TV Watchlist: 'Only Murders' Returns With Meryl Streep in Tow, Gal Gadot Gets Her Own Netflix Actioner

Plus: The premiere of the Netflix limited series "Painkiller" and "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" comes to a close Week of August 5 - 11 We might be in the dog days of summer, but the flow of new streaming and linear television hasn’t slowed down at all. This week we’ve got a new prestige drama about the Opioid crisis (“Painkiller”), a documentary about Biz Markie (“All Up in the Biz: The Life and Rhymes of Biz Markie”) and the return of “Winning Time,” “Only Murders in the Building” and “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.” Plus a brand new Gal Gadot action extravaganza on Netflix (“Heart of Stone”) and the season finale of “Star Trek: Brave New Worlds.” Whew. On with the television! Painkiller Thursday, August 10, Netflix Source: Netflix This limited series confronts the horrors of the opioid epidemic head on, using Patrick Radden Keefe’s New Yorker article "The Family That Built an Empire of Pain" (which in turn inspired his book “Empire of Pain”) and Barry Meier’s nonfiction account “Pain Killer: A Wonder Drug's Trail of Addiction and Death” as its basis. The six-episode event series, completely directed by Peter Berg (“Deepwater Horizon,” “Patriots Day”) and mostly written by showrunners Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, focuses on the early days of the crisis, when big pharma was pushing drugs like OxyContin on an unsuspecting America. Uzo Aduba, Matthew Broderick and Taylor Kitsch lead a great cast of character actors, as the show seemingly looks at every strata of the crisis – from the executives who knew the potential cost and pushed anyway to those ensnarled in the vicious cycle of abuse and addiction. Of course, we already know the unhappy ending. But that won’t stop “Painkiller” from being riveting television anyway. [[TRAILER](] Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Thursday, August 10, Paramount+ Source: Paramount+ “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” is one of the most charming, affable “Star Trek” series ever; each week is a delightful little trip to some unknown planet or uncharted slice of space. The characters are warm and lovable, their adventures full of excitement and adventure, and nothing is ever really taken too seriously, even when the fate of the galaxy is at stake. It seems unafraid to try new things and have fun, exemplified by this season’s amazing crossover with “Star Trek: Lower Decks,” where the actors who voice the characters played their live-action counterparts. The fact that the episode was directed by Jonathan Frakes, who both starred on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and directed the feature film “Star Trek: First Contact” and episodes of “Deep Space Nine,” “Voyage,” “Discovery,” “Picard” and now this, made it even sweeter. Also, there was a musical episode this season. Bring on Season 3. [[TRAILER](] Heart of Stone Friday, August 11, Netflix Source: Netflix Ready for a new action franchise? What if we told you that it was starring Gal Gadot and was written by Greg Rucka, who created “The Old Guard” (among other things)? Now you’re in, right? That’s where we’re at too. “Heart of Stone,” directed by Tom Harper (“Wild Rose,” “The Aeronauts”), stars Gadot as Rachel Stone, who is tasked with protecting a secret object known as “The Heart.” (Now you see where that title is coming from?) The trailer that Netflix released last month is a ton of fun, featuring all sorts of insane action set pieces and out-of-this-world stunts. (Is it even an action movie if there isn’t a scene in the snow?) Plus the supporting cast is uniformly terrific (including Jamie Dornan, Sophie Okonedo, Matthias Schweighöfer and Alia Bhatt). Basically, this could be the late-summer action blockbuster you’ve been looking for. You just have to find that heart first. [[TRAILER](] All Up in the Biz: The Life and Rhymes of Biz Markie Friday, August 11 at 9 p.m., Showtime Source: Showtime This new music documentary (premiering on Showtime and streaming shortly after on Showtime on Paramount+) charts the life and career of Biz Markie (born Marcel Theo Hall) the so called “Clown Prince of Rap,” who rose to prominence thanks to his exceptional beatboxing skills and his jokey-sincere “Just a Friend.” (The song had some chart stature and was later named one of the greatest hip hop songs ever.) Markie also featured on several songs across the Beastie Boys’ discography and made cameo appearances in movies like “Men in Black II” and “Meteor Man.” Biz sadly passed away in 2021 following severe medical complications. According