TV premieres for May 26 to June 1
Turn And Smile TV Guide: Sunday, May 25
Welcome back, Sofa Taters!
Here’s another Sunday TV Guide with more premieres to fill your week!
Be sure to let us know what you’re looking forward to the most and what you’ve enjoyed so far! Remember to vote in our footer poll this week!
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What We’ve Been Watching
Mason: Overcompensating might be my new favourite show on Prime Video. Eagle-eyed viewers might enjoy the appearance of Megan Fox, Charlie XCX (not Pluth), and The Captain from How I Met Your Mother, Kyle MacLachlan. The soundtrack to the first season also features some of the best modern pop needle drops that you can ask for from top forty radio and TikTok.
Larissa: I took a break from TV to watch a movie! The Gorge on AppleTV+. This movie had great leads but disappointing execution. They could have done so much with the concept: a man with nothing to lose signs up for a covert operation for the next year in an undisclosed location. There, he learns his mission is to guard the literal gates of hell, which they call the Gorge. He’s alone, except for one other operative on the other side of the Gorge: a mysterious woman who seems to have secrets all of her own. Unfortunately, whatever you make up in your mind is probably better than the fizzled lump of this production. Back to TV I go…
What We’re Excited To See
Mason: For me, it’s a tie between Adults and The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy. I earnestly want to give Adults a chance to do something original, unique, and funny with their very simple concept, and I think this is a great opportunity to get into The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy, which sounds very entertaining.
Larissa: If you have read any of our newsletters, you have probably picked up on the fact that I am a Millennial female living in North America. Therefore, you can also safely assume that I was raised on Sex and the City and the antics of Carrie Bradshaw and her posse. Because of this, regardless of my mixed feelings about the first two seasons, the third season of And Just Like That is one of my most anticipated releases of this entire year.
What We’re Talking About
Mason: At the time of this writing, we’re still chugging along to our 100-subscriber bonus, so I’m thinking about She-Ra and the Princesses of Power again. Today I’m thinking about Lighthope and her parental role in Adora’s life while she tried to train She-Ra. I keep thinking about how so many of our relationships seem to mirror theirs in that Lighthope was specifically trying to put Adora on a rigid path that she didn’t want to be any part of, and how families can often try to put their children on a path that goes against their personal beliefs. As I ponder this surprisingly deep character relationship, I’m genuinely curious what my writing partner and friend, Larissa, would think about this… and if she would watch that far into the show to see these truths revealed. If you want to get her thoughts on She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, please subscribe if you haven’t already, like, and share, and when we get to 100 subscribers, we’ll all be able to find out!
Larissa: I think 17 more people should subscribe to us, to put me out of my misery already!
New To Streaming
May 26th to June 1st
Boglands/ Crá (🇮🇪/🇬🇧) (Acorn TV)
In this Irish/ British co-production a police officer’s missing mother is found dead in an Irish bog. It was originally called Crá when it originally premiered on BBC One last year. This series is also in Irish Gaelic so if you can’t understand the language be sure to have the English audio or subtitles on when it premiers on Acorn TV this week.
American Music Awards (Paramount+)
The American Music Awards are a fan-decided music award show. This year JLo hosts the event that will be broadcast live simutaniously on CBS and Paramount+ on May 26th at 5:00 PM PST. Check local listings.
90 Day: Hunt for Love (HBO Max)
This reality TV dating competition has eight singles from the 90 Day Fiancé universe reunite with a group of singles to compete for love. It debuts this week on the identity confused streaming service who’s “just trying to find itself,” HBO Max.
The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy/ El segundo mejor hospital de la galaxia (🇲🇽) (Prime Video)
This Mexican/ American co-production is about two brilliant alien doctors in The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy. Starring Natasha Lyonne, Keke Palmer and Kieran Culkin (Maccully’s younger, more talented brother), this animated comedy returns for its second season early this week on Prime Video, where all episodes from the season will drop on the streamer.
F1: The Academy (🇬🇧) (Netflix)
The F1 Academy is an all-female Formula-4 championship race that held its inaugural race in 2023. This British-produced docuseries showcases the sophomore season of the race and the women behind the wheel who vie for both glory and the podium at the end of the race. Find it when it drops on Netflix this week.
