Spring TV Watchlist: Anna Nicole Smith, Hillsong Church Get Revealing Docs

Plus the final season premiere of "Fear the Walking Dead" and Sylvester Stallone goes Kardashian Week of May 13 - 19 As we start to enter the summer months, the days are longer, which means more time to watch some great new television. And this week will give you enough to fill even the longest days – from an offbeat new detective series starring Patricia Arquette (“High Desert”) to a new version of “White Men Can’t Jump” to documentaries about Anna Nicole Smith and the Hillsong Church. Plus a streaming spin-off of “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” (“XO, Kitty”) and a reality series starring Sylvester Stallone and the women in his life (his wife and daughters). See what we mean? On with the television! High Desert Wednesday, May 17, Apple TV+ Source: Apple TV+ The Patricia Arquette renaissance continues (or maybe it was always ongoing). Following her scene-stealing role in the Apple TV+ breakout series “Severance,” Arquette returns to the streamer with a very different role that feels every bit as riveting. Arquette plays a recovering addict and dealer who returns to the small town of Yucca Valley, California following the death of her mother. While back she decides to become a private investigator, becoming involved in an increasingly dangerous mystery. Created and entirely written by Nancy Fichman and Jennifer Hoppe-House (both veterans of “Nurse Jackie”) and Katie Ford (writer of Sandra Bullock favorite “Miss Congeniality”), the series was initially set to be directed by Arquette’s “Severance” and “Escape at Dannemora” collaborator Ben Stiller, but Stiller dropped out at the last minute and was replaced by “Bombshell” and “Austin Powers” filmmaker Jay Roach. Not too shabby. Also not too shabby: the ace “High Desert” supporting cast, which includes Matt Dillon, Rupert Friend, Weruche Opia, Brad Garrett, Bernadette Peters and Christine Taylor. At the very least it sounds like this one will hold us over until “Poker Face” returns. Groovy. [[TRAILER](] Mrs. Davis Thursday, May 18, Peacock Source: Peacock One of television’s strangest – and very best – new series concludes in typically memorable fashion. (Considering Peacock just moved the show from consideration in the Emmys Drama Series category to Limited Series means this might be it … forever.) If you haven’t watched the show yet, it’s the story of a nun (Betty Gilpin) who is attempting to bring down an evil artificial intelligence called Mrs. Davis. But the only way she can kill the algorithm is if she hunts down the Holy Grail. You know, that old chestnut. From that admittedly insane jumping off point comes a series that is even more surprising and emotional and deeply hilarious. The finale, written by series creators Damon Lindelof and Tara Hernandez, is all of these things – and more. [[TRAILER](] White Men Can’t Jump Friday, May 19, Hulu Source: 20th Century/Hulu Was anyone asking for a remake of “White Men Can’t Jump,” Ron Shelton’s terrific 1991 sports comedy starring Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson? Well, they made one anyway. This new version (what Disney refers to as a “remix”) stars “Teen Wolf” actor Sinqua Walls and rapper Jack Harlow in the lead roles and rapper Vince Staples, multihyphenate Teyana Taylor and “Spider-Man: Homecoming” breakout Laura Harrier in the supporting cast. The script for this new “White Men Can’t Jump” is co-written by Kenya Barris, the creator of “black-ish” and the director of recent Netflix comedy “You People,” with directorial duties being handled by Calmatic, who was responsible for the underrated “House Party” remake from earlier this year. (Remaking ‘90s comedies is a very specific lane but hey, why not?) And Harlow collaborator DJ Drama provides the score. Will this be a slam dunk or an airball? [[TRAILER](] Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me Tuesday, May 16, Netflix Source: Netflix This feature length documentary about the life and tragic death of Vickie Lynn Hogan, better known as model and actress Anna Nicole Smith, seeks to give her existence texture and depth. Smith rose to prominence as a pin-up and spent most of her life as fodder for celebrity gossip, but "Untouchable" filmmaker Ursula Macfarlane’s documentary looks to uncover the truth. According to the official synopsis, “this documentary reveals Anna Nicole Smith through the eyes of the people closest to her.” [[TRAILER](] Watchmen HBO Max Source: HBO If the end of “Mrs. Davis” is leaving you looking for more Damon Lindelof oddness, why not revisit “Watchmen,” his brilliant, bold reinvention of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ classic comic book series? The 2019 series, which was nominated for a whopping 26 Emmys and won 11 (including Best Limited Series), follows Angela Abar (Regina King), a detective and vigilante superhero in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who uncovers a vast white supremacist conspiracy. With arresting visuals, a stellar supporting cast (that includes Jeremy Irons, Tim Blake Nelson, Don Johnson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jean Smart, Hong Chau and Louis Gossett Jr), an all-time great score (by Nine Inch Nails stalwarts Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross) and a wonderfully imagined world, "Watchmen" is just as rich and rewarding as the original comic book series. If you’ve never seen it, get ready. It’s a new classic. [[WATCH](] Source: Netflix “Fear the Walking Dead” Tuesday, May 21, Netflix It’s time to say goodbye to “Fear the Walking Dead.” The eighth (!) and final season is split into two halves (with six episodes each) and the first half starts May 21. For this season the show’s storyline jumps forward in time – by seven years – to follow our survivors in the post-apocalyptic wasteland, with Kim Dickens once again joining the show as a series regular after guest starring in the previous season. One of this first batch of episodes was directed by Ron Underwood, who directed horror-comedy masterpiece “Tremors.” Respect. [[TRAILER](] “The Family Stallone” Wednesday, May 17, Paramount+ “The Family Stallone” is a reality show starring “Tulsa King” king Sylvester Stallone, his wife Jennifer Flavin and his daughters. What more could you possibly want or need? Exactly: nothing. Well, maybe a cameo from Frank. [[TRAILER](] “XO, Kitty” Thursday, May 18, Netflix This is the first Netflix streaming series that has been spun-off from a Netflix film series (“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”), which alone is pretty interesting. Netflix had the good sense to recruit the original “To All the Boys …” author Jenny Han to serve as writer and executive producer on the new series, which is a very good sign. The new show follows Katherine "Kitty" Song Covey (Anna Cathcart) who travels to Korea to “aiming to reconnect with her long-distance boyfriend” (according to the official synopsis). Drama! [[TRAILER](] “Primo” Friday, May 19, Amazon Freevee Amazon’s ad-supporting streaming platform gets a buzzy new series from The Ringer writer Shea Serrano and “Parks and Recreation” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” co-creator Mike Shur. “Primo” is about a teenager (Ignacio Diaz-Silverio) growing up in San Antonio, Texas, and, according to the official synopsis, is “balancing college aspirations, societal expectations, and a hectic home life anchored by his single mom and five uncles.” All eight episodes stream today. Ready for a binge? [[TRAILER](] “The Secrets of Hillsong” Friday, March 24, Hulu After much, much trashier documentaries on other streaming services, get ready for a classier take on the scandals of Hillsong Church, the celebrity mega-church led by a charismatic pastor Carl Lentz. (Lentz was later accused of extramarital affairs and sexual assault.) Incredibly, this four-part documentary series, a co-production of FX and Vanity Fair, actually gets Lentz to sit down for extended interviews and suggests that the pastor’s improprieties are just the tip of the ice berg, with the church steeped in systemic abuse and sexual exploitation. Buckle up. [[TRAILER](] 2034 Armacost Ave. | Los Angeles, CA 90025 [Unsubscribe](