What To Watch This Week: Stream Our Top 7 TV and Movie Picks (Aug. 24–30)

This week’s “What To Watch” picks include new seasons of the comedy “Adults” (FX, Hulu), the sci-fi drama “Dark Matter” (Apple TV), and the political thriller “The Undeclared War” (Peacock) — plus the all-new “The Robot Chicken Adult Swim Special (Adult Swim, HBO Max).

I’m also recommending two other specials: “The Simpsons: Yellow Mirror” (Disney+), and the comedy/variety special “Stamptown” (Netflix).

And finally, you should check out “Dead Janitors Club,” which is available to rent via video-on-demand (VOD) this Friday. Let’s hit the couch!

“Stamptown” | Netflix | Stand-up comedy, variety

Special, Tuesday, Aug. 25: Hosted by comedian Zach Zucker, the international late-night festival sensation Stamptown crashes Netflix with an explosive, raunchy variety special. Taped live at LA’s Montalbán Theatre, this fever-dream revue blends chaotic circus acts, alternative stand-up, physical comedy, and music, shredding traditional comedy formulas in favor of pure, loud, spectacle. There’s no trailer for the Stamptown special, but here’s a clip (see left) of Zucker performing as his alter-ego, Jack Tucker, straight from Stamptown’s YouTube channel.

The Simpsons: “Yellow Mirror” | Disney+ | Animation, comedy

Special episode, Wednesday, Aug. 26: This new Simpsons episode, the last of three new ones released this summer, is a “Black Mirror” parody (hide your eyes, Spider-Pig). Here’s the synopsis for the Disney+ exclusive two-tale ep: “A defective lamp reveals a heartbreaking truth about what Homer believes is reality, and an AI-powered tablet befriends and controls Maggie.” Is anyone else’s appetite already squealing for this to become a thing?

Note: If you missed the other two episodes, “Extreme Makeover: Homer Edition” (see trailer to your left — there’s no “Yellow Mirror” trailer yet) and “Simpsley,” you can find them in “The Simpsons Collection” on Disney+.

“Adults” | Hulu | Comedy

Season 2 premiere, Thursday, Aug. 27, 9 p.m. ET: I said it a few weeks ago when blurbing this show’s standalone prequel episode: Ya gotta watch “Adults.” My recommendation is the same now that the FX Zoomer comedy’s second season is queued up for us. It’s edgy (think “Broad City”) and comfortable (even when it’s awkward) like a good comfort show, where you like the characters so much you develop parasocial feelings for them. Look for guest appearances from Susie Essman, Zosia Mamet, Gaten Matarazzo, and Raven-Symoné. The whole season’s binegable on Hulu today, and episodes air live (two per week) on FXX.

“The Undeclared War” | Peacock | Drama, thriller

Season 2 premiere, Thursday, Aug. 27: After a four-year wait, this British thriller is back for a second season. The setting is 2024, and the focus shifts from student Saara Parvin (Hanna Khalique-Brown) to GCHQ Head of Operations Danny Patrick (Simon Pegg). In the aftermath of Season 1’s Russian cyberattacks, Patrick and his team realize they have a mole — and a new threat is imminent. All six episodes are available to stream on Peacock today.

“Dark Matter” | Apple TV | Drama, science fiction

Season 2 premiere, Friday, Aug. 28: The well-reviewed Apple TV adaptation of Blake Crouch’s acclaimed 2016 sci-fi novel is back for Season 2. Reluctant reality-hopping physicist Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton) and his wife Daniela (Jennifer Connelly) are just starting to feel safe again after the events of Season 1. The thing is, the Dessens are not safe — and they’re about to go back on the run. We get one episode today, with the rest coming weekly through October 30.

“The Robot Chicken Adult Swim Special” | Adult Swim, HBO Max | Adult animation, comedy

Special, Sunday, Aug. 30, 11:30 p.m. ET: This special is the first of two new “Robot Chicken” half-hour episodes celebrating Adult Swim’s 25th anniversary. This time, the Emmy-winning show pokes fun at the network that birthed it, skewering “some of Adult Swim’s most iconic series, characters, and moments” in a series of stop motion action figure sketches. Here’s the deal: “Every iconic character in Adult Swim’s history is aboard a cruise ship celebrating a quarter century on the air, but toasts turn to screams as it develops into a disaster of titanic proportions! Will the stars of ‘Smiling Friends,’ ‘Aqua Teen Hunger Force,’ ‘Metalocalypse,’ ‘Assy McGee,’ ‘Venture Bros.’, and dozens more survive? Or meet a watery doom?”

After airing live on Friday night, the special streams the next day on HBO Max. Look for the second special centered on Cartoon Network in 2027.

You can watch Adult Swim content like “The Robot Chicken Adult Swim Special” free on the Adult Swim Website or the official Adult Swim app for mobile and streaming devices.

You wanna watch the second season of “Dark Matter”? Get you some Apple TV ($12.99/mo.). You can also rent movies on demand — no subscription required.

You can watch Adult Swim’s “The Robot Chicken Adult Swim Special” with an HBO Max subscription ($10.99–$22.99/mo.).

You’ll need a Hulu subscription ($11.99–$18.99/mo.) to stream the second season of “Adults”.

Subscribe to Hulu + Live TV ($88.99–$99.99/mo.) and you’ll get Adult Swim and FX so you can watch “The Robot Chicken Adult Swim Special” and season two of “Adults.”

To watch the “Stamptown” special, you’ll need a Netflix subscription ($8.99–$26.99/mo.).

“The Undeclared War” streams only on Peacock ($7.99–$16.99/mo.).

A YouTube TV subscription ($82.99/mo.) includes Adult Swim so you can watch “The Robot Chicken Adult Swim Special.” You’ll also get FX so you can watch “Adults” live.