TV Watchlist: Netflix Brings 'One Piece' to Life, 'The Flash' Speeds to Max

Plus the season finale of "What We Do in the Shadows" and the return of "Wheel of Time" Week of August 26 – September 1 Things are getting slightly slower; we’re reaching the end of the summer and the kids are back in school and most of the big budget blockbusters have exited theaters. But that doesn’t mean that things are any slower on television. And this week is full of big titles, from Netflix’s adaptation of beloved manga and anime series “One Piece” to the end (for now) of “What We Do in the Shadows” to an “Adventure Time” spin-off and the final crop of “Disenchantment” episodes. Plus the streaming debut of “The Flash” and a new season of “The Wheel of Time” and the final season of “Archer.” Also, get ready for the most insane-sounding show of the year (“Spellbound”). Ah, TV. You never disappoint us. On with the television! One Piece Thursday, August 31, Netflix Source: Netflix Can Netflix’s latest live-action adaptation of a beloved anime series finally break the curse? After the lackluster results of earlier attempts like “Cowboy Bebop” and “Death Note,” the streaming giant is trying again, this time with “One Piece,” based on the manga by Eiichiro Oda that began way back in 1997 and has inspired more than 1,000 anime episodes (along with movies, video games and novels). But what is “One Piece,” you ask? Well, it’s about a band of pirates (known as the Straw Hat Pirates) who travel the seven seas to try and find the titular treasure that will make their captain the King of the Pirates. You know, that old story. The new show, consisting of eight episodes, was developed by Matt Owens and Steven Maeda (a television veteran whose tenure goes back to the original run of “X-Files”) and seems to capture the zany spirit of both the anime and the manga, with cartoon-y flourishes and heightened action (proof that it isn’t ashamed of its source material). And the cast, led by Iñaki Godoy and including Mackenyu, Emily Rudd, Jacob Romero Gibson, Taz Skylar and Vincent Regan don’t just look like their characters but seem to embody their essence. Indeed, it looks like the curse has been broken. [[TRAILER](] What We Do in the Shadows Friday, September 1, Hulu Source: Hulu This season of vampire comedy “What We Do in the Shadows” has been bananas in the best way possible. Between Guillermo’s (Harvey Guillén) awkward vampire transition to Laszlo’s (Matt Berry) odd experiments to Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) running for comptroller, it has been bonkers through and through. And arguably one of the best seasons, with episodes that you have to watch again immediately just for the LOLz. It’ll be interesting to see if Guillermo completes his transformation by the end of the season and if there will be another big cliffhanger. Just don’t fret – “What We Do in the Shadows” has already been renewed for another season. Your favorite vampires will return. Bat! [[TRAILER](] The Flash Friday, August 25, Max Source: Warner Bros./DC Judging by the box office returns for “The Flash,” not too many people saw it when it was released theatrically this past June. Now’s your chance! In the Scarlet Speedster’s first solo film outing (which was stealth dropped on MAX late last week), directed by “It” filmmaker Andy Muschietti, Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) accidentally travels to an alternate universe while trying to clear his father (Ron Livingston, replacing Billy Crudup) of his mom’s (Maribel Verdú) murder. Unlike Barry’s world, which has Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), among others, this parallel realm doesn’t have any superpowers and what’s worse – Zod (Michael Shannon) is on the way to destroy the planet. Eep! Can The Flash fix both worlds and get home in time to clear his father’s name? While “The Flash” isn’t the best superhero movie ever made, it’s a fun enough adventure, especially when Michael Keaton’s old-ass Bruce Wayne shows up. And just think – you can pause it now and make a sandwich or watch while folding laundry. Anything is possible in the multiverse! [[WATCH](] NCT 127: The Lost Boys Wednesday, August 30, Disney+ Source: Disney+ This four-part documentary series is centered around NCT, the South Korean boy band. Well, the band actually has 20 members that are divided into five different sub-groups. This documentary follows