TV Watchlist: HBO's Buzzy 'Chimp Crazy' Doc Debuts, 'Evil' Ends and 'Pachinko' Is Back

Plus: John Woo remakes "The Killer" for Peacock Plus: John Woo remakes "The Killer" for Peacock Week of August 17 – 23 You’re going to go ape for this week’s television shows and movies. And not just because the marquee title is “Chimp Crazy,” an animal rights documentary/true crime story coming to HBO from the same folks that made “Tiger King.” There’s plenty of non-ape content that will still make you go bananas, from a new version of John Woo’s “The Killer” (on Peacock), to a documentary series on Wyatt Earp (“Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War” on Netflix) to the long-awaited return of “Pachinko” (on Apple TV+) and the much-earlier return of “That ‘90s Show” (on Netflix). And much, much more! On with the television! Chimp Crazy Sunday, August 18 at 10 p.m., HBO Source: HBO From the team behind “Tiger King” comes your next animal-based obsession, which like that earlier series mixes true crime elements with the biography of an over-the-top personality. In “Chimp Crazy’s” case, that would be former nurse-turned-exotic-animal-broker Tonia Haddix, who describes herself as the “Dolly Parton of chimps.” (Initially director Eric Goode had wanted the documentary to focus on Connie Braun Casey, who sold the chimp that ultimately attacked Charla Nash in Stamford, Connecticut in 2009. Casey rejected his attempts but that attack does seem to be covered in the doc.) According to the official synopsis for “Chimp Crazy,” which is already being called a must-watch documentary in early reviews, Haddix’s “limitless love for one chimpanzee spins into a wild cat-and-mouse game with authorities and an animal rights group.” And yes, it does look wild – for some reason actor Alan Cumming is extensively interviewed (!?!). If you have an aversion to animal abuse, this will probably be a tough watch, but it has been endorsed by PETA so maybe it’s a necessary one. Hey, it couldn’t get any crazier than “Tiger King.” Could it? [[TRAILER](] Evil Thursday, August 22, Paramount+ Source: Paramount+ “Evil” is ending. For good this time. Robert and Michelle King’s agreeably disturbing series, about three Vatican “auditors” – Katja Herbers’ forensic psychologist, Mike Colter’s priest and Aasif Mandvi’s technology contractor – investigate odd disturbances and advise the church on whether or not an exorcism is necessary. (You better believe it is.) And while that might be a straightforward, “X-Files”-ish set-up, “Evil” veered into weird and wholly unexpected places, putting our characters not just in physical danger but in existential, emotional danger as well. This season, which was not designed to be the last (four final episodes were ordered in an attempt to wrap everything up), was particularly ambitious, featuring a pair of potentially world-ending events – the birth of a cuddly antichrist and the opening of a supercollider that could open a portal to another world. With “Evil,” everything – sex, religious, demonic possession, technology – is mixed up in an intoxicating stew. Time to grab one last bowl before it’s gone forever. Sigh. [[TRAILER](] The Killer Friday, August 23, Peacock Source: Peacock John Woo remakes one of his immortal classics. And you know what? It’s pretty great. An Americanized version of “The Killer” has been in the works since at least 1992, when Walter Hill and David Giler, co-architects of the “Alien” franchise, set out to adapt Woo’s Hong Kong-set original. Various iterations churned throughout the years, with Woo eventually joining the project, with a script co-written by Oscar winner Brian Helgeland. In the titular role, originally earmarked for Lupita Nyong’o, is Nathalie Emmanuel from “Game of Thrones.” Omar Sy plays the good detective on her trail. And Sam Worthington and Saïd Taghmaoui play members of the criminal underworld. (Diana Silvers plays the girl that Emmanuel accidentally blinds.) This is Woo back in “heroic bloodshed” mode. And while you wish he had a slightly bigger budget, the movie’s European setting and committed, international cast, help balance the scales. The action sequences really are dazzling, with enough familiar elements from the original along with brand-new bits to impress even the most jaded viewer. (It does help, somewhat, that the original movie is so hard to watch these days. It alleviates a level of micro-scrutiny that would have been insufferable.) More than anything else, Woo’s new “Killer” is just a ton of fun – a super-entertaining romp by one of the