to the official synopsis, this Sacha Jenkins-directed documentary “features never before seen footage, animation, puppet reenactments and interviews with Biz Markie and other prominent figures in Hip Hop—from Fat Joe to Nick Cannon to Tracy Morgan.” [[TRAILER](] Full Circle MAX Source: MAX Here’s the thing: if “Full Circle,” the delicate, deliciously twisty mystery from director Steven Soderbergh and writer Ed Solomon, which just finished its 6-episode run on Max, had been released weekly on HBO, it would have been an absolute sensation and the show everybody would be talking about this summer. Since it was released quietly on Max, with two episodes coming out each week (meaning the entire series lasted only three weeks), not only did few people watch it, but even fewer were talking about it. Which is a shame. Because it’s easily one of the best shows of the year, full of big stars (including Zazie Beetz, Claire Danes, Timothy Olyphant, Jim Gaffigan, CCH Pounder and more) and some truly intricate plotting, all surrounding a botched Manhattan kidnapping. It’s easy to get ensnared in the web of “Full Circle.” You should probably do so now. [[WATCH](] Source: Apple TV+ “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” Sunday, August 6 at 9 p.m., HBO “Winning Time” returns … for a truncated second season. For some reason the second year of HBO’s great sports drama, about the real-life “Showtime” era of the Los Angeles Lakers, with John C. Reilly as flamboyant owner Jerry Buss, is only returning for seven additional episodes. This seems weird, both because the first season was such a hit and because there’s so much more story to tell, but hey, when it comes to “Winning Time,” we’ll take what we can get. And let us pray that next season has some bonus episodes. [[TRAILER](] “Only Murders in the Building” Tuesday, August 8, Hulu They’re venturing outside the building this season! And Meryl Streep is along for the ride! This time the trio of amateur sleuths (Martin Short, Steve Martin and Selena Gomez) are investigating the death of an actor in Martin’s new show (played by Paul Rudd). That means everybody involved in the play is a potential suspect, with Meryl Streep lending a hand. But is that because she actually wants to help or is she trying to divert suspicion? Only one way to know – watch season 3 of “Only Murders in the Building!” [[TRAILER](] “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” Wednesday, August 9, Disney+ The show made famous by launching the career of singer/songwriter/actor Olivia Rodrigo is, in its fourth season, completely Rodrigo-less. This, of course, is a shame, but “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” has always been a charming, knowing comedy. And there’s no reason it’ll stop now. Also of note: several original “High School Musical” vets will appear this season: Corbin Bleu, Lucas Grabeel, Kaycee Stroh (all of whom appeared earlier), plus Monique Coleman, Alyson Reed and Bart Johnson. Where the heck is Zac Efron? Can somebody get him on the horn? [[TRAILER](] “Strange Planet” Wednesday, August 9, Apple TV+ This new animated series is based on the web comic (and graphic novel) by Nathan W. Pye, who co-created the show with “Rick & Morty” vet Dan Harmon. It’s set in a fantastical world very much like our own, where blue creatures not unlike humans live and work. The trailer is adorable (with some edge, of course) and the voice cast is out of this world, with Tunde Adebimpe (lead singer of TV on the Radio), Demi Adejuyigbe, Danny Pudi, Hannah Einbinder and Lori Tan Chinn among those participating. Could be a galaxy-sized hit. [[TRAILER](] “Red, White & Royal Blue” Friday, August 11, Prime Video Based on the best-selling novel by Casey McQuiston, this quintessentially queer love story stars Taylor Zakhar Perez (“The Kissing Booth”) as Alex Claremont-Diaz, son of the first woman president (Uma Thurman) of the United States, and Nicholas Galitzine (“Bottoms”) as Prince Henry, the spare to the throne of England (his brother Philip is the true heir). Alex, who wears his heart on his sleeve, finds himself falling for Prince Henry after years of acrimonious behavior between the two of them, but his feelings for the prince put his mother’s second term as president at stake on multiple levels — including foreign relations and the identity of her son who has spent a lot of time in the spotlight. Directed by Tony-winning playwright Matthew López and produced by Greg Berlanti, “the most expensive piece of fan fiction” has finally been properly adapted. Get ready for a feel-good, history-making film adaptation! [[TRAILER](] 2034 Armacost Ave. | Los Angeles, CA 90025 [Unsubscribe](