one of those sub-groups, NCT 127, which debuted in 2016. The official release says that the series will follow the members (Taeil, Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Jungwoo, Mark and Haechan) as they “take time and reflect on their success.” It will feature exclusive footage of the band and include archival materials. If you love the Korean pop scene (or maybe are merely curious), then this is the documentary series for you. [[TRAILER](] The Golden Girls Hulu Source: Disney Because when is it not a great time to watch (or re-watch) “The Golden Girls?” The show has been in nearly constant rotation since it went off the air more than 30 years ago. And with good reason – it’s so sharp, so funny and so relatable. Also sobering: the actresses on the show were about the same age as the women on “And Just Like That.” But these ladies were considerably more appropriate. Well, except for Blanche. Why not revisit the series and figure out which episode is your favorite, which Golden Girl is your favorite and which episode tickles you the most (we’re partial to the episode where Rose and Dorothy see a UFO). And, as always, thank you for being a friend. [[WATCH](] Source: Hulu “Archer” Wednesday, August 30 at 10 p.m., FXX “Archer” is finally coming to an end. The hilarious adult animated series, created by Adam Reed (who also conceived the late, great Adult Swim series “Frisky Dingo”) back in 2009, centers on the egotistical secret agent Sterling Archer (H. Jon Benjamin) and his coworkers. Throughout the years the show shapeshifted, sometimes appearing as a send-up of 1980s cop shows or island-set adventures, but in recent years has returned to its spy-spoofing roots. With the conclusion of this, its 13th season, it will venture into further unexplored territory, one where it is no longer on the air. [[TRAILER](] “Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake” Thursday, August 31, MAX Did you really think “Adventure Time” was done for good? Nope. After the “Distant Lands” specials, there is even more to be wrung from the fruits of “Adventure Time.” This time, it’s an alternate universe version of the show, with Fionna and Cake taking the place of original characters Finn and Jake. Adam Muto, who oversaw the latter seasons of “Adventure Time” and the specials, is back to shepherd this new show (which features the voices of Madeleine Martin, Roz Ryan and Tom Kenny). Algebraic! [[TRAILER](] “Spellbound” Thursday, August 31, Hulu This show sounds so insane we’ve got to just copy and paste the official synopsis: “When Cece Parker Jones, a vivacious 15-year-old, relocates from a small town in the US to France to study at the Paris Opera Ballet School, she’s on top of the world. But things turn upside down when she discovers a book of family spells in the back room of her Aunt Ginger’s apothecary. While snooping through the book, she unknowingly casts the antidote to a protection spell that has been hiding her identity since she was a little girl. And in doing so, she summons her nemesis. This spit-fire teen must juggle the pressures of an elite ballet school, learning new techniques she’s never studied before, keeping up with her intense academics, not to mention her new friendships and maybe a cute boy… or two, as well as her incredible ability to activate magic, while keeping this a secret for only her closest friends.” Yep. [[TRAILER](] “Disenchantment” Friday, September 1, Netflix The adult animated series, created by “The Simpsons” mastermind Matt Groening and first streamed in 2018, is coming to an end. The final batch of 10 episodes are written by some of your favorite “Simpsons” vets (including folks like Josh Weinstein and Bill Oakley) alongside Groening himself. If you’ve never seen the show, it’s sort of a medieval fantasy version of “Futurama,” which is charming and funny but also a bit familiar. Will “Disenchantment” follow in the footsteps of “Futurama” by being resurrected? Only time will tell … [[TRAILER](] “The Wheel of Time” Friday, September 1, Prime Video The lavish fantasy series, based on the book series of the same name by Robert Jordan with Brandon Sanderson returns for another eight episodes almost two years after the first season. At the very least it will quench your thirst while you wait for “House of the Dragon” and “Lord of the Rings” to return. [[TRAILER](] 2034 Armacost Ave. | Los Angeles, CA 90025 [Unsubscribe](