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This week’s What to Watch picks include the return of Invincible, the premieres of Black Cake and Blue Eye Samurai, new movies Quiz Lady and Fingernails, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, and WWE Crown Jewel pro-wrestling action. Let’s watch it all! (OK, some is fine.)
Jump to your preferred streaming service
What’s premiering this week
Invincible | Prime Video | Animation, sci-fi
Season 2 premiere, Friday, November 3: We were treated to a surprise Atom Even origin-story episode in the interim, and now Robert Kirkman’s animated superhero saga Invincible is finally back after over two years. Then, teen Invincible/Mark Grayson (voiced by Steven Yuen) had just defeated his father Omni-Man, who was revealed to be more villain than hero. Now, Invincible has to take his place as the world’s protector and face a new super baddie, Angstrom Levy (Sterling K. Brown). Step aside, Gen V.
WWE Crown Jewel | Peacock | Sports, wrestling
Coverage begins Saturday, November 4, 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT: Live from Riyadh, Saudia Arabia (yes, that WWE contract with the monarchy is still in effect), it’s Crown Jewel 2023. On the card: Rey Mysterio vs. Logan Paul (WWE United States Championship), Roman Reigns vs. L.A. Knight (Undisputed WWE Universal Championship), Rhea Ripley vs. Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Zoey Stark vs. Raquel Rodriguez (Fatal 5-Way Women’s World Championship), and John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa (John Cena Was Available Match).
What to watch on Netflix this week
All the Light We Cannot See | Netflix | Drama
Series premiere, Thursday, November 2: Based on Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer-winning WWII novel, All the Light We Cannot See follows the multi-decade relationship between a blind French teenager (Aria Mia Loberti) and a German soldier (Louis Hofmann) who inadvertently meet in Nazi-occupied France. The four-part miniseries was written by Stephen Knight (Peaky Blinders) and directed by Shawn Levy (Stranger Things), which constitutes some serious Netflix cred. Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie also star.
Blue Eye Samurai | Netflix | Animation, drama
Series premiere, Friday, November 3: “It’s an Edo-period tale of revenge,” Blue Eye Samurai co-creator Amber Noizumi told Netflix’s Tudum. “Kill Bill meets Yentl.” The samurai is young Mizu (voiced by Maya Erskine), who’s tracking down the white man who raped her mother and made her a “creature of shame” (blue eyes were not a favorable trait in 17th-century Japan). The lushly animated Blue Eye Samurai also features the voices of Masi Oka, Kenneth Branagh, Brenda Song, and George Takei.
What to watch on Hulu this week
Black Cake | Hulu | Drama
Series premiere, Wednesday, November 1: In 1960s Jamacia, bride Covey (Mia Isaac) narrowly escapes a wedding where her gangster husband-to-be is murdered. In 2023 California, Covey (now going by the alias Eleanor) passes away from cancer, leaving behind a flash drive of voice recordings for her estranged children (Ashley Thompson and Adrienne Warren). The recordings tell Covey’s epic life journey, narrating the twisty and time-jumping Black Cake, which drops three of eight episodes on November 1.
Quiz Lady | Hulu | Comedy
Movie premiere, Friday, November 3: When her pug is kidnapped for ransom by a bookie demanding payment of her mother’s $80K gambling debt, gameshow nerd Anne (Awkwafina) and her hot-mess sister Jenny (Sandra Oh) reluctantly team up to get Anne on Can’t Stop the Quiz (hosted by Will Ferrell). Quiz Lady is a madcap comedy with a sweet dramatic center, featuring hilarious cameos by Tony Hale, Jason Schwartzman, and the late Paul Reubens (a.k.a. Pee-Wee Herman) in his final role.
What to watch on Paramount+ this week
Lawmen: Bass Reeves | Paramount+ | Drama, western
Series premiere, Sunday, November 5: Prolific producer Taylor Sheridan’s latest western for Paramount+ is an anthology drama series focusing on real-life historical figures. First up for Lawmen is Bass Reeves, starring David Oyelowo as the titular former slave who became the first Black U.S. Marshal in 1800s Arkansas. Like Sheridan’s other projects, Lawmen: Bass Reeves has some heavy hitters in its cast, including Dennis Quaid and Donald Sutherland. Two of eight episodes stream on November 5.
SEAL Team | CBS, Paramount+ | Drama
Season 5 broadcast premiere, Thursday, November 2: The summer’s writers’ strike has resulted in some serious fall weirdness across the Paramount pantheon. First, there was Paramount Network’s Yellowstone appearing in PG-13 filler form on CBS broadcast TV (where it’s doing ridiculously well). Now, SEAL Team, which was a CBS show that relocated to Paramount+ in 2021, is being repurposed back to CBS on Thursdays, where it’ll soon be joined by the original British version of Ghosts. Weird, man.
W2W wildcards of the week
Fingernails | Apple TV+ | Drama, sci-fi
Movie premiere, Friday, November 3: Anna (Jessie Buckley), increasingly unsure of her relationship with Ryan (Jeremy Allen White), designs a machine at the mysterious institute where she works (Apple?) that can determine genuine love with 100% accuracy. All it needs to test is a fingernail ripped from each partner(!), thus answering the question, “What if Severance was a romantic comedy?” Fingernails also stars Riz Ahmed, Luke Wilson, and Annie Murphy, if that helps alleviate the ick factor.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony | Disney+ | Awards, music
Special premiere, Friday, November 3: You read that right above: After 28 years on HBO, the annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be televised live on Disney+, and repeated in edited form on ABC on January 1, 2024. This year’s inductees include Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine, and The Spinners, and the show will feature live performances by Crow, Nelson, Elliott, Chris Stapleton, H.E.R., St. Vincent, and … New Edition?
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