Spring TV Watchlist: 'Succession' Obsession Returns, Tetris Gets a Movie

No images? [Click here]( Week of March 25 - 31 This week is all about big returns, with “Succession” and “Yellowjackets,” both critically acclaimed dramas that we have been without for far too long, finally back. (“Riverdale” is also returning for its swan song.) Add to that a terrific drama about “Tetris,” Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston in “Murder Mystery 2” and a starry new version of “Great Expectations,” and you’ve got just as full a week as any this week. “Succession” Sunday, March 26 at 9 p.m., HBO Source: HBO The theme music is already playing in your head, isn’t it? After the shocking season 3 finale, which saw Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) try to wrestle control of the company away from their father Logan (Brian Cox) only to have their power usurped and their trust broken by Shiv’s husband Tom (Matthew Macfadyen), the excitement for “Succession” is at an all-time high. This anticipation has only amplified after the announcement that Season 4 will be the last of the beloved HBO series. (And keep in mind the last episode aired more than a year ago.) Judging by the promotional materials released so far, this season is going to a wild free-for-all, as the soul of Waystar RoyCo hangs in the balance (you know that Alexander Skarsgård’s Musk-like mogul will be back in play). The Roys are one of the most iconic television families – and one of the most complicated. Who do you really want to see come out on top? And why? These are the questions that will fuel Season 4. It’s about time. [[REVIEW](] “Star Wars: The Bad Batch” Wednesday, March 29, Disney+ Source: Disney+ “The Mandalorian” might be the “Star Wars” series on Disney+ that gets most of the attention, but “The Bad Batch,” an animated series and spin-off of the wildly popular “The Clone Wars,” is every bit as gripping and entertaining. Set after the events of “The Clone Wars,” “The Bad Batch” follows a bunch of unique Clone Troopers whose eccentricities set them apart from the rest of the platoon. (It also makes them a target of the Galactic Empire for not following Order 66, the edict that led to the near-extinction of the Jedi.) Full of lively, brightly animated action sequences and memorable characters, if you need more “Star Wars” in your life, then “The Bad Batch” is for you. [[TRAILER](] “Tetris” Friday, March 31, Apple TV+ Source: Apple TV+ Just to be clear, “Tetris” is not a dramatization of your favorite falling block video game (although we’d probably be pretty into that too). Instead, the movie tells the true-life story of Henk Rogers (Taron Egerton), a video game designer and entrepreneur who was pursuing the rights to “Tetris” for Nintendo’s new handheld console the Game Boy. Part of what makes the movie so much fun is that the story quickly takes the shape of a 1980s thriller, with Cold War suspense set pieces, evil corporate goons, shifty spies and a soundtrack full of beloved, neon-tinged jams. Only instead of this being “Rocky IV” (or whatever), “Tetris” actually happened! Produced by “Kingsman” filmmaker Matthew Vaughn and brightly directed by Jon S. Baird, “Tetris” is an absolute joy. Just make sure to have your Switch handy. After you watch, you’ll want to play the game immediately. [[TRAILER](] “Big Mäck: Gangsters and Gold” Thursday, March 30, Netflix Source: Netflix This sounds like another truly insane real-life crime documentary. And this time we mean it. In 1995, Donald “Big Mäck” Stellwag, a colorful character in Germany, was convicted of a crime that he didn’t commit. After spending nine years behind bars (and making history in the German legal system), he gets pulled into another improbable story. After an armored car robbery, French rapper Xatar was brought in and Xatar said that he was tipped off by none other than Donald “Big Mäck” Stellwag. Oh and one more thing: the nearly € 2 million loot has never been recovered. Doesn’t this sound delicious and singularly odd? We can’t wait either. [[TRAILER](] “Riverdale” Netflix (with New Episodes on The CW) Source: The CW What started off as the classic Archie Comics gene-spliced with “Twin Peaks” has become increasingly ambitious and outrageous in the years since, involving everything from characters returning from the grave, a masked serial killer, potential aliens, alternate universes and an appearance from Sabrina the teenage witch (Kiernan Shipka). As Season 7 – its final season – begins this week, the characters have all been transported back to 1955. (The comics actually started in 1941 but the Archie aesthetic is more closely associated with the peppy 1950s; also it serves as a reference to “Back to the Future,” so there’s that.) Of course, Jughead (Cole Sprouse) knows that they’re actually adults (oh yeah there was also a significant time jump at some point that aged the characters closer to the age of the actors portraying them) and not teenagers attending sock hops and ice cream socials. It honestly feels like the perfectly bizarro conclusion to a series that has always been about unexpected swerves into unknown territories. [[WATCH](] Source: Showtime “Great Expectations” Sunday, March 26, Hulu Charles Dickens’ 1861 novel gets a fresh coat of paint, courtesy of producers Ridley Scott, Tom Hardy and “Peaky Blinders” mastermind Steven Knight (who also wrote the new adaptation) and a unique arrangement between the BBC and FX. This time around, Pip, the naïve waif who sees his life turned upside down, is played by “Dunkirk” standout Fionn Whitehead and, best of all, Miss Havisham, the jilted spinster, is played by Oscar winner Olivia Colman. Also, Matt Berry from “What We Do in the Shadows” shows up as Mr. Pumblechook. [[TRAILER](] “Rabbit Hole” Sunday, March 26, Paramount+ This new thriller series from John Requa and Glenn Ficarra (“WeCrashed”) follows Kiefer Sutherland as a corporate spy who gets entangled in a much more dangerous conspiracy. (Charles Dance, Meta Golding and Rob Yang are among the cast of shadowy figures.) This looks every bit as addictive and exciting as Sutherland’s earlier “24,” with the first two episodes debuting tonight and additional episodes streaming weekly (there are eight total). Ready to follow this “Rabbit Hole?” [[TRAILER](] “Yellowjackets” Sunday, March 26 at 9 p.m., Showtime “Yellowjackets” seemingly came out of nowhere in late 2021 and became a sensation. This expertly staged chiller, which involves a plane crash in the past that catches up with the survivors, is deliciously addictive. It features one of the best casts on television (among them: Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis and Lauren Ambrose) and a central mystery that involves mystical symbols, cults, cannibalism and god knows what else. We’re so happy it’s back (and new episodes are streaming early on Fridays). [[REVIEW](] “Murder Mystery 2” Friday, March 31, Netflix The first sequel made from one of Adam Sandler’s Netflix original movies (honestly, we’re anxious for “Hubie Hannukah”), “Murder Mystery 2” follows 2019’s “Murder Mystery” and once again co-stars Jennifer Aniston as Sandler’s wife and a mystery novel enthusiast. Once again, the couple get involved in a very real crime, this time while in Paris. The supporting cast for “Murder Mystery 2” is worth the stream alone and features Mark Strong, Mélanie Laurent, Jodie Turner-Smith and Tony Goldwyn. [[TRAILER](] “Rye Lane” Friday, March 31, Hulu This romantic comedy, rapturously received at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, follows a couple (David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah) as they go on their first date in South London. Raine Allen-Miller makes her directorial debut, with a movie that has drawn comparisons to Richard Linklater’s incomparable “Before Sunrise” (and its subsequent films). Best of all, the movie’s runtime is a svelte 82 minutes. Now that is something to fall in love with! [[TRAILER](] 2034 Armacost Ave. | Los Angeles, CA 90025 [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](