Reversing Roe digs into the history of the fight for reproductive rights
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Thursday, September 13. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Reversing Roe (Netflix, 3:01 a.m.): Welcome to big-issue documentary day on What’s On Tonight! First up, we have this 90-minute look at the battle over reproductive rights, which is a pretty relevant topic right now. Helmed by the directors of The Devil Came On Horseback and Joan Rivers: A Piece Of Work, the film “helps viewers understand the motivations behind both keeping and reversing this landmark court decision—and what’s at stake for both sides.” Eva Longoria serves as executive producer; also among its producers is Keli Goff, a writer and journalist (currently in the writers room for Black Lightning).
In an interview with The Root, Goff explained why it was important to her that the film focus on the history of reproductive justice in the United States, thus re-centering the people who are actually, honestly invested in the fight: “I have also learned there are people who don’t really care about reproductive policy, but simply use it as yet another wedge issue to divide Americans and empower themselves politically… As a woman, I really resent that.”
Regular coverage
Wild card
The Oslo Diaries (HBO, 8 p.m.): Today marks the 25th anniversary of the Oslo Accords—a series of secret meetings between representatives of Israel and Palestine, with peace as the ultimate goal—which struck HBO as a decent enough excuse to release its documentary on the negotiations that led to those accords. The Oslo Diaries, which includes “rare, never-before-seen archival footage and diary entries of key negotiators on both sides,” aims to offer “an inside look at the immense pressure faced by the architects.” Jordan Hoffman of the Village Voice called it “a striking document, mixing never-before-seen footage shot by the negotiators themselves and current reflections from participants, including the final interview of former Israeli president Shimon Peres.”