The Better Sister (Prime Video)
Based on the book of the same name by American crime novelist, law professor, and legal commentator Alafair Burke, this mystery series follows two sisters played by American icons Jessica Timberlake and Elizabeth Banks who are brought together after one of their husbands is murdered. You can see it this week on Prime Video.
Dept. Q (🇬🇧) (Netflix)
Based on “Department Q,” the Danish series of crime novels by author and Danish icon Jussi Adler-Olsen, this British TV adaptation tells the story of Detective Chief Inspector Carl Morck, played by English icon Matthew Goode, following an incident that left his partner paralyzed and another officer dead. Now he is tasked with solving a cold case that will consume his entire life. For any fans of Canadian alt-rock from the 1990s, British icon Matthew Goode shouldn’t be confused with Canadian icon Matthew Good, the former lead singer of The Matthew Good Band, and someone who we hear is a real asshole (IYKYK). At any rate, you can see how the mystery unfolds this week on Netflix.
Scrublands (🇦🇺) (AMC+)
Coming to us from the land down under, Season 1 of this murder mystery tells of a priest who kills five churchgoers and the investigative journalist who is trying to stop him. With Season 2 debuting this week on AMC+, you can watch Australian icon Luke Arnold and New Zealander-Canadian icon Jay Ryan go head to head as you wait for Season 2, when he will need to investigate a conspiracy and dark history in a small Australian town. For the reader in your life, this series is also based on a mystery novel by Australian author Chris Hammer.
And Just Like That… (HBO Max)
Season 3 of this sequel series to Sex And The City premieres this week. The series, which is placating the ego of star Sarah Jessica Parker by allowing her personal conflict with Kim Cattrall to affect the casting of this series rather than mediating satisfactory compromises, follows the cast of Sex And The City years after the original series concluded. It opens with Chris North’s Mr. Big facing a medical emergency, and continues with the pivots the other characters have to make in their lives. Cattrall isn’t returning this season, but you can find it this week on HBO Max and keep hope alive. She’s just as likely to return as HBO Max is to change its name (yet again. Or maybe less likely.
Adults (Hulu)
An American comedy about a codependent group of roommates and friends in their twenties as they try to survive in the city. The premise sounds an awful lot like Friends, Living Single, but copying the greats is apparently flattery. As they say, “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness,” but on the other hand, FX is the same network that produces amazing comedies like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. We’ll be sure to keep our eye on it to see how it pans out. If you’re curious about it, though, you can see it on Hulu the day after its debut on FX this week.
Mama June: Family Crisis/ Mama June: From Not to Hot (AMC+/ AllBlk)
Mama June returns after losing weight to spite her ex-husband (an accused pedophile), and navigate a series of actual real life crises that would make a reasonable person wonder if this show should actually be on the air. See if you can stomach it on WeTV, AllBlk, and AMC+.
Good Boy/ 굿보이 (🇰🇷) (Prime Video)
The best Korea brings us this action comedy series about a detachment of police who are former Olympians using their unique sports skills to chase and capture criminals. This show was originally meant to debut last year, but South Korean icon Park Bo-gum was injured during filming and spent a month recovering. See the high-kicking action when it premieres on Prime Video.
Death Valley (🇬🇧) (BritBox/ BBC iPlayer)
English icon Timothy Spall stars alongside Welsh icon Gwyneth Keyworth in this detective comedy from the BBC where Spall plays an aging thespian retiree who solves mysteries and crimes with Detective Sergent (DS) Janie Mallowan in the idealic locals of Wales. Already having premiered on BBC Two, BBC One Wales, and the BBC iPlayer by the time this newsletter is released, BritBox is slated to also release this series for other countries sometime in the remaining days of May.
Karen Pirie (🇬🇧) (BritBox)
After premireing last April on the world’s window into British TV, Season 2 of Karen Pirie will be debuting a three part season as the titular Detective Sergent (DS) Karen Pirie continues to investigate cold cases in Scotland. See how this season’s mystery unfolds tune into BritBox.
