Silicon Valley returns for its final season, but Mrs. Fletcher is just getting started
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Sunday, October 27. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Silicon Valley (HBO, 10 p.m., sixth season premiere): All is not well in the land of principled tech development.
It’s an odd week for Silicon Valley to return, and an even odder one for the show to air an episode in which Richard (Thomas Middleditch) testifies before a congressional committee. (Is AOC there? Probably not, huh?) At this point we shouldn’t be surprised when Silicon Valley manages to be unexpectedly timely, and yet in this case, we are. What does not surprise us is the news that the excellent Les Chappell will return to recap duty.
Regular coverage
Batwoman (The CW, 8 p.m.)
The Affair (Showtime, 9 p.m.)
Supergirl (The CW, 9 p.m.)
Watchmen (HBO, 9 p.m)
Mr. Robot (USA, 10 p.m.)
BoJack Horseman (Netflix): binge reviews conclude for season six, part one
Wild card
Mrs. Fletcher (HBO, 10:30 p.m., limited series premiere): Mrs. Fletcher, too, has an interest in a free and open internet. She uses it to watch porn.
Here’s Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya on the show:
In HBO’s new series Mrs. Fletcher—based on the novel of the same name by Tom Perrotta, who also pens the pilot and finale—Kathryn Hahn plays Eve Fletcher, a single mother who finds herself thinking about sex all the time after her son Brendan leaves for college. Eve doesn’t want to be “Mrs. Fletcher.” Eve wants to be in control of her life and, in particular, in control of her sexuality. In seven episodes that focus on Eve’s and Brendan’s desires, with several excellent subplots that weave throughout the episodes, Mrs. Fletcher unfolds a touching, funny, sometimes deeply sad, and sometimes outrageously horny story of human sexuality.
The initial premise leans on some stereotypes about sexuality and motherhood, implying that Eve isn’t ready to have her sexual awakening until she’s no longer actively mothering. But once the story moves forward, Mrs. Fletcher opens into a much more nuanced and convincing story about desire, intimacy, and human connection. Hahn injects specificity into the role, turning those broader strokes into much finer ones with a performance that teems with emotion but also sensuality. Because Mrs. Fletcher is indeed obsessed with sex.
It’s a great series, but would be worth catching even if it were less well-made, just for Kathryn Hahn, who is great here. Just don’t forget to clear your browser history.