most talented filmmakers of his generation. He’s covering his own hit. But man what a cover. [[TRAILER](] Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War Wednesday, August 21, Netflix Source: Netflix This six-part documentary series from BAFTA-winning filmmaker Patrick Reams looks to recreate the legendary feud between Wyatt Earp and Ike Clanton, which has been previously dramatized in movies like Kurt Russell’s “Tombstone” and Kevin Costner’s “Wyatt Earp.” And honestly, having six hours to tell this story and to get really into the minutia should make for some pretty compelling television, especially if the reenactments are as “vivid” as Netflix’s promotional team is claiming. Bring on the cowboys! [[TRAILER](] Evil Paramount+ Source: Paramount+ If, for some reason, you need to catch up on “Evil” (or never watched it at all), consider this the perfect time. There are 49 episodes stretched across all four seasons, it’s occasionally gross and quite scary, and it’s full of characters you absolutely love – or love to hate. Michael Emerson, so great at being bad on “Lost,” is a manipulative minion of the devil and Kurt Fuller, a character actor that never really got his due, puts in some of the best work of his career as an opportunistic therapist. What’s incredible is that, when episodes of the series were licensed to Netflix ahead of the final season, they did gangbusters. Maybe throw the back catalog a few views could ensure that “Evil” rises from the dead. Or maybe that is just a hallucination worthy of a Vatican-approved exorcism. Either way, this show is superb. [[WATCH](] Source: Netflix “OceanXplorers” Sunday, August 18 at 9 p.m., Nat Geo According to the official synopsis, this series follows “various travels aboard the OceanXplorer, OceanX's state-of-the-art scientific research and exploration vessel, to investigate the farthest frontiers of the world's oceans. The majority of these depths are entirely unknown.” This documentary series is, of course, executive produced by James Cameron and co-produced by BBC Studios, and “provides an immersive look at an underwater world of wonder with incredible discoveries that push the boundaries of exploration and our understanding of the ocean like never before.” After the first episode airs on National Geographic, all of the episodes will appear on Disney+ and Hulu the next day. [[TRAILER](] “That ‘90s Show” Thursday, August 8, Prime Video Netflix had originally planned to release season 3 (or the second half of season 2) in October, but then bumped up the release several months. So enjoy it now! If you haven’t ever seen the show, it’s a sequel to “That ‘70s Show,” taking place 15 years after the events of the initial series (the first season had cameo appearances by almost all of the original cast members but that has mostly petered out). If you want some nostalgia, here it is! [[TRAILER](] “Incoming” Thursday, August 22, Netflix Four less-than-popular kids try to make their way to their first ever high school party. Hijinks ensue. Sounds pretty classic right? The trailer is hilarious and it marks the theatrical debut of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” writers Dave and John Chernin. Sounds like raunchy fun. (Remember when they used to release movies like this into theaters?) [[TRAILER](] “Pachinko” Friday, August 23, Apple TV+ More than two years after the end of its first season, the critically acclaimed “Pachinko” returns. Once again the series takes place in multiple timelines, with multiple languages and settings, as it charts four generations of a Korean family, starting from 1915 to 1989. And, yes, Anna Sawai is returning for Season 2 even after blowing up with the back-to-back blockbusters of “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” and “Shōgun,” but this time only as a guest. [[TRAILER](] “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat” Friday, August 23, Hulu Based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Edward Kelsey Moore, “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat” follows three best friends (played in adulthood by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Sanaa Lathan and Uzo Aduba), as they look back on the life they had together and the hardships they went through. Tina Mabry directed and co-wrote this adaptation, which also features Mekhi Phifer, Julian McMahon, Vondie Curtis-Hall and Russell Hornsby. Ready to take a seat at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat?” [[TRAILER](] 2034 Armacost Ave. | Los Angeles, CA 90025 [Unsubscribe](