The Mortician (HBO Max)
Do you like true crime docuseries? Do you like awful, corrupt businesses? What about… Death? In a docuseries that sounds like something YouTube’s favourite mortician, Caitlin Doughty, would cover, this three-part docuseries tells the true story of David Sconce and his corrupt, illegal, and harmful funeral home that engaged in unethical practices that harmed grieving families to increase their profits in the 1980s. Find it on the newly born-again (again) streaming service HBO Max, which swears this name isn’t “just a phase.”
New To Cable
May 26th to June 1st
American Music Awards (CBS)
Hosted by Jenny From the Block herself, the American Music Awards have been produced by Dick Clark Productions since the 1970s. Nominies are chosen from US commercial performance and popularity, then fans can vote on the award’s website every few years (the last one was held in 2022). It is one of the biggest fan-decided music award shows in the USA. Other than the music categories of the People’s Choice Awards. And the Teen Choice Awards. Tune in at 5:00 PM PST to CBS and be sure to check local listings.
Kevin Costner’s The West (History)
Yellowstone star Kevin Costner narrates this docuseries about the wild frontier of the American old west from Manifest Destiny, to the outlaws, to the lawmen, and to the battles over land and freedom. Tune into the History Channel this week to see it.
90 Day: Hunt for Love (TLC)
If you’ve ever wondered how TLC could turn 90 Day Fiancé into a reality TV dating competition, wonder no more! A select group of eight singles who didn’t get their happily ever after over on 90 Day Fiancé reunite with a group of singles, apparently in some tropical climate, to compete for love. Find it this week on TLC as they deviate further from their premise.
Meals in Minutes/ Rachael Ray’s Meals in Minutes (FYI)
American icon and TV personality Rachel Ray hosts this cooking show to teach you (yes, you) how to cook delicious meals and dishes in not much time at all and give you some tips and tricks to up your own kitchen game. If you want to try out Ray’s tips and recipes (she’s been cooking on TV since at least 2006 and even joined Selena Gomez for an episode of her show Selena + Chef), tune into FYI this week for Season 3.
Global Soul Kitchen/ Global Soul Kitchen With Deborah VanTrece (FYI)
Celebrity chef and queer American icon Deborah VanTrece hosts this cooking show where they introduce viewers like you to soul food fusion and very unique flavour combos. Season 2 hits the FYI network this week, so stock up on spices so you’re prepared for the inevitable culinary inspiration from VanTrece and Rachel Ray.
America’s Got Talent (NBC)
Now in its twentieth season, this American talent competition with British icon Simon Cowell and Canadian icon and OCD patient (don’t touch his hands) Howie Mandel as judges it starts its next season on NBC this week. Check it out and root for whatever unique or puzzling talents they put on stage this year.
Destination X (NBC)
Taking a break from his role in The Walking Dead franchise, Jeffery Dean Morgan hosts this reality TV competition where contestants are taken on a blacked-out bus as they have to guess where they’ve been dropped off. They must try to decipher between clues and lies to figure out the truth. See it when it debuts this week on NBC.
Sitting Bull (History)
The story of Sitting Bull (Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake in Lakota) is ever more prescient and inspiring given the modern American political climate. Sitting Bull was a fixture of Native resistance against an expansionist, bigoted government that sought to oppress and murder Indigenous peoples and refused to recognize their humanity. Now, for some odd reason, I feel like Canadians, Greenlanders, BIPOC Americans, Palestinians, and LGBTQIA+ people all could learn from, relate to, or be inspired by Sitting Bull’s story. You can find this two-part docuseries this week on the History Channel.
Down Home Fab (HGTV)
Married couple and small business owners, Chelsea and Cole DeBoer, host this home renovation show where they help people in South Dakota renovate their homes. If they seem familiar, though, but not from this show that’s now in its third season, then it’s probably because Chelsea DeBoer used to be Teen Mom 2 icon Chelsea Houska. You can see this family thrive and deal with drywall this week on HGTV.
