to take over his crown. Blending documentary verité with fantasy, ‘Ren Faire’ invites you behind the curtain of the famed Texas festival to witness a tense and comical succession drama in which the employees imagine themselves in a real-life ‘Game of Thrones.’” Yes. [[TRAILER](] “Clipped” Tuesday, June 4, Hulu The Lakers aren’t the only LA-based NBA team worthy of their prestige television series. In “Clipped” the Los Angeles Clippers take the court, with an all-star cast that includes Laurence Fishburne as coach Doc Rivers, Ed O’Neill as the team’s racist owner Donald Sterling, Jacki Weaver as Sterling’s wife and supporting characters played by Cleopatra Coleman, Kelly AuCoin and Rich Sommer. The series is based on the ESPN podcast “The Sterling Affairs.” Sounds like a slam dunk. [[TRAILER](] “Am I OK?” Thursday, June 6, Max This romantic drama, directed by Tig Notaro and her wife Stephanie Allynne, first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival way back in 2022. Now it’s finally premiering as a Max Original. Dakota Johnson plays a woman unlucky in love, who comes to the conclusion that she might be looking for the wrong gender. Sonoya Mizuno, recently seen in “Civil War,” plays her BFF who helps awaken her queerness. The cast also includes Molly Gordon, Kiersey Clemons and Sean Hayes. Could be a great double-feature with our other favorite romantic comedy this week, “Hit Man.” [[TRAILER](] “Becoming Karl Lagerfeld” Friday, June 7, Hulu The always-great Daniel Brühl plays the controversial fashion designer in “Becoming Karl Lagerfeld,” a French series created by Isaure Pisani-Ferry, Jennifer Have and Raphaëlle Bacqué. Looks decadent. [[TRAILER](] “Fantasmas” Friday, June 7 at 11 p.m., HBO Julio Torres is a real treasure. And mere months after his outstanding debut as a writer/director “Problemista” was finally released theatrically, we get another new HBO series. This time he plays a version of himself, as he searches New York City for a golden earring. Along the way he encounters characters played by Paul Dano, Emma Stone, Steve Buscemi, Kim Petras, Ziwe and Julia Fox. Just give into the lunacy. You’ll be rewarded. [[TRAILER](] 2034 Armacost Ave. | Los Angeles, CA 90025 [Unsubscribe](