TheWrap's Summer TV Watch List: 'American Gigolo' and Fletch Return From the Past!

TheWrap's Summer TV Watch List: 'American Gigolo' and Fletch Return From the Past! No images? [Click here]( ID=167008;size=700x180;setID=556351;uid={EMAIL}6128812;click=summer_tv_watchlist_top [- - -] [TheWrap - SUMMER TV WATCH LIST] Week of September 10 – 16 While we’re past Labor Day, much of the country is still experiencing massive heat waves. It’s still warm enough to want to stay inside with the air conditioning cranked up to 11. And that’s OK considering the constant flood of new programming, from a modernization of “American Gigolo” to a long-overdue “Fletch” remake to the return of “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “Atlanta” (for its final go-around). And also: the Emmys! Whether you’re bundled up or still sweating, this week is full of great options. On with the television. [Premiere of the week] “American Gigolo”Sunday, September 11 at 9 p.m., Showtime [Jon Bernthal as Julian Kaye in AMERICAN GIGOLO. Photo Credit: Warrick Page/SHOWTIME.] Photo: Showtime Somebody turn on the smoke machine and crank up the Giorgio Moroder, because “American Gigolo” is back. This new series, set in modern times but based on Paul Schrader’s 1980 film, is half remake/half sequel (if the original had ended very differently). This time, Jon Bernthal plays Julian Kay (a role originated by Richard Gere), a male prostitute who is finishing a 15-year prison sentence for a murder he didn’t commit. (If you don’t remember the movie, he was set up for a murder and is scrambling to clear his name.) As he re-enters society and tries to figure out who framed him, his sexy old job starts to pull him back in. This new series, which also stars Gretchen Mol, Rosie O’Donnell and Leland Orser, was initially developed by David Hollander — who was removed from the project [after misconduct claims were leveled against him](. (Production was temporarily suspended after Hollander was dismissed.) Thankfully, original producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who also returned to the world of “Top Gun” earlier this year after an extended sabbatical, is back. [[TRAILER](] ID=167008;size=300x250;setID=556895;uid={EMAIL}6128812;click=summer_tv_watchlist_2 [- - -] [Premiere of the week] “Primal”Friday, September 16 at midnight, Cartoon Network [Primal Season 2] Image: Cartoon Network Genndy Tartakovsky’s “Primal” debuted on Cartoon Network back in the fall of 2019, and instantly announced itself as something different. It was a wordless action show that followed the uneasy adventures of a Neanderthal (Spear) and his T. Rex BFF (Fang). Both had lost their families and were bonded by the shared trauma. Together they cut a bloody swath through a prehistoric, fantastical landscape, full of demons both literal and imagined. In the show’s second season, it veered wildly, wonderfully off-course. Instead of standalone episodes, it followed a single, sustained narrative. And it took a more varied approach to its storytelling, with Spear and Fang facing off against the horrors of mankind. (There was also a brilliant, terrifying standalone episode set in 1890 England.) What will be interesting is to see if the show even continues past the season 2 finale or if the show will mutate further, into something even more unexpected. [[TRAILER](] [- - -] [Premiere of the week] “Do Revenge”Friday, September 16, Netflix [do revenge] Photo: Netflix This looks delightful! A super bitchy, high school-set variation on Alfred Hitchcock’s “Strangers on a Train.” Camila Mendes (“Riverdale”) and Maya Hawke (“Stranger Things”) play picked-on high schoolers who make a pact to go after each other’s bullies. (They have very, very bad exes.) The trailer for “Do Revenge” is killer (it helps that the soundtrack includes Mazie’s great “Dumb Dumb”), suggesting a razor-sharp, R-rated high school thriller along the lines of “Jennifer’s Body” or “Heathers.” (Bonus cool points for Este Haim co-composing the soundtrack.) And with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, co-writer of this summer’s “Thor: Love and Thunder,” co-writing and directing “Do Revenge,” you can bet it’s going to be laugh-out-loud funny. Put it on your to-do list. [[TRAILER](] [- - -] [Premiere of the week] “Mija”Friday, September 16, Disney+ [mija-image] Photo: Disney+ “Mija,” which follows two daughters of immigrants without legal documentation as they navigate the music industry, serves as the inaugural film in a new Disney Original Documentary initiative. The film received rave