Apple TV Plus wraps up Mythic Quest just as Central Park arrives
Also during this busy weekend: Ilana Glazer leads Hulu’s False Positive
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Friday, June 25, and Saturday, June 26. All times are Eastern.
Top picks
Central Park (Apple TV+, Friday, 12:01 a.m., season premiere): Season two of this animated musical comedy kicks off with three episodes, followed by new ones airing every Friday. “The only flip side of this season is a slower pace now that Bitsy’s (Stanley Tucci) greed isn’t the main propulsive force. The show loses out on a big mysterious arc, but the nuanced storytelling, intelligent humor, and evolving animation creativity solidify its place as one of Apple TV+’s successful original series.” Read the rest of the review here.
Mythic Quest (Apple TV+, 12:01 a.m., season finale): It’s time to hit pause on Mythic Quest for now. In the season two finale, “TBD,” Ian (Rob McElhenney) and Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao) take a big step toward their future. Here are Nicdao’s thoughts on Poppy’s journey so far, and keep an eye out for an interview with Danny Pudi about Brad’s shocking finale twists.
Regular coverage
Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Disney+, Friday, 3:01 a.m.)
Lisey’s Story (Apple TV+, Friday, 12:01 a.m.)
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (Paramount+)
Movie night
False Positive (Hulu, Friday, 12:01 a.m.): “On a broader conceptual level, False Positive is clever, setting up and then defying expectations through the subversion of tropes—most notably, the ‘magical Negro’ stereotype as expressed through the character of a midwife (Zainab Jah) who serves as a holistic foil to the patronizing Hindle. But the satire of pregnancy culture is surprisingly mild, given that co-writer and producer [Ilana] Glazer, who’s currently expecting her first child, has personal experience with the topic.” Here’s the rest of Katie Rife’s review of the film, starring Glazer, Pierce Brosnan, and Justin Theroux.
Mary J. Blige’s My Life (Amazon Prime Video, Friday, 12:01 a.m.): Directed by Vanessa Roth, this documentary celebrates 25 years of Mary J. Blige’s 1994 hit album My Life, which propelled the singer into international stardom. Blige also talks about her inspirations and performs the songs live for the first time.
Miley Cyrus Presents Stand By You (Peacock, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): Cyrus’s hourlong concert, filmed in Nashville, is meant to honor the LGBTQ community during Pride Month. She’ll take the stage with Maren Morris, Mickey Guyton, and Little Big Town, as well as queer artists like Brothers Osborne and Orville Peck.
Wild cards
Visions Of Us (YouTube, Friday): This four-part documentary from Netflix will air on its YouTube channel from June 25-28. It explores LGBTQ Latine representation by uplifting the artists and stories creating an inclusive landscape for queer and trans people of color. Appearances include Pose’s Steven Canals, Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Stephanie Beatriz, Vida’s Tanya Saracho.
The Mysterious Benedict Society (Disney+, Friday, 12:01 a.m., season premiere): Tony Hale and Kristen Schaal star in this adaptation of The Mysterious Benedict Society, but it’s the younger, relatively new cast members who steal the show. Based on Trenton Lee Stewart’s books, the series follows four orphan children who were selected by the enigmatic Mr. Benedict (Hale) for a risky mission. The world is plagued by something called The Emergency—essentially a mass hypnosis situation causing panic and anxiety—and he believes these intelligent kids will solve the issue because of their “unusually powerful love of the truth.” TMBS premieres with a table-setting two-parter that demands patience, but introduces an intriguing enough storyline. Episode one, “A Bunch Of Smart Orphans,” follows Reynie Muldoon (Mystic Inscho), an empathetic and prodigious young boy who becomes the de facto leader of the other three kids: George “Sticky” Washington (Seth Carr), Kate Weatherall (Emmy DeOliveira), and Constance Contraire (Marta Timofeeva). They take challenging tests to join what they believe is an elite school, but it’s actually just Mr. Benedict bringing them into the fold. “Carrying A Bird” sheds light on his plans to stop The Emergency and ends with a promising cliffhanger, one that might finally allow Hale to expand on his one-note character. Schaal, who plays Mr. Benedict’s trusted right-hand woman, makes the most of her time. TMBS is full of potential, even if the first couple episodes can’t quite match the novels’ imagination.
Bosch (Amazon Prime Video, Friday, 12:01 a.m.): Titus Welliver returns as detective Harry Bosch, a character based on Michael Connelly’s books. The seventh and final season takes inspiration from Connelly’s The Burning Room. A spin-off featuring Welliver and most of the cast is already in the works.
Sex/Life (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): This NSFW dramedy stars Person Of Interest’s Sarah Shahi as Billie Connelly, a suburban mother who takes a fantasy-charged trip down memory lane by journaling about her ex-boyfriend, Brad (Adam Demos), and their sexual exploits. Her husband, Cooper (Mike Vogel), discovers her entries, kickstarting an obviously complicated love triangle when Brad re-enters their lives. Keep an eye out for Danette Chavez’s review of the show, developed by Stacy Rukeyser based on B.B. Eaton’s book, 44 Chapters About 4 Men.