TV Watchlist: Austin Butler and Barry Keoghan Are 'Masters of the Air', Sofia Vergara Leads Netflix's 'Griselda'

Plus the finale of "Celebrity Jeopardy!" and Paramount+'s "Sexy Beast" prequel series Week of January 20 – 26 Two huge premieres (“Expats” on Prime Video and “Masters of the Air” on Apple TV+), Snoop Dogg in a profane sports comedy (“The Underdoggs”), the finale of “Celebrity Jeopardy,” a documentary version of “A Bug’s Life” (“A Real Bug’s Life”) and a “Sexy Beast” prequel series. Plus an animated talk show (“In the Know”) and Sofia Vergara as a real-life drug queen-pin (“Griselda”). What more could you possibly want? On with the television! Expats Friday, January 26, Prime Video Source: Prime Video Ready for the buzziest series of the new year? “Expats” hails from Lulu Wang, the writer-director behind 2019’s breakout “The Farewell,” and is based on the best-selling novel “The Expatriates” by Hong Kong-born American author Janice Y. K. Lee. According to the official synopsis, “Expats” is “set against the complex tapestry of Hong Kong residents” and “depicts a multifaceted group of women after a single encounter sets off a chain of life-altering events that leaves everyone navigating the intricate balance between blame and accountability.” And it’s probably worth mentioning that it stars Nicole Kidman, along with Ji-young Yoo, Jack Huston, Brian Tee, Sarayu Blue, Bonde Sham, Flora Chan and Will Or. The trailer makes the series look sumptuous, emotional and thrilling, continuing Kidman’s hit streak on the small screen that has already included “Big Little Lies,” “The Undoing” and “Special Ops: Lioness.” All hail the queen. [[TRAILER](] Celebrity Jeopardy Tuesday, January 23 at 8 p.m., ABC Source: ABC There was an upset during the semifinals of “Celebrity Jeopardy” when Mo Rocca beat Rachel Dratch; there were actual audible gasps from the audience. Will that same electricity be present in the final episode of the Ken Jennings-hosted prime time series? Only one way to find out: by tuning in (and also screaming at your television when you think you know the answer, a truly time-honored tradition). The way that “Jeopardy,” in all of its forms, has been able to weather tragedy and scandal and become just as popular (if not more so) than it’s always been has been truly remarkable. Just remember to phrase your answers as a question. [[JUST WATCH THIS "SNL" CELEBRITY JEOPARDY SKETCH](] The Underdoggs Friday, January 26, Prime Video Source: Prime Video How many times have we seen inspirational sports comedies where a washed-up player has to coach a bunch of rejects? Countless times, of course, perhaps most memorably with Michael Ritchie’s 1976 classic “The Bad News Bears.” (Seriously, watch it again – it’s insanely funny and very un-PC.) “The Underdoggs” is the latest in this long line of films. This time it’s Snoop Dogg as the jaded, washed-up loser, this time a former NFL player, who is forced to coach a youth football team to avoid going to jail. George Lopez and Mike Epps also star. And honestly the trailer was pretty hilarious. The R-rating certainly gives it an edge. Snoop Dogg screaming profanities at little kids? Sounds like a touchdown to us. [[TRAILER](] A Real Bug’s Life Wednesday, January 24, Disney+ Source: National Geographic Inspired, in part, by the 1998 Pixar animated feature “A Bug’s Life” and narrated by Awkwafina, “A Real Bug’s Life” “is an incredible adventure into nine different micro bug worlds around the globe, where the forces of nature play out on a miniature scale and where tiny creatures rely on amazing powers and extraordinary alliances to make it through each day” (according to the official synopsis). This new series from National Geographic and Disney+ is said to take full advantage of technological advancements that really allow the viewer to see how bugs exist, like an updated version of the French documentary “Microcosmos” from 1996. But “Microcosmos” didn’t have Awkwfina and it didn’t have a tenuous connection to a Pixar classic. We can’t wait to exist among the critters. [[TRAILER](] Band of Brothers Netflix Source: HBO With “Masters of the Air,” the third part of the unofficial trilogy of World War II television projects