Head Of The Class tops your Thursday night roundup

Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Thursday, November 4. All times are Eastern.

Top picks

Head Of The Class (HBO Max, 3:01 a.m., series premiere): Isabella Gomez, who played one of the precocious teens in the One Day At A Time reboot, heads up a whole new revival on HBO Max. The new Head Of The Class stars Gomez as the teacher in charge of the new Individualized Honors Program, where she tries to teach her overachieving students to get more out of life than good grades. The cast includes Jorge Diaz, Jolie Hoang Rappaport, Gavin Lewis, Dior Goodjohn, Brandon Severs, Adrian Matthew Escalona, Katie Beth Hall, and Robin Givens, who reprises her role.

If you weren’t a fan of the original but you watched Spider-Man: Homecoming and wished for more drama among the magnet high school teens over the “Michael Keaton making weapons” bits, this may be the show for you. Will Harris gives his full review later today.

Wild cards

Frayed (HBO Max, 3:01 a.m., season-two premiere): This 1980s-set British-Australian comedy has returned! Sammy Cooper (Sarah Kendall) has taken her children back to London to try and retrieve her house from the lawyer who (allegedly?) forced her to sell it to cover her dead husband’s debts. Unfortunately, she ends up back in Australia and in a police station explaining who may or may not have murdered.

gen:LOCK (HBO Max, 3:01 a.m., season-two premiere): Michael B. Jordan returns for more mecha warfare in this Adult Swim/Rooster Teeth joint. In his review of season one, Toussaint Egan called the show “sharp and engaging,” and praised the cast performances: “Jordan’s candor and affect comes through his portrayal of Chase as a deeply likable protagonist, as does [Dakota] Fanning’s in her turn as Miranda, forming the crux of a strong relational dynamic in which the audience can invest. Game Of Thrones’ Maisie Williams shines as the foul-mouthed hacker wunderkind Cammie MacCloud, as does Orange Is The New Black’s Asia Kate Dillon as the acerbic, disillusioned recruit ‘Val’ Romanyszyn. Blaine Gibson as the smart-mouthed ranger Sinclair and Golshifteh Farahani as the battle-worn ‘Yaz’ Madrani round out the impeccable vocal roster. But the most delightful performance is that of anime staple Kōichi Yamadera as gen:LOCK recruit Kaz Lida, delivered entirely in Japanese.”

Taste The Nation: Holiday Edition With Padma Lakshmi (Hulu, 12:01 a.m.): Padma Lakshmi returns to charm both us and her guests in this holiday version of the show, covering Korean New Year in Los Angeles and Cuban Christmas in Miami. One of the best food travelogue shows on TV, if not the best. Samin Nosrat changed the game but Padma’s keeping the dream alive. The holiday special looks like the perfect amount of cozy and family-oriented—and diverse, considering “holiday” doesn’t just mean Christmas.