TV Watchlist: It's Wes Anderson Week on Netflix and 'Reservation Dogs' Says Goodbye

Plus: "The Boys" college spinoff hits Prime Video and John Carney's "Flora and Son" arrives on Apple TV+ Week of September 23 – 29 What a truly esoteric week of television! We’ve got a bunch of short films from Wes Anderson based on Roald Dahl stories, a new spin-off of “The Boys” (“Gen V”), a new crime movie starring Benicio Del Toro (“Reptile”) and a new musical starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“Flora and Son”). Plus a documentary on UFOs from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment (“Encounters”), a new Dan Harmon animated series (“Krapopolis”), the return of “Shark Tank” and “The Kardashians” and the end of “Reservation Dogs.” Quite a week, no? On with the television! Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl Shorts Wednesday, September 27 – Saturday, September 30, Netflix Source: Netflix Ready for something really fun? From Wednesday of this week until Saturday (yes, we are dipping into next week’s newsletter’s territory), there will be a brand-new Wes Anderson short film released on Netflix. Each of these short films are based on a different Roald Dahl story and they all feature the same rotating cast, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley and Richard Ayoade. The first night is “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” a 40-minute short about “a rich man who learns about a guru who can see without using his eyes and then sets out to master the skill in order to cheat at gambling;” Thursday is “The Swan,” a 17-minute short about “a small/brilliant boy ruthlessly pursued by two large/idiotic bullies;” Friday brings “The Ratcatcher,” based on a lesser known Dahl story concerning “a professional rodent exterminator” (as the name suggests); and with Saturday comes “Poison” about “a man who discovers a poisonous snake asleep in his bed.” Reviews of “Henry Sugar” out of the Venice Film Festival were warm (including our own). At the very least, nearly a week of new Wes Anderson shorts is an event for film fans everywhere. [[TRAILER](] Reservation Dogs Wednesday, September 27, Hulu Source: Hulu One of the very best new shows of the past few years, “Reservation Dogs” is sadly coming to an end. If you never watched “Reservation Dogs,” it was the story of a group of indigenous kids who are bumming around a reservation in central Oklahoma and dreaming of something more. This season alone has been particularly tricky, as it navigated episodes about mental health (and conspiracy theories), flashed back to the 1970s and crafted a spooky road trip with a mythological figure from native folklore. And that was just in a handful of episodes. Part of what made “Reservation Dogs” so special was its restless creativity and its willingness to shift between tones and styles from one episode to the next. But what made the show an all-time classic was the performances of the actors and the fearlessness when it came to depicting a slice of life rarely dramatized on television. It will be missed desperately. [[TRAILER](] Reptile Friday, September 29, Netflix Source: Netflix One of the year’s biggest – and best – surprises is “Reptile,” the debut feature from co-writer/director Grant Singer, who cut his teeth on high profile music videos for The Weeknd, Taylor Swift and Sky Ferreira (who has a small but pivotal role in the film). Far from the flashy, style-over-substance aesthetic that you’d probably imagine from a filmmaker who cut his teeth on music videos, “Reptile” is, instead, a restrained, often chilling murder mystery about a small-town detective (played by Benicio Del Toro) investigates the murder of a well-known realtor (Justin Timberlake). Of course, the search for the truth reveals some very nasty secrets. With an all-star supporting cast that includes Alicia Silverstone (yes, this is an “Excess Baggage” reunion), Eric Bogosian, Michael Pitt and Frances Fisher, and a twisty-turny narrative that will always keep you guessing, this is an utterly intoxicating thriller. It’ll haunt you. [[TRAILER](] Encounters Wednesday, September 27, Netflix Source: Netflix Sure, there are plenty of documentaries about UFO and related phenomena. But how many of them are co-produced by Amblin Entertainment, Steven Spielberg’s production company? Exactly one: “Encounters.” This four-part series, also produced by Vice Studios and Boardwalk Pictures (who made the very entertaining “Pepsi, Where’s My Jet?”), covers a different encounter in each installment, with a mass sighting in modern day Texas to a school in Zimbabwe that claimed not only UFO sightings but also alien visitation as well. With the lid being lifted on the existence of extraterrestrials more and more each day, “Encounters” perfectly captures