Moordale’s horny teens are back in Sex Education season 3
Also this weekend: The Morning Show returns, Chicago Party Aunt on Netflix, Clint Eastwood in Cry Macho, and a New York Times documentary on vaping
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Friday, September 17, and Saturday, September 18. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Sex Education (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): “Season three dials up the risqué sex scenes, while retaining the lightheartedness and poignancy in the return to Moordale Secondary School. This latest batch of episodes finds Sex Education at its raunchiest and soul-stirring best; sublime humor and vivid performances continue to ground all the horniness, of which there is plenty. The show retains its inherent sweetness and relatability, fleshing out its protagonists’ backstories and friendships without seeming overstuffed or superficial.” Read the full review here.
Regular coverage
Ted Lasso (Apple TV+, Friday, 12:01 a.m.)
Wild cards
The Morning Show (Apple TV+, Friday, 12:01 a.m., season two premiere): The new season finds Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston) and Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon) reckoning with their explosive actions from the season one finale, which blew up their news show and network UBA. The premiere, “My Least Favorite Year,” picks up as 2020 is kicking off; unsurprisingly, season two will heavily incorporate COVID-19. The cast also includes Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Nestor Carbonell, and Karen Pittman. Greta Lee, Hasan Minhaj, Will Arnett, Julianna Margulies, and Holland Taylor join season two. Look for Gwen Ihnat’s review on the site today.
Chicago Party Aunt (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): Co-created by Chris Witaske, this half-hour adult animated comedy is based on his Twitter account under the same moniker. Superstore’s Lauren Ash leads a voice cast that includes Da’Vine Joy Randolph, RuPaul Charles, Jon and Ike Barinholtz, and Jill Talley. Ash plays Diane Dunbrowski, who has always been the life of the party, but her complete lack of adulting is perfectly balanced by her heart of gold. A die-hard Chicago sports fan, she would do anything for her city and continues to live every day like it’s a 1980s’ Styx tour bus. The first eight episodes premiere today; the next eight will arrive at a date still TBA. Danette Chavez’s review will be up on the site today.
Movie night
The New York Times Presents: Move Fast & Vape Things (FX, Friday, 10 p.m.): The eighth film under FX and The New York Times joint partnership to produce timely documentaries centers on the investigation into the e-cigarette company Juul. Two Stanford graduate students had an inspired idea and an idealistic mission: create an e-cigarette to help millions of people stop smoking. How did the founders lose their way and end up accused of addicting a whole new generation? Directed by John Pappas, the hourlong film features exclusive interviews with several insiders and explores the FDA’s response to it all.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Amazon Prime Video, Friday, 12:01 a.m.): “In some ways, the movie—based on a popular West End stage show—feels quite up to date: Jamie New (Max Harwood) is a 16-year-old from Sheffield whose mother Margaret (Sarah Lancashire) and best friend Pritti (Lauren Patel) never blanche at his out-and-proud homosexuality. The throwback elements emerge when Jamie treats his fondest desire as an area of unspeakable exoticism: He wants to be a drag queen. Specifically, he yearns to attend his upcoming prom in full drag.” Here’s Jesse Hassenger’s full review of the movie.
Cry Macho (HBO Max, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): “To a Clint Eastwood fan, much of Cry Macho will feel like a minor-key variation on familiar motifs, with the sentiment laid on thick. Though he is forever enshrined as Harry Callahan and the Man With No Name, the actor-director has at this point spent decades deconstructing the iconography that made him a star, making movies that tell us, in one way or another, that heroism is momentary while regret tends to be a lifelong affair, and that those who hide behind toughened exteriors end up looking back on emptiness.” Read Ignatiy Vishnevetsky’s full review of the film here. Directed also by Eastwood, it stars Eduardo Minett, Natalia Traven, Dwight Yoakam, and Fernanda Urrejola.
The Mad Women’s Ball (Amazon Prime Video, Friday, 12:01 a.m.): Directed by and starring Mélanie Laurent, this French thriller is based on Victoria Mas’ novel, Le Bal Des Folles. It follows a committed woman and a tormented nurse who prepare to attend a famous ball at a neurological clinic in the 19th century. Katie Rife’s review will be on the site later today.