Netflix’s newest is a clear Emmy contender

Nicole Kidman returns to HBO in a suspense thriller, Borat returns to troll more controversial figures, Nathan Fielder’s latest project is his most profound, and the latest releases from Netflix. Hello! A housekeeping note from the Watch This Now headquarters: As you may have noticed, the Monday through Friday rollout of the Watch This Now newsletter has gone the way of Quibi, and the newsletter will now be sent out on Monday (covering recommendations for Monday through Thursday) and Friday (covering recommendations for Friday through Sunday). This will help us get you more high-quality picks, reviews, and recommendations as the pipeline for new shows dries up slightly from the pandemic. Thanks for understanding. Here are the weekend’s TV picks. -Tim [Your Watch This Now! newsletter is created by Senior Recommendations and Reviews Editor Tim Surette and more show-obsessed editors at TV Guide!]( [The Queen's Gambit]( Now on Netflix [Check out The Queen’s Gambit, mate]( Scott Frank (Godless, Out of Sight) adapts Walter Tevis’ 1983 novel about a female chess prodigy in the 1950s and ’60s with careful storytelling precision, squeezing every last bit out of what your television can do with gorgeous visuals, a moving retro soundtrack, and a well-paced script that somehow makes watching chess interesting. But the prized piece is Anya Taylor-Joy as its star, who we watch grow from awkward orphan to confident, obsessed adult determined to conquer the male-dominated world of chess. Chess on TV should be boring, but here it’s a thrilling accompaniment to a sharp character study examining genius and substance abuse. The final act loses some steam, but the first five (of seven) episodes are some of the best TV I’ve seen all year and well worth the watch. [How to With John Wilson]( Series premiere Friday at 11/10c on HBO and HBO Max [How to With John Wilson is a simple, yet profound, look at life]( Life is complicated nowadays, what with… everything. But at its core, life is still full of simple ideas. John Wilson walks through New York City with just a camera and ruminates on some of the simpler things in life in his comedy How to With John Wilson, an odd, endearing, and astute examination of what it means to be human. It’s executive produced by Nathan Fielder and shares some of the vulnerability of his excellent show Nathan For You, while also carrying on like the grandfatherly chats of Joe Pera Talks With You. The premiere takes the idea of how to make small talk all the way to an MTV spring break celebration in Mexico, where John hangs out with a guy who says he’s there just to party, but is really running away from his problems. What his life says about most of us is astounding. [Borat]( Now on Amazon Prime [Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is not a good look for Rudy]( You’ve heard about the infamous scene involving Rudy Giuliani in the sequel to the satirical prank film Borat, and, yeah, it’s bad. Watch it for yourself to make your own determination of what happened. As for the film itself, I wholeheartedly agree with Liam Mathews’ take, which says [it’s pretty good and the real star is Borat’s daughter](. SPONSORED [The Smartest Way to Carry Your Cash & Cards.]( The Ridge Wallet is slim, RFID-blocking, and guaranteed for life. Shop now for free shipping & free returns. [Shop Now]( [The Undoing]( Series premiere Sunday at 9/8c on HBO [Nicole Kidman really knows how to play The Undoing of a rich woman]( The latest provocative HBO series starring a big-name actress is a suspense thriller with Nicole Kidman as -- what else? -- a wealthy white woman. This time, she’s caught up in a police investigation of some very bad things that her husband may or may not have done. As Candice Frederick [says in her review]( it’s a crackling thriller, but despite its pedigree, it ultimately doesn’t have a whole lot to say. [The Best of Netflix]( Coming soon [Here’s what’s on Netflix this weekend]( The Queen’s Gambit isn’t the only new show on Netflix this week. [The latest lineup]( includes a comedy special from viral star Sarah Cooper, a foreign movie about a slasher in the woods, and plenty for the kids to watch. [Unsubscribe]( | [View online]( ©2020 CBS Interactive | All Rights Reserved. CBS Interactive - [235 2nd St., San Francisco, CA 94105](#) [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms and Conditions](