About Sunday’s Grammy Awards: “Leave the Door Open” by Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak) won Record, Song, and R&B Song of the Year? That track is a straight-up ’70s yacht rock jam—maybe there’s hope for the Grammys yet. Not that I’m ever going to watch three hours of it; just give me the YouTube highlights, thanks.
This week’s What to Watch recommendations include hard-rockin’ high school comedy Metal Lords, the returns of comedies Woke and A Black Lady Sketch Show, Michael Mann’s new crime drama Tokyo Vice, the trippy season finale of Severance, and a high-flying documentary about skateboarding icon Tony Hawk. Get watching!
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What’s premiering this week
Woke | Hulu | Comedy
Season 2 premiere, Friday, April 8: It’s been almost two years since Woke, based on the life and ‘toons of cartoonist Keith Knight, debuted—unfortunately, it still has plenty of material on racism to work with. San Francisco artist Keef (Lamorne Morris) became “woke” after a violent run-in with the police in season 1; season 2 finds him in the spotlight as a rising Black activist torn between making change and making cash. It deals with heavy topics, but Woke is a sharp, funny comedy that makes its points with laughs.
Coverage begins Thursday, April 7, 3 p.m. EST: Teed off as the Augusta National Invitation Tournament in 1934, the annual Masters Tournament is synonymous with the green jacket and the prize money: this year’s purse is $11.5 million. Favorites to win the 2022 Masters include Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson, and Rory Mcllroy, as well as five-time champion Tiger Woods (maybe). ESPN coverage begins Thursday, April 7 at 3 p.m. EST, with CBS taking over on Saturday at the same time.
What to watch on Netflix this week
Metal Lords | Netflix | Comedy
Movie premiere, Friday, April 8: A high school metalhead (Adrian Greensmith) dreams of throwing down at the upcoming battle of the bands. Problem is, guitar shredder Hunter is the only metalhead at school and he has no band. After installing his best friend Kevin (Jaeden Martell) on drums and cellist Emily (Isis Hainsworth) on bass, Hunter at least has a chance of entering the band battle with his profanely named trio (for the sake of this PG-rated site, let’s call them Skulleffer). Surprise: Metal Lords was written by Game of Thrones’s D.B. Weiss.
Worst Roommate Ever | Netflix | Documentary
Now streaming: Nominated by The Guardian as “the worst true crime show ever,” Worst Roommate Ever nonetheless sits near the top of Netflix’s recent most-watched list—after two years locked inside, it’s understandable. The five-part docuseries leaves out the usual true-crime narration in favor of interviews with offended roommates, budget animation, and as much ominous music as the producers could buy from The Ominous Music Store. Sure, they conned and killed people, but were the roommates really that bad?
What to watch on HBO Max this week
Tokyo Vice | HBO Max | Drama
Series premiere, Thursday, April 7: The title sounds like a videogame, but Tokyo Vice is actually a crime drama directed by film veteran Michael Mann (if you’ve never seen 1995’s Heat, please do so, now). Tokyo Vice, Mann’s first new directing gig in a decade, is based on American journalist Jake Adelstein’s memoir about his time covering the Tokyo Metropolitan Police beat in the ’90s. Ansel Elgort (West Side Story, Baby Driver) stars as Adelstein, alongside Ken Watanabe, Rachel Keller, and Rinko Kikuchi. But first, watch Heat.
A Black Lady Sketch Show | HBO, HBO Max | Comedy
Season 3 premiere, Friday, April 8: The name is literal: Robin Thede’s A Black Lady Sketch Show is written, directed by, and stars Black women (besides Thede, those stars are Ashley Nicole Black, Gabrielle Dennis, and Skye Townsend). The rapid-fire ABLSS surprises at every turn, establishing instantly classic characters and hilariously blowing up cultural stereotypes with the skill and ease of a show that’s been on far longer than two seasons. Look out for guest stars like Wanda Sykes, Ava DuVernay, and Raven-Symone this time around.
What to watch on Apple TV+ this week
Severance | Apple TV+ | Drama, sci-fi
Season 1 finale, Friday, April 8: The wildest and most-buzzed-about show on TV concludes its first season with many a question to answer: Did the Refiner team successfully turn off the tech that separates their “Innie” and “Outie” consciousnesses? What was the deal with that “Founder’s Bed” scene? Are Helly and Mark a thing now? Also . . . goats? If that all reads like nonsense, you haven’t been watching Severance—we’ve been on the edges of our seats every week, but you can watch all nine episodes on April 8. Brace yourselves.
Friday Night Baseball | Apple TV+ | Sports, baseball
Series Premiere, Thursday, March 31: Celebrity chef Julia Child may have died in 2004, but that’s no reason not to adapt her life story as a wacky comedy in 2022, right? Set in 1960s Boston, Julia (created by The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel writer Daniel Goldfarb, appropriately) is based on real events in the then-lives of Julia (played by Sarah Lancashire) and her husband Paul Child (David Hyde Pierce). Marking a Frasier reunion with Pierce, Bebe Neuwirth also stars in this eight-episode series.
W2W wildcards of the week
All the Old Knives | Prime Video | Drama, thriller
Movie premiere, Friday, April 8: Ex-CIA agent Henry Pelham (Chris Pine) is brought back into the fold to track down a mole within the organization that was responsible for a plane crash that killed 100 people. Upping the intrigue, he soon learns that the mole might be his former lover, Celia Harrison (Thandiwe Newton). This tale of impossibly good-looking CIA agents is based on the novel All the Old Knives by Olen Steinhauer, who wrote the film’s screenplay. If you feel like leaving the house, it’s also in select theaters.
Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Come Off | HBO, HBO Max | Documentary, sports
Movie premiere, Tuesday, April 5: The (literally) vertical rise of skateboarding legend Tony Hawk wasn’t all good times and killer ramps according to Until the Wheels Come Off, a new documentary by Sam Jones (not the guy who played Flash Gordon in 1980, Rotten Tomatoes—get it straight). Driven by interviews with Hawk, his contemporaries, and previous-generation skaters like Stacy Peralta, Until the Wheels Come Off not only looks back at his come-up but forward: Hawk is still pushing his limits in his 50s.
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