Kevin Durant teams up with Apple TV Plus for sports drama Swagger
Plus: Colin Kaepernick’s biographical dramedy, a new Paranormal Activity, Netflix’s Army Of The Dead prequel, and Call My Agent goes to Bollywood
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Friday, October 29, and Saturday, October 30. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Swagger (Apple TV+, Friday, 12:01 a.m., series premiere): Inspired by NBA star Kevin Durant’s teen years, Swagger centers on Isaiah Hill’s Jace Carson, a young basketball phenomenon as he strives to achieve a career in the sport. The drama also stars O’Shea Jackson Jr., Quvenzhané Wallis, Caleel Harris, Tristan Wilds, Tessa Ferrer, Shinelle Azoroh, and Sean Baker. Swagger will focus on how budding athletes, along with their families and coaches, walk the fine line between opportunism and corruption. Look for Danette Chavez’s review on the site today. The first three episodes release now, with the remaining seven dropping every Friday.
Regular coverage
Foundation (Apple TV+, Friday, 12:01 a.m.)
The Great British Bake Off (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.)
Movie night
Army Of Thieves (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): “There are certain films whose reasons for existing are a complete mystery, usually phrased in that eternal question, ‘How did this get made?’ Take, for example, Army Of Thieves, a spinoff of Zack Snyder’s Army Of The Dead (in which a team of badasses broke into a casino vault in zombie-infested Las Vegas) that focuses on a mildly annoying supporting character and is set in Europe a few years before the events of the original. It is, in other words, a zombie-movie prequel without the zombie stuff.” Here’s Ignatiy Vishnevetsky’s complete review of the movie, which stars Matthias Schweighöfer, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ruby O. Fee, Stuart Martin, Guz Khan, Jonathan Cohen.
Paranormal Activity: Next Of Kin (Paramount+, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): The seventh installment of this found footage-style horror film features Emily Bader’s Margot, a young woman trying to find out what happened with her mother, who disappeared years ago, until she discovers a terrifying truth about their past. Anya Stanley’s review will be on the site later today.
Wild cards
Colin In Black & White (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): “Colin In Black And White struggles to vividly convey the weight of Colin Kaepernick’s coming-of-age years. The show crams an essential backstory with pivotal social messages only to overcomplicate it with more narrative threads than it can handle. Co-created by Kaepernick and the formidable Ava DuVernay, the cast features solid names like Nick Offerman and Mary Louise Parker, as well as breakout young actor Jaden Michael, who plays young Colin. Their collective talent falls short here.” Here’s the full review of the six-part biographical dramedy.
Fairfax (Amazon Prime Video, Friday, 12:01 a.m.): “Fairfax is about teens, but certainly not for teens. Instead, it’s a voyeuristic glance into the idea of how teens exist today. The show’s social media understanding feels rooted in 2013, a simpler time when Instagram just wanted you to filter the hell out of your breakfast photos.” Read Megan Kirby’s full review of this animated comedy here. The show’s voice cast includes Kiersey Clemons, Jaboukie Young-White, Yvette Nicole Brown, Billy Porter, Ben Schwartz.
Call My Agent: Bollywood (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): French dramedy Call My Agent!, which is also getting a British and Turkish adaptation, first finds its way to the massive Indian film industry. The show revolves around four street smart talent agents managing the fragile egos of movie superstars in an effort save their agency from closure after the sudden death of the founder. It will feature cameos from multiple Bollywood personalities playing themselves.