TV Watchlist: 'Justified' Swaggers Back and 'Minx' Begins Its New Life on Starz

Plus, John Boyega goes sci-fi on Netflix and Steph Curry gets an Apple TV+ doc Week of July 15 – 21 Honestly, this week was kind of a bummer! With the industry in disarray and escapism now of paramount importance, why not curl up on the couch, crank the air conditioning and take your mind off of things? And thankfully there is plenty to do just that – from the return of “Justified” (yes!) to Netflix delivering gripping new documentaries (“The Longest Breath”) and features (“They Cloned Tyrone”), plus a doc on Stephen Curry, a “Barbie” tie-in competition show and the unlikely return of “Minx.” Things aren’t all bad! On with the television! Justified: City Primeval Tuesday, July 18 at 10 p.m., FX Source: FX Raylan Givens, the hot-headed U.S. marshal brought to life by Timothy Olyphant in six seasons and 78 episodes of “Justified,” is back for an all-new limited series. Like the original series, this one is based on a story by Elmore Leonard, the prolific crime writer who passed away a decade ago. What’s interesting about “Justified: City Primeval” is that it isn’t based on a Givens story but is instead inspired by Leonard’s 1980 novel “City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit.” This time around Givens is in Detroit, attempting to apprehend a notorious baddie dubbed the Oklahoma Wildman by law enforcement (played by Boyd Holbrook, who can currently be seen in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”). If you weren’t already excited enough about the return of “Justified” (or maybe it’s the continuation of “Justified”), the starry supporting cast (including Aunjanue Ellis, Marin Ireland, Vondie Curtis Hall and Olyphant’s real-life daughter Vivian playing Givens’ daughter) should do the trick. Or maybe the fact that we get two episodes on premiere night? Yeah. Now you’re talking. [[TRAILER](] The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs Friday, July 21 at 9 p.m., Shudder Source: Shudder If you don’t know Joe Bob Briggs, the southern-fried alter ego of comedian and actor John Bloom (who was a staple on early “Daily Show” episodes and has brief roles in “Casino” and “Face/Off”), you’re missing out on one of the great celebrators of low-brow pop culture. Those of a certain age will probably remember Briggs from “MonsterVision,” a late-night program on TNT from 1996 to 2000 where Briggs would appear in between cheap-o monster movies and slashers, offering up body counts and recounting interesting anecdotes about the films’ production. (Incredibly, he took over for Penn and Teller.) “The Last Drive-In” essentially follows the same formula, with Briggs hanging out outside of a trailer and giving similarly gonzo insights. They haven’t announced the double feature that will accompany the fifth season finale. Even if the movies aren’t that great, Briggs is always a hoot. [[TRAILER](] They Cloned Tyrone Friday, July 21, Netflix Source: Netflix One of the best new movies of the summer isn’t on the big screen, it’s at home. And it’s called “They Cloned Tyrone.” The directorial debut of Juel Taylor (who also co-wrote the script) is an intoxicating hodgepodge of references and ideas – it is a Jordan Peele-style social thriller, a conspiracy fable and a Blaxploitation homage (complete with a heavy layer of completely artificial film grain and even occasional “cigarette burns” in the top right corner). And while it occasionally feels like it has bitten off more than it can chew, it works remarkably well, with all of the pieces adding up to a satisfying whole. John Boyega stars as a smalltime gangbanger who is shot and then seemingly resurrected, sending him on a quest along with a motormouthed pimp (Jamie Foxx) and an inquisitive prostitute (Teyonah Parris) to expose a vast coverup that has been dominating the inner city. Inventively staged and with fine, knowing performances from the entire cast (including as sinister Kiefer Sutherland as one of the head goons and David Alan Grier as a questionable priest), “They Cloned Tyrone” feels like it could be the next Netflix sensation. Or at the very least its latest cult hit. [[TRAILER](] The Deepest Breath Wednesday, July 19, Netflix Source: Netflix “The Deepest Breath,” the first of two new A24-produced documentaries released this month, this heart-stopping tale is all about the world of free-diving. According to the official synopsis, this new documentary “tells the story of two divers united by their love of the sport: champion free diver Alessia Zecchini and safety diver Stephen Keenan. As Zecchini trains to break a world record, the pair form a powerful connection while chasing their dreams in the darkest depths of the ocean.” Love, danger, extreme sports. Could you ask for anything more? [[TRAILER](] Justified Hulu Source: Hulu “Justified” returns this week with the new miniseries “Justified: City Primeval” so what better way to catch up on the original series (or start it anew)? Based on an Elmore Leonard story from 2001 called “Fire in the Hole” and a character he had originally introduced in a novel from 1993 called “Pronto,” it centered around Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant), an old timey U.S. Marshal who is reassigned from Miami to rural Kentucky. It’s here that he runs afoul of a local baddie (played memorably by Walton Goggins) and all sorts of colorful villains and Dixie Mob leg-breakers. The show ran for six seasons; each season is terrific and incredibly bingeable. Watch all six seasons now. Pick your cowboy hat out later (you can definitely pull it off). [[WATCH](] Source: Freeform “Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge” Sunday, July 16 at 8 p.m., HGTV A four-part home makeover series and cheeky tie-in to the new “Barbie” movie, the show is officially described thus: “Eight teams of HGTV superstars and one celebrated Food Network chef transform a Southern California home into a real-life Barbie dream house. At the end, one passionate Barbie fan wins a once-in-a-lifetime sleepover staycation in the completed home.” Somebody grab the pink paint! [[TRAILER](] “Superpowered: The DC Story” Thursday, July 20, MAX That’s right – DC Comics, the home of Superman and Batman (among many others), which gave way to a whole galaxy of other media, is getting the slick documentary limited series treatment. If that isn’t exciting enough, the three-part documentary series (from “The Imagineering Story” filmmaker Leslie Iwerks and Mark A. Catalena) mixes archival footage with new talking-head interviews and is narrated by Rosario Dawson. Sounds pretty super, right? [[TRAILER](] “Minx” Friday, July 21 at 9 p.m., Starz “Minx” returning is proof that happy endings can still exist in our modern streaming era. “Minx” ran for one season on HBO Max (back when it was called HBO Max) before being canceled by the streamer (even though season 2 was in production). The series, set in the 1970s at an erotic magazine targeted to women (and starring Ophelia Lovibond and Jake Johnson) was rescued by Starz, which is airing the new episodes and put the earlier episodes on the Starz app. Happy for you, “Minx!” [[TRAILER](] “Praise Petey” Friday, July 21 10 p.m., Freeform Freeform’s first prime time animated series follows Petey (Annie Murphy), a hip young New Yorker who finds her life turned upside down when she inherits her father’s freaky cult. (Yes really.) The voice cast also includes Stephen Root, Christine Baranski, Kiersey Clemmons and John Cho. And the show hails from creator Anna Drezen, a writer for “Satruday Night Live,” “Miracle Workers” and “Girls5Eva.” We already feel mindlessly compelled to watch every episode. [[TRAILER](] “Stephen Curry: Underrated” Friday, July 21, Apple TV+ This documentary, from A24 and Apple TV+, follows basketball Stephen Curry, and his run with the 2021-2022 Golden State Warriors, where he was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. He’s also an incredibly charismatic, entertaining guy, so it goes to wager that this will also be charismatic and entertaining. And it’ll get bonus points if it acknowledges, in any way, Curry’s involvement in “Holey Moley,” the outrageous competitive miniature golf series on ABC. [[TRAILER](] 2034 Armacost Ave. | Los Angeles, CA 90025 [Unsubscribe](