Jordan Peele sheds light on the infuriating injustice of the Lorena Bobbitt story
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Friday, February 15 and Saturday, February 16. All times are Eastern.
Top picks
Lorena (Amazon Prime Video, Friday): What isn’t Jordan Peele working on these days? From upcoming horror film Us to new sci-fi satire Weird City, the comedian and director has a rather full plate. We’re very happy that the comedian and director has chosen to take the time to produce this particular project: a four-part docuseries reinvestigating the 1993 case of Lorena Bobbitt, who—after enduring years of rape, assault, and domestic abuse at the hands of her husband—cut off his penis. At the time, rather than evaluating the case’s implications about domestic and sexual assault, the male-dominated press opted to instead sensationalize the story, making Lorena the butt of a national joke. The series reexamines the case, calling attention to what we should have taken away from it when it happened. Katie Rife will offer her thoughts.
The Umbrella Academy (Netflix, Friday): It’s a normal day for 43 women across the globe until each of them suddenly and unexpectedly gives birth—despite not being in the least bit pregnant. Good guy billionaire Reginald Hargreeves jumps in to lighten their burden, adopting six of the babies and forming his own little dysfunctional family. Through his “Umbrella Academy,” he homeschools the kids X-men-style with courses designed to help them become successful super-human adults and, eventually, save the world. Now that they’re grown, that time has finally come. Based on the popular comic books of the same name, the series stars Ellen Page, Tom Hopper, Emmy Raver-Lampman, David Castañeda, Aidan Gallagher, Mary J. Blige, Robert Sheehan, and Cameron Britton. In his review, our own Sam Barsanti called The Umbrella Academy a stylish and “extremely entertaining show.”
Regular coverage
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (VH1, Friday, 8 p.m.)
Saturday Night Live (NBC, Saturday, 11:30 p.m.)
Wild card
Larry Charles’ Dangerous World Of Comedy (Netflix, Friday): Comedy has long existed as a tool to examine political and societal issues and to provide audience members with some sense of relief in the face of them. This docuseries hosted by Bruno and Borat director Larry Charles explores how comedy grows out of the unlikeliest places—including Iraq, Russia, Nigeria, Somalia, and Saudia Arabia—in an attempt “to unearth just how dangerous and how meaningful the world of comedy can be.”