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 alexmaidy@joblo.com.
OUR PICKS FOR March 25th – 31st
Wanna watch something….with Mark Hamill playing a different kind of knight?
KNIGHTFALL (Premieres March 25th on History) – There are a ton of historical dramas these days with focus on Native Americans, Vikings, and all sorts of European royals. This series focused on Medieval knights had a first season that did not garner a lot of buzz, but that looks to change with their second. Featuring Luke Skywalker himself, Knightfall's second season appears to up the ante in many ways and seems to be a show to keep on your radar…or at least on your DVR.
Wanna watch something….with a foul-mouthed animated sidekick?
HAPPY! (Premieres March 27th on SYFY) – The first season of Happy! was surprisingly good. It was dark, funny, and above all faithful to the source material. With a great leading turn by Christopher Meloni with supporting voice work by Patton Oswalt, Happy! is one of the best shows SYFY has produced. Not quite as mainstream as you think, this is a subversive comedy that is foul and violent. That means you should check it out.
Wanna watch something….that adapts on of Taiki Waititi's best movies?
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (Premieres March 27th on FX) – Since directing THOR: RAGNAROK, Taika Waititi has become a household name. While he has great movies on his resume, WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS may be his most well known. Turning it into a TV series was a risky gamble, but with Waititi's involvement, this looks like it could be as good as the feature film version. I would have loved to see Jemaine Clement star, but this cast looks to be doing their own fun spin on the material.
Wanna watch something….that does something never before done on network TV?
ABBY'S (Premieres March 28th on NBC) – If you watch the trailer above, you probably don't see anything truly special or unique about this sitcom. What sets it apart from everything else on TV is the fact that it is filmed outdoors in front of a live audience. With weather a factor, this gives a little distinctiveness to this otherwise generic plot about a local bar. I doubt this will be the next Cheers, but it is an idea that will at least get me to watch the first episode.
Wanna watch something….based on a movie about a teenage assassin?
HANNA (Premieres March 29th on Amazon Prime) – I saw the first episode of Prime's adaptation of Joe Wright's film when it debuted after the Super Bowl and I was very underwhelmed. Adapting a film for TV means adding something to it and all this show did was fill time between plot points. Replacing Cate Blanchett and Eric Bana with Joel Kinnaman and Mireille Enos is also a tough step down to justify. I will still see if the rest of the season picks things up, but I have low expectations.
Wanna watch something….about the other side of the Bonnie and Clyde saga?
THE HIGHWAYMEN (Premieres March 29th on Netflix) – Netflix has premiered some truly wonderful films recently and this tale of the cops who took down Bonnie and Clyde could be one of the more memorable ones. With Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson, two of the more underrated actors working today, this is a period piece that can cast a very different angle on one of the most infamous criminal cases in American history.
Wanna watch something….that brings one of the funniest shows of all time to an end?
VEEP (Premieres March 31st on HBO) – Julie Louis-Drefyus managed to eclipse her legendary role on Seinfeld with this crass and vulgar and totally hilarious series about Vice President Selina Meyer and her bumbling team as they try to ascend to the highest office in America. In today's political climate, it adds a little something extra to see a spoof and satire this brilliant and helps us laugh at everything that otherwise would be taken far too seriously.
Wanna watch something….that somehow is even better than it's first season?
BARRY (Premieres March 31st on HBO) – Bill Hader and Henry Winkler garnered critical acclaim after the first season of Barry, a series that should never have worked past a single run. But, with this second season expanding on the supporting characters and still keeping the tension and comedy at a very high level, Barry manages to improve. This is a great show that also portrays veterans in a much more realistic light than a lot of shows.
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