skip to main content
We may earn money when you click our links.

What to Watch This Week | May 16–22

CableTV.com’s handcrafted viewing recommendations for shows, movies, sports, and more on TV this week.

CableTV.com has posting piles and piles of entertainment content in May, in case you hadn’t noticed. Articles like 5 TV Series Based on Real Celebrities (like Angelyne below), Coolest TV Dads to Chill with This Summer, The 5 Best Guy Fieri Shows, you get the drift. Relax, CTV isn’t turning into Buzzfeed . . . unless you’re into that kind of thing.
This week’s What to Watch recs include the long-delayed debut of Angelyne, Premier League Final Day soccer, a George Carlin docuseries, romcom The Valet, and sci-fi drama Night Sky. Read on, then stream on!

Jump to your preferred streaming service

Netflix Logo
HBO Max Logo
Hulu | 2019’s Best Live TV Streaming Services
Amazon Prime Video logo

What’s premiering this week

Angelyne | Peacock | Drama

Series premiere, Thursday, May 19: Actress Emmy Rossum (Shameless) has been working to bring docudrama Angelyne to the screen for over four years—and Angelyne herself has been waiting since the ’80s. Back then, the busty blonde made herself (locally) famous by posting her image on billboards all over Los Angeles, a crafty path to fame long before the internet and influencer culture. Angelyne (with Rossum in the titular role) is a wild ride, even if the full true story can’t be told in just six episodes.

Premier League Final Day | USA, Peacock | Sports, soccer

Coverage begins Sunday, May 22, 11 a.m. EST: Also known as “Survival Sunday,” the Premier League Final Day of English football action features no less than 10 matches kicking off at the same time—that’s a lotta concurrent soccer drama. Stateside coverage of Final Day play will be handled by USA Network and Peacock (Premium plans only), with particular focus on defending champions Manchester City and first-timers Brentford.

Get more live sports and breaking news

Enter your zip code below to see top TV providers in your neighborhood.

What to watch on Netflix this week

The G Word | Netflix | Documentary, comedy

Series premiere, Thursday, May 19: Over three seasons, comedian Adam Conover skewered popular misconceptions about restaurants, Christmas, college, art, science, and more in his appropriately named series Adam Ruins Everything. In his new The G Word with Adam Conover, the know-it-all comic goes more in-depth on a single topic: the US federal government, a.k.a. the “G” word. The series was produced by the Obamas (alert the conspiracy theorists), with all six episodes dropping May 19.

Love, Death + Robots | Netflix | Animation, sci-fi

Season 3 premiere, Friday, May 20: Each episode is about love, death, or robots, sometimes all three—more show titles should be this self-explanatory. The third season of David Fincher and Tim Miller’s animated sci-fi series features 20-minute tales of post-apocalyptic droids, zombies, sea monsters, super soldiers, and a “ratpocalypse,” among other darkly fun adventures. Before it became Love, Death + Robots, Fincher and Miller intended the series to be a movie reboot of the 1981 cult classic Heavy Metal (Wiki it, kids).

What to watch on HBO Max this week

George Carlin’s American Dream | HBO, HBO Max | Documentary

Docuseries premiere, Friday, May 20: Comedy icon George Carlin once said, “It’s called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it,” hence the title of Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio’s new HBO docuseries. George Carlin’s American Dream follows the late comic’s career from ’60s sitcom wannabe to ’70s counterculture standup to ’80s political warrior to ’90s and ’00s resigned nihilist with no sugarcoating (as Carlin would probably want it). Both parts of the docuseries will be available May 20 on HBO Max.

Catwoman: Hunted | HBO Max | Animation, action

Now streaming: When Catwoman (Elizabeth Gillies, Dynasty) attempts to steal the Cat’s Eye Emerald from the crime cartel Leviathan, she inadvertently finds herself working with Interpol and Batwoman (Stephanie Beatriz, Brooklyn Nine-Nine) to bring it down—all while avoiding being assassinated. Catwoman: Hunted is a fast-paced, gorgeously animated action romp that doesn’t take itself too seriously (a rare occurrence in the DC Universe), with Gillies and Beatriz leading a top-notch vocal cast. Plus, it’s shorter than The Batman.

What to watch on Hulu this week

The Valet | Hulu | Comedy

Movie premiere, Friday, May 20: When movie starlet Olivia (Samara Weaving) is caught in a paparazzi photo with her married boyfriend (Max Greenfield), she cuts off a PR nightmare by pretending she was actually on a date with the valet (Eugenio Derbez) who was also in the picture. Olivia then hires valet Antonio to pose as her romantic interest to keep the ruse going, even though he’s twice her age—what could possibly go wrong? Romantic comedy The Valet is based on a same-named 2006 French farce, which makes total sense.

Home Economics | Hulu | Comedy

Now streaming: ABC sitcom Home Economics concludes its second season this week and was just barely renewed for a third, even though it’s far from a ratings hit. So now’s a great time to catch up on one of TV’s best ensemble series, a sharp and funny family show about three siblings (Topher Grace, Caitlin McGee, and Jimmy Tatro)—one’s rich, one’s middle-class, one’s totally broke. Home Economics’ killer cast is rounded out by Sasheer Zamata and Karla Souza, and all 29 episodes (so far) are streaming on Hulu.

Does your streaming quality suck?

Find a faster internet provider near you now.

W2W wildcards of the week

Night Sky | Prime Video | Drama, sci-fi

Series premiere, Friday, May 20: First Outer Range, now Night Sky—what is it with interdimensional property portals? And when is HGTV going to produce a show called Property Portals? Anyway: Retirees Irene and Franklin (Sissy Spacek and J.K. Simmons) have been harboring a secret for 10 years, a portal to another world in their backyard that definitely violates their HOA. Should Night Sky have been a two-hour movie instead of an eight-episode series? Probably, but we’re going to watch it all anyway.

Now and Then | Apple TV+ | Drama, thriller

Series premiere, Friday, May 20: Five friends from college are reunited when their long-held dark secret is seemingly about to be exposed: the cause of the death of a sixth friend at a Miami party 20 years ago. Bilingual English/Spanish thriller Now and Then (which stars Rosie Perez, Marina de Tavira, Manolo Cardona, Maribel Verdú, Soledad Villamil, and Željko Ivanek) runs eight episodes, but feels like it could have been contained in a single movie—there’s a trend here. The first two episodes of Now and Then drop May 20.

Don't miss an update

Stay updated on the latest products and services anytime anywhere.