Some weeks it seems like the streamers really are catering to every demographic. How else can you explain a single week that sees both the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” franchises making long overdue returns? There’s also a new Adam Scott show that makes returning to the office an even creepier experience, a dramatic retelling of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” and animated adventures starring Mickey Mouse and Cuphead. See? Every demographic dutifully covered.
On with the television!
“Severance”
Friday, February 18, Apple TV+
After directing 2018’s Emmy-nominated limited series for Showtime, “Escape at Dannemora,” Ben Stiller returns to helm six of the nine episodes of Apple TV+’s trippy new prestige series “Severance.” Created by Dan Erickson, the series stars Adam Scott as a man who works for a mysterious company called Lumon Industries. In an effort to keep the business’ operations a secret, employees go through a process called “severance,” wherein memories of their everyday life are sliced away once they enter the building (and vice versa when they leave). Consider this another reason why work-from-home is way better! With a gripping, eerie premise (we’d say more but we’d have to have our memories wiped), stark direction from Stiller and an eclectic, all-star cast (which also includes John Turturro, Britt Lower and Christopher Walken), “Severance” could be a sleeper sensation. That is, of course, if you remember to watch. [INTERVIEW]
“Peacemaker”
Thursday, February 17, HBO Max
Who would have thought that a DC also-ran character (played by none other than John Cena), based on a movie nobody watched (last summer’s “The Suicide Squad”), would inspire one of the most fun and irreverent series of the new year? Here we are, dreading the end of “Peacemaker.” If you haven’t watched so far, it involves the title character, a blowhard would-be villain, getting teamed up with some spies to help bring down a massive conspiracy. (True to “The Suicide Squad” form, it involves an extraterrestrial menace. But to say anything else would be enough to get us locked up in Belle Reve.) The finale is written and directed by James Gunn, who also wrote and directed “The Suicide Squad” movie (and wrote all of this first season’s episodes). If the finale is anything like the rest of the season, expect swearing, shooting, and a whole lot of goo. [INTERVIEW]
“Texas Chainsaw Massacre”
Friday, February 18, Netflix
You can’t keep a good chainsaw-wielding maniac down. “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is, technically, the ninth film in the franchise, but chooses to follow the “Halloween” (2018) route to serve as a direct follow-up to Tobe Hooper’s 1974 original. This time, a group of dot-com yuppies (led by the great Sarah Yarkin from “Happy Death Day 2U”) travel to an isolated Texas town in a moneymaking bid. Of course, while there, they awaken Leatherface (now played by Mark Burnham), who sets about killing as many of them as humanly possible. (Olwen Fouéré steps into the Sally Hardesty role, now armed to the teeth and ready for revenge.) Are we looking at a possible front runner for next year’s Academy Awards? Probably not. But if you’re looking for a bloody blast to watch on Friday night, “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” could fit the bill. [TRAILER]
“Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy”
Wednesday, February 16, Netflix
This obnoxiously titled documentary, which screened as part of the virtual Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, incorporates never-before-seen footage of Kanye West (now simply known as Ye) over the past 20 years. While Kanye was clearly involved in the project, he posted to social media right before the Sundance premiere that he was being locked out of the process. Who knows? Directed by Coodie and Chike, music video directors who have a longstanding relationship with West, “Jeen-Yuhs” should be a fascinating, extremely intimate look at one of the more outsized personalities in popular culture. The first part airs this week, with the additional two parts coming weekly. The last time Netflix adopted this approach to a series of films was last summer’s terrific “Fear Street” trilogy. Hopefully “Jeen-Yuhs” will be just as much fun. [REVIEW]
“Briarpatch”
IMDBtv
Last week, Rosario Dawson showed up on “The Book of Boba Fett,” and even that brief appearance was enough to trigger memories of her excellent, one-and-done 2020 series “Briarpatch,” a show that only a few people watched. (Clearly! It was canceled after a single season.) In “Briarpatch,” Dawson stars as Allegra Dill, a private investigator working for a senator, who returns to her hometown after her detective sister is mysteriously killed. Intricately plotted (it’s based on a 1984 novel by legendary crime novelist Ross Thomas), full of colorful characters and bursting with an absolutely killer soundtrack (the show’s use of Yellow Magic Orchestra’s “Behind the Mask?” Chef’s kiss!), it’s the kind of show that more people should have been talking about. (It probably didn’t help that it aired on the USA Network). Do it for Rosario. [WATCH]
“Bel-Air”
Sunday, February 13, Peacock
Yes, this is a reboot of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” but there’s a twist. In 2019, filmmaker Morgan Cooper posted a YouTube spoof of the original series, reimagining it as a hard-edged drama. Will Smith, who starred in the original version of the series basically playing himself, reached out to Cooper and they began developing the drama version of the show for real. A few years later, here we are, with Jabari Banks playing the Smith character, and Smith on board as an executive producer. Peacock has already committed to two seasons of the series. [REVIEW]
“The Cuphead Show!”
Friday, February 18, Netflix
Another splashy video-game adaptation from Netflix, this time of the 2017 videogame “Cuphead.” What makes “The Cuphead Show!” somewhat different is that the original video game had a very distinct art style, heavily indebted to cartoons of the 1930s and ‘40s, with its rubber hose animation and pie-eyed character design. This new series is a direct translation of those core aesthetic tenets, going so far as to add grain and grit to make it seem like an old-timey series from that period. It’s very different from anything else on TV, and you will have a blast even if you have never played the video game. Get your cups ready. [TRAILER]
“Downfall: The Case Against Boeing”
Friday, February 18, Netflix
Another buzzed-about Sundance documentary makes its way to streaming. “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing” investigates the pair of Boeing 747 MAX crashes that killed 346 and whether or not the company prioritized profit over human life. This will undoubtedly be an uncomfortable portrait of corporate greed and make you sweat a little bit more on your next flight. Reviews out of Sundance were warm, making this a potential “have-you-seen-that?” documentary hit. [REVIEW]
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Friday, February 18, Amazon Prime Video
Mrs. Maisel returns! And it’s been a while. The last time the Emmy-winning series was on Amazon Prime Video was December 6, 2019. That’s some gap! Rachel Brosnahan stars as the title character, a housewife in the early 1960s who explores a career as a stand-up comedian. This season, she will be joined by performers like Kayli Carter, Jason Ralph (Brosnahan’s husband IRL), filmmaker John Waters, Milo Ventimiglia and Kelly Bishop. [TRAILER]
“The Wonderful Winter of Mickey Mouse”
Friday, February 18, Disney+
If you haven’t seen the “Mickey Mouse” shorts that debuted on the Disney Channel back in 2013, you are missing one of the funniest, most creative versions of the character ever. There’s a reason that, when Mickey finally got his own theme park attraction, this was the character the ride was based on. Through the years, the shorts have gone through different permutations, including going from two-to-seven minutes in length and now, even bigger episodes that will appear once each season. The first, “The Wonderful Winter of Mickey Mouse” hits on Friday. Chances are it’ll be downright brrrrrrr-illiant. [TRAILER]
