What To Watch On TV This Week: Simpsons, Star Trek, Into The Dark and more

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Welcome to What To Watch, your weekly guide to recommendations for television viewing. There is so much broadcast on the small screen these days, it can sometimes be daunting to figure out how to spend your hard-earned time. Well, worry no more! We at JoBlo.com are TV fanatics and have prepped a handy guide for you to follow over the next seven days. Each week, we will bring you picks catered to your viewing mood. If you have recommendations you think we missed, let us know in the comments below or email your selections to [email protected].

THIS WEEK'S PICKS

Wanna watch something….with America's Favorite Family?

THE SIMPSONS (Premieres Sunday, September 30th on FOX) – The slate of animated series on FOX Sunday nights returns this week with new episodes of Bob's Burgers and Family Guy, but it is the longest running American sitcom, The Simpsons, that you should be excited about. I know that the series has not had quite the same level of quality in recent years as they did a decade ago, but there are still great moments in each new Simpsons that make it worth checking out. While you could easily tune into the constant syndicated reruns of the series any time you want, this could be the best new season in years thanks to plenty of political and social fodder for them to satirize.

Wanna watch something….to tide you over until Star Trek: Discovery returns?

STAR TREK: SHORT TREKS (Premieres Thursday, October 4th on CBS All Access) – To bridge the gap until the second season of Discovery, CBS All Access will be debuting an anthology of short films featuring various characters from the latest Trek series. I will be the first to say that I was underwhelmed by the first episodes in Discovery's debut season but by the end I was hooked. I hope that the behind the scenes mayhem doesn't spell doom for the sophomore season, but these shorts look like a sign of great things to come.

Wanna watch something….for fans of horror anthologies?

INTO THE DARK (Premieres Friday, October 5th on Hulu) – Every time I get my hopes up that Blumhouse is going in the right direction, I am proven wrong by crap like this. Into the Dark certainly has the potential to deliver some good entries based on holidays not previously explored in horror movies, but the first two episodes waste perfect opportunities to use Halloween and Thanksgiving. With only one episode premiering each month, you don't have to make a huge commitment to binging this series.

Wanna watch something….for for fans of dystopian thrillers?

THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE (Premieres Friday, October 5th on Amazon Prime) – I loved the source novel that this series is based on but I have yet to dive into the second season of the show. I enjoyed the first year as it was the most faithful to Philip K. Dick's novel, but when it started veering into original territory, I became skeptical. Still the critical and fan reactions to it have been very enthusiastic, so I will binge season two before the third run airs this week.

Wanna watch something….for fans of musical comedy?

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS: LIVE AT THE LONDON APOLLO (Premieres Saturday, October 6th on HBO) – Jemaine Clement and Brett McKenzie have both found great success on their own in the years since their HBO series ended but it is still exciting to see them perform together on the premium cable channel. Their brand of musical comedy still works wonderfully and the concert setting for this special gives us a reminder at just how funny these guys are when working together. I doubt this will signal a reboot of their sitcom but one can hope. For now, it's business time!

Wanna watch something….for fans of indie comedy?

PRIVATE LIFE (Premieres Friday, October 5th on Netflix) – This indie comedy looks to carry the mantle of Woody Allen's brand of awkward humor. With a great leading couple in Paul Giamatti and the always underrated Kathryn Hahn, this Netflix feature won't cost you anything besides time. Even if it turns out to not live up to the trailer, at least you won't have to commute to your town's most pretentious art house cinema to check it out.

Wanna watch something….that has zombies and is not The Walking Dead?

Z NATION (Premieres Friday, October 5th on SYFY) – Remember when The Walking Dead was good? As that series has slowed way, way down and introduced too many characters, Z Nation is the fun and campy alternative. Like most SYFY fare, Z nation doesn't take itself too seriously but does have the capacity to deliver some pretty intense action sequences and even some nuanced characters. The fifth season of the zombie series may not be the ideal jumping in point for viewers to understand what the heck is going on, but it still is likely easier to follow than what is going on over on AMC.

Wanna watch something….with crass animated characters?

BIG MOUTH (Premieres Friday, Ostober 5th on Netflix) – Nick Kroll is friggin hilarious. The comedian recently showed his dramatic chops in the Holocaust thriller OPERATION FINALE, but the upcoming second season of his Netflix sitcom proves that he is just as crass and funny as ever. Based on his childhood, Big Mouth boasts an amazing cast of voice actors including John Mulaney, Fred Armisen, Maya Rudolph, Jason Mantzoukas, and Jordan Peele. Season two will add Gina Rodriguez and David Thewlis to the cast for even raunchier and inappropriate humor spewing from the mouths of kids.

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