Lovers Rock debuts and GBBS switches off its ovens for the season
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Friday, November 27, and Saturday, November 28. All times are Eastern.
Top picks
Small Axe: Lovers Rock (Amazon, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): “Parties—remember those?—celebrate existing relationships while also offering the chance to meet someone new, that elusive person who’ll transform our lives. Director Steve McQueen throws one hell of a bash in Lovers Rock, the second installment in his Small Axe anthology, an ambitious exploration of London’s West Indian community spanning a period of decades. Lovers Rock begins with Martha (Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn) sneaking out of her house late at night to meet up with her friend Patty (Shaniqua Okwok) at a South London house party in 1980. The guests, all first- and second-generation West Indians, fork over a 50-pence fee for admission. While one man desperately breaks into a phone booth to fund his evening’s entertainment, Martha and Patty are waved in free of charge. They are just that fine.” Read the rest of Stephen Robinson’s pre-air review.
Can you binge it? You cannot. Installments of McQueen’s five-film series will arrive weekly on Fridays through December 18. You can find the trailer for the anthology, rather than this second installment, below. Read our review of Mangrove, the first in the series.
The Great British Baking Show (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m., eighth-collection finale): The surprise elimination in last week’s episode may have resulted in a finale that looks different from the finale many expected, but Hermine or no Hermine, this will definitely make us hungry. Look for Kate Kulzick’s finale recap Friday morning.
Regular coverage
The Mandalorian (Disney+, Friday, 3:01 a.m.)
Holiday stuff
Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): The students of the Debbie Allen Dance Academy put together and perform their annual genre-fusing production of The Nutcracker.
Wild cards
How To With John Wilson (HBO, Friday, 11 p.m., first-season finale): This winningly philosophical, surprisingly moving docu-comedy wraps up a strong first season with its best episode by far. Give it a look.
Black Beauty (Disney+ Friday, 3:01 a.m., premiere): Horse Girls of all genders, assemble: it’s time to cry.
Industry (HBO Max): Only the first three episodes of this series have aired on HBO’s mothership so far, but on Friday, the complete first season will arrive on HBO Max, giving anyone who’d rather binge this one the opportunity to do so and then taunt other fans on the internet about it.
The Call (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): Jong-seo Jun (Burning) stars in this eerie-looking South Korean thriller, in which a woman gets a phone call from someone else in her apartment, but 20 years in the past.