from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, debuting this week on Apple TV+ (see below), we thought we’d suggest the first – and still the best – chapter of this saga. “Band of Brothers,” which aired back in 2001 on HBO, follows, as the title suggests a company of soldiers (Easy Company) fighting in the European campaign during World War II. Spielberg was coming off the success of “Saving Private Ryan” and was striving for a similar level of realism, although there are some poetic interludes that set the series apart from the movie. And what’s really striking watching the series now is seeing just how many very big stars (now) were a part of the ensemble (then) – everybody from Seth MacFarlane muse Scott Grimes to Damien Lewis to Michael Fassbender to James McAvoy to Tom Hardy (we could do this all day). A compelling, deeply moving drama, if you’ve never seen it, time to join the “Band of Brothers.” [[WATCH](] Source: Apple TV+ “The Woman in the Wall” Sunday, January 21 at 9 p.m., Showtime This is the very intriguing official synopsis: “Lorna Brady (Ruth Wilson) wakes to discover a corpse in her home with no recollection of how it got there. When Detective Colman Akande (Daryl McCormack) arrives he’s drawn into a game of cat-and-mouse as he and Lorna search for answers in a small town full of long-buried secrets.” It debuted this past summer on BBC One in England and was warmly reviewed. Now we finally get a chance to watch. [[TRAILER](] “Griselda” Thursday, January 25, Netflix This six episode miniseries, directed entirely by Andrés Baiz, follows the real-life story of Griselda Blanco, a Colombian drug lord whose thriving business in Miami, Florida, in the 1980s earned her the nickname “Godmother of Cocaine.” (She was assassinated at the ripe old age of 69.) Here she is played by Sofia Vergara under some pretty insane prosthetics (Bradley Cooper can’t hold a candle) and some rad 1980s fashion. If you’re a fan of Brian De Palma’s “Scarface” or the original “Miami Vice” television series, then this is probably for you. [[TRAILER](] “In the Know” Thursday, January 25, Peacock The legacy of “Space Ghost: Coast to Coast” reaches far and wide, even into 2024, with “In the Know,” Peacock’s first adult animated series. From “Beavis and Butthead” creator Mike Judge, Zach Woods stars as a public radio host who interviews real-life celebrities (including Kaia Gerber, Ken Burns, Finn Wolfhard, Tegan and Sara, Mike Tyson, Hugh Laurie and Roxane Gay) in a stop-motion world. (The other characters in the show are all stop-motion as well, voiced by Judge, Charlie Bushnell, Carl Tart and J. Smith-Cameron.) If this is on the same wavelength as “Space Ghost,” it should be grand. In Judge we trust. [[TRAILER](] “Sexy Beast” Thursday, January 25, Paramount+ “Sexy Beast” serves as a prequel to the 2000 Jonathan Glazer film. James McArdle plays the character originated by Ray Winstone, Emun Elliott will try and not just do a Ben Kingsley impression, and Stephen Moyer will attempt to inhabit the spirit of Ian McShane. Instead of mostly retired criminals, these are criminals in their prime, in England in the 1990s. Could be fun! [[TRAILER](] “Masters of the Air” Friday, January 26, Apple TV+ Here it is, the third series in the Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks World War II saga. Based on Donald L. Miller’s nonfiction book “Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany,” it follows a bombing unit in the Army Air Forces nicknamed the “Bloody Hundredth” due to the casualties it suffered. Like earlier projects, it is stuffed with stars, including Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Barry Keoghan, Isabel May, Ncuti Gatwa and Bel Powley. And there’s just as much heavy artillery behind the camera too, with episodes directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, Dee Rees, Tim Van Patten and Cary Joji Fukunaga (these episodes were filmed a long time ago!) Apple TV+ is looking for this to be a big, prestigious, extremely popular series for the streaming service, establishing it just as “Band of Brothers” helped HBO’s clout. And it looks like it’ll do the job. [[TRAILER](] 2034 Armacost Ave. | Los Angeles, CA 90025 [Unsubscribe](