Helen Mirren is royal once again in HBO’s Catherine The Great

By Baraka Kaseko | October 21, 2019 | 5:00am

TV Lists Black Lightning

Helen Mirren is royal once again in HBO’s Catherine The Great

Photo: Hal Shinnie

Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Monday, October 21. All times are Eastern.

Top pick

Catherine The Great (HBO, 10 p.m., series premiere): Like a moth to flame, Helen Mirren is undeniably attracted to playing royalty. Lady Macbeth. Queen Charlotte. Cleopatra. Two Queen Elizabeths. Now, with HBO’s Catherine The Great, she can add 18th-century Russian empress to the list. The four-episode miniseries will chart Catherine’s reign as Russia’s longest-serving female leader, following her journey as she “fights off threats to her crown, wages war with the Ottoman Empire and expands Russia’s borders as far as the Black Sea and Crimea, turning the nation into a great global power.” Look forward to Danette Chavez’s thoughts on the show later today.

Regular coverage

The Deuce (HBO, 9 p.m.)

Wild card

Black Lightning (The CW, 9 p.m.): After a lackluster second season, Black Lightning is off to a strong start in its third. This week, there’s tension between Lynn and Jefferson after she learns Jefferson brokered a deal with Odell without consulting her.