our current “the truth is out there” atmosphere. Ready to watch the skies (and this series)? [[TRAILER](] Fantastic Mr. Fox Max Source: Searchlight Pictures With four new Wes Anderson adaptations of Roald Dahl stories hitting this week, why not watch his first adaptation, a rollicking, fur-covered, Oscar-nominated stop-motion feature version of “Fantastic Mr. Fox?” George Clooney voices Mr. Fox, a wild animal with a wife (Meryl Streep), son (Jason Schwartzman) and a trio of vengeful human farmers looking to end his life. This is one of Anderson’s most intoxicating and lovable films, featuring gorgeous stop-motion animation and that typically playful Anderson-ian whimsy, writ large. (He’s made one other animated feature, “Isle of Dogs,” which wasn’t as successful, creatively or financially.) “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is a great pre- or post-game watch for his latest suite of Dahl adaptations. What a film. [[WATCH](] Source: Apple TV+ “Krapopolis” Sunday, September 24 at 8 p.m., Fox Dan Harmon, who co-created “Rick & Morty,” trades sci-fi futurism for ancient Greece with “Krapopolis,” which combines mythological characters with everyday schlubs. (Yes, this does feel a little bit like Matt Groening following up “Futurama” with “Disenchanted.”) Richard Ayoade (who also appears in the Wes Anderson shorts this week!) leads a cast that includes “What We Do in the Shadows” standout Matt Berry, “Ted Lasso’s” Hannah Waddingham, with guest appearances this season from Susan Sarandon, Daveed Diggs, Ben Stiller, Keith David, Tim Robinson and Steve Buscemi (among others). Talk about epic! [[TRAILER](] “The Kardashians” Thursday, September 28, Hulu Why does it feel like we’ve been away from “The Kardashians” for so long? The previous season ended just a couple of weeks ago (on July 27), but there’s just something about the high calorie, low nutrition fun of “The Kardashians” that makes it appointment television. The first episode of this new season is called “You’re a Witch and I Hate You,” so we can definitely expect some drama from the girls and their mom-ager/matriarch Kris Jenner. There are many reasons to watch the Kardashians – the petty dust-ups, the manicured peek into their private lives, seeing what’s inside their monolithic refrigerators. Pick one and get pumped for this new season, especially since it’ll be the last batch of episodes until next year. [[TRAILER](] “Flora and Son” Friday, September 29, Apple TV+ “Flora and Son” is the latest film by writer/director John Carney, who has carved out an impressive filmography full of original, esoteric musicals (“Once,” “Begin Again,” “Sing Street”). And “Flora and Son” is no different. This new musical, about a single mother (Eve Hewson), who partners her delinquent son Max (Orén Kinlan) with an LA-based guitar instructor (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), supposedly prompted sing-alongs and synchronized feet stomping at its premiere in Sundance early this year. Nearly all of the reviews were raves, with Apple picking up the film for $20 million. Was it worth the price tag? You’ll be able to find out very, very soon. But Carney rarely disappoints. Get ready to have these songs stuck in your head for days. [[TRAILER](] “Gen V” Friday, September 29, Prime Video The word of “The Boys” expands! “Gen V” is basically “The Boys” in college. It’s set at the Godolkin University School of Crimefighting, run by Vought International, a kind of testing ground for up-and-coming superheroes. Our main character is played by Jaz Sinclair and described as a “blood bender with a tragic past,” just so we know what kind of show we’re dealing with here. (Could this new series be even more violent than “The Boys?” Is that even possible?) The new series was developed by Eric Kripke, Evan Goldberg and Craig Rosenberg, with the first season of the series consisting of eight episodes. What characters from the mainline “Boys” series will show up? And will this impact future installments of the original series? There’s only one way to find out: watch! [[TRAILER](] “Shark Tank” Friday, September 29 at 8 p.m., ABC “Shark Tank” is back, incredibly, for its 15th (!?!) season! And the comfort food of “Shark Tank” is very much appreciated. What else are you going to watch while folding your laundry? And who knows, maybe there’s an amazing invention in there that you’ll spot on the “as seen on television” aisle at Target in six months? Also of note: Jason Blum, the super-producer behind Blumhouse (“M3GAN,” “Happy Death Day,” “Paranormal Activity,” the new “Halloween” trilogy and many more) is a guest shark. Incredibly, he’s never made a movie about a shark. Maybe this will serve as a source of inspiration! [[TRAILER](] 2034 Armacost Ave. | Los Angeles, CA 90025 [Unsubscribe](