Sherri Papini: Caught in the Lie (ID)
Sherri Papini is a woman convicted of lying to authorities and fabricating her own abduction. The case was investigated by police, and she was proven to be lying. She agreed to a settlement that included admitting that she lied. Instead of being kidnapped, she ran away to spend some time with an ex-boyfriend (she was married at the time). The ex-boyfriend has even admitted that she was with him of her own volition. However, as recently as this month, she has claimed that she was not lying. Even though no evidence stands up to basic scrutiny. You can see the whole story in this docuseries on Investigation Discovery (ID) this week.
Adults (FX)
This ensemble sitcom follows a codependent group of twentysomething roommates and friends as they try to survive and make it. Just for clarification, the roommates and friends are twentysomething years old. There won’t be twentysomething roommates and friends living together. A fun little fact about this American comedy is that its filmed in Toronto, Ontario, which often subs in as New York City— but cheaper to film in for productions. You can see it on FX this week.
Jersey Shore Family Vacation (MTV)
The original Jersey Shore reality TV show debuted in 2009. If you remember watching it on TV, then let us know in the comments how it feels when your knees crack every time you stand up. Jersey Shore Family Vacation reunites members of the original Jersey Shore cast to send them on vacation. Since so many of the original cast have written books and started businesses since 2009, be prepared for a lot of what marketers call “cross-quadrant promotion” as they will invariably mention or include their newest projects, products, and books. See all the best marketing tactics when Season 8 debuts this week on MTV.
Mama June: Family Crisis/ Mama June: From Not to Hot (We TV)
If you want an effective argument against reality TV poverty tourism, look no further than the family at the centre of the old Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo show and its subsequent spinoffs and sequels. Alana (Honey Boo-Boo) is currently apparently trying to keep her child away from her mother, “Mama June,” her father, “Sugar Bear,” has apparently been credibly accused of sexual assault against a minor, and Mama June’s new husband may be facing jail time through a pending (or perhaps ongoing) criminal trial resulting from an arrest over a police chance. And on top of all of this family drama, now they have to suffer through it in the public eye on national TV. This series, originally titled Mama June: From Not to Hot, began when June learned her ex-husband (the accused pedophile) was getting remarried, and she decided to start a revenge diet, which raises so many questions. After successfully losing weight and getting married herself, this show has been renamed and rebranded, however aptly, to Mama June: Family Crisis. Watch the many crises unfold this week on WeTV.
BBQ Brawl: Flay v. Chauhan v. Lofaso/ BBQ Brawl (Food Network)
This barbecue themed cooking competition pits teams of grill master hopefuls against each other lead by a changing roster of celebrity barbecue chefs. This season has teams lead by grill kings and queens Bobby Flay, Maneet Chauhan, and Antonia Lofaso. See the competition burn clean with sweet, sweet propane (I’ll tell you wHat) this week on the Food Network.
Duck Dynasty: The Revival (A&E)
If you ever need an arugment against the ludicriss notion that the attempt towards social accountability within “cancel culture” is ruining the careers of unrepentant offenders of mainstream social norms feel free to point to the Duck Dynasty guys. Once cancelled during the Obama years, some fifty years ago it seems, when it was revealed some of the reality TV show cast were moonlighting as incredibly homophobic church preachers, they suffered virtually no professional consequences. Instead they’ve remained fixtures of reality TV, having at least four other reality TV shows and podcasts, and getting actual acting gigs, too. Duck Dynasty: The Revival brings the Robertson clan back with a younger generation of the family taking charge of the original Duck Commander business (itself the subject of an earlier reality TV series) while managing their large family. Watch them succeed and thrive despite having been “cancelled” this week on A&E.
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Thank you again to our sofa taters for joining us in exploring what’s to come next week. Be sure to subscribe (get us to 100 subs!) and do the other internet things below if you like this newsletter and want more. And don’t snooze on the poll, either! Your answers help us a lot!
The 90 day fiancé franchise must have 100 spin offs at this point 😂. It's the gift that keeps on giving.
I was also laughing so hard reading Larissa's review of The Gorge. I watched the movie and I honestly don't remember what I thought of it. I think I had fun but something with the ending (I can't remember the ending at all).