reviews after premiering at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where Disney quickly acquired it. The debut feature of Emmy-nominated Mexican American Isabel Castro, “Mija” had an Oscar-qualifying theatrical run in early August. If “Mija” is even half as powerful as early audiences have made it out to be, this will be one to watch – both on the platform and come awards season. [[TRAILER](] [- - -] [Premiere of the week] “Amazing Stories”NBC App [Amazing Stories] Photo: NBC/Amblin Steven Spielberg was never more powerful than in the mid-1980s. Coming off a string of supersize box office hits, he commanded the unthinkable: a network committed to two seasons of a hugely expensive anthology series. The resulting series, “Amazing Stories,” is beloved by those who saw it, especially at an impressionable young age. From the unforgettable John Williams theme music to the episodes themselves, the show was truly amazing. The stories were charmingly magical and sometimes quite dark, and helmed by some of the biggest names in movies, from Joe Dante to Martin Scorsese. (Some were later repackaged as “movies” that would frequently play on basic cable channels.) After two seasons, NBC canceled the show and Apple TV+ recently launched an inspiring remake. Even if you never watched it the first time, Spielberg’s original “Amazing Stories” will instantly give you the warm fuzzies. [[WATCH](] [- - -] [Premiere of the week] “74th Annual Emmy Awards”Monday, September 12 at 8 p.m. EST, NBC (and Peacock)This year, Kenan Thompson hosts television’s biggest night. Will your favorites get the top honors? Or will it remain hopelessly underrated, going home empty-handed? And if you cut the cord, don’t worry – the show also streams simultaneously on Peacock, which is probably the closest Peacock will get to an Emmy all night. Zing! [[SIGN UP FOR PEACOCK](] “The Handmaid’s Tale”Wednesday, September 14, HuluEarlier this week, “The Handmaid’s Tale” announced plans for a sixth – and final! – season, which is probably for the best as our current reality inches closer to the show’s dystopian depiction of a controlling futuristic society. Before the show is over, it will probably pick up even more awards and critical notices, thanks to compelling performances (led by the always-great Elisabeth Moss) and its unflinching exploration of contemporary issues. You know, casual viewing. [[TRAILER](] “Atlanta”Thursday, September 15 at 10 p.m., FXJust a few months after the long-awaited third season dropped, Donald Glover’s celebrated “Atlanta” is back for its fourth season. (This will also be its last.) There was really nothing else like “Atlanta” on television, thanks to its adventurous, genre-pushing storytelling, excellent cast (including Brian Tyree Henry, Zazie Beetz and LaKeith Stanfield), its incredible knack for guest stars (most recently Liam Neeson) and its constant fearlessness. “Atlanta,” you will be missed. [[TRAILER](] “Confess, Fletch”Friday, September 16, PVODThe attempt to rejuvenate the Fletch character, who originated in a series of novels by Gregory Mcdonald and was made famous by two movies starring Chevy Chase, has been in the works since at least the 1990s. (Chase was even asked to return at one point.) After decades of false starts and a variety of filmmaker/star combinations, “Confess, Fletch” (based on Mcdonald’s second novel) has finally arrived. This time, Fletch is played by Jon Hamm and “Adventureland’s” Greg Mottola is co-writing and directing. Marcia Gay Harden, Kyle MacLachlan and Hamm’s old “Mad Men” chum John Slattery also star. Honestly, it’s good to have Fletch back. Any Fletch, really. [[TRAILER](] “Goodnight Mommy”Friday, September 16, Prime VideoNaomi Watts returns! This time, the “Mulholland Drive” star attempts a remake of the 2014 Austrian sensation, about two brothers who are sent to live with their mother (or is there something else going on?). To say anything more would ruin much of the fun (if this new version follows the same beats as the original). Starring in Americanized remakes of Austrian horror films is becoming a thing for Watts, who previously led the 2007 version of “Funny Games.” Talk about an odd niche! [[TRAILER](] [- - -] [Update your profile]( | [View our privacy policy]( | [Unsubscribe]( Sent from: TheWrap | 1808 Stanford Street | Santa Monica, CA, 90404 | attn: Email Coordinator [TheWrap]( ID=167008;size=700x180;setID=556352;uid={EMAIL}6128812;click=summer_tv_watchlist_bottom This email was sent to {EMAIL}. If you are no longer interested you can [unsubscribe instantly](.