Between streaming and cable, there is a seemingly endless variety of things to watch. Here is a selection of TV shows and specials that are airing or streaming this week, May 26-June 1. Details and times are subject to change.
When fiction mirrors reality.
The series “The Handmaid’s Tale,” based on the 1985 Margaret Atwood novel of the same name, is wrapping up its sixth and final season this week. The dystopian show, which follows the residents of Gilead, a totalitarian society where women are treated as property of the state, has been airing since the start of President Trump’s first term, and the show’s costumes of red cloaks and white bonnets have been used in real protests for women’s reproductive rights. The finale will be directed by Elisabeth Moss, who has starred in all six seasons of the show. Streaming Tuesday on Hulu.
Jesse Armstrong certainly knows a thing or two about portraying the ultrarich when the world around them is crumbling — he was the creator and showrunner of “Succession.” Now, he is making his full-length film directorial debut in his TV movie “Mountainhead,” which follows Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith and Ramy Youssef, four men worth a combined half a trillion dollars, who are on a boys’ trip when a violent crisis erupts at home. Along with snowmobiling and playing poker, they also field calls from the president of the United States and keep an eye on the mayhem unfolding on their screens. Saturday at 8 p.m. on HBO and streaming on Max.
From the mid-90s to the 2010s, we had shows on air, including “Friends,” “How I Met Your Mother” and “New Girl,” that illuminated the pitfalls and absurdities of 20-somethings stumbling into adulthood and managing to the best of their abilities. There hasn’t been a new show of that genre in a while, so “Adults,” which follows a group of codependent housemates in their 20s, is filling that gap. Malik Elassal, Lucy Freyer, Jack Innanen, Amita Rao and Owen Thiele star as friends who crash in one of their childhood homes, as they navigate dating in a world of apps, try to figure out the health care system and strategize how to climb the corporate ladder. Wednesday at 9 p.m. on FX and streaming the next day on Hulu.
When reality is reality.
Finish the sentence with me: The Stanley Cup finals is to hockey fans as ______ is to Bravo fans (correct answer: reunions). This week the network is airing its “Summer House” reunion, which is always the perfect place to spill the tea, hash out fights that are now nearly nine months old and try to kiss and make up. There have been whispers of a big announcement about the show, which follows a group of friends who party in the Hamptons each weekend, as Lindsay Hubbard is now a mother and a raucous house share is perhaps not the best place for a baby. Wednesday at 9 p.m. on Bravo and streaming the next day on Peacock.
Life is a highway.
Formula One Group, which is behind the popular racing franchise, also has founded a female-only, single-seater racing championship. The new seven-part documentary series “F1: The Academy” follows the group of women, who are attempting to rise in the rankings of an extremely male dominated sport. Streaming Wednesday on Netflix.
As a self-proclaimed Swiftie, I admit that one thing we love to do is try to predict Taylor Swift’s next move. The current fixation? When she’ll drop “Reputation (Taylor’s Version),” a rerecording of her 2017 album whose masters she no longer owns. One guess is that she’ll announce its release this week at the American Music Awards, where she is nominated for six awards for “The Tortured Poets Department,” from last year. What we do know for sure about the ceremony is that Jennifer Lopez is hosting, Rod Stewart will receive a lifetime achievement award, Janet Jackson will receive an icon award and Gwen Stefani will perform a medley to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of her debut solo album. Monday 8 p.m. on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
Is it funny? Or serious?
The series “Government Cheese” follows a family after its patriarch, Hampton (David Oyelowo), is released from prison in 1969. But things aren’t exactly as he expected they would be when he returns home to the San Fernando Valley. The first season is wrapping up this week. Streaming Wednesday on Apple TV+.
Based on a book series by the same name written by Jussi Adler-Olsen, the new show “Dept. Q” looks into an Edinburgh police department that has been taken over by Carl Morck (Matthew Goode), a well respected but slightly unhinged detective who is dealing with the trauma of an attack that left his partner paralyzed. Streaming Thursday on Netflix.
Shivani Gonzalez is a news assistant at The Times who writes a weekly TV column and contributes to a variety of sections.
The post The ‘Summer House’ Reunion, Plus 9 Things to Watch on TV This Week appeared first on New York Times.
