The Pursuit Of Love brings more British period romance to TV
Also this weekend: The Rock and Emily Blunt take a Jungle Cruise and Outer Banks is back
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Friday, July 30, and Saturday, July 31. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
The Pursuit Of Love (Amazon Prime Video, Friday, 12:01 a.m.): “Despite its initial promise of quirky innovation, The Pursuit Of Love is mostly anchored by the familiar building blocks of a BBC co-production: sumptuous costuming, gorgeous cinematography, and strong performances. Based on Nancy Mitford’s 1945 novel of the same name, the show can only intermittently keep its spark of originality alive.” Read the rest of Caroline Siede’s review of this series starring Lily James, Emily Beecham, Andrew Scott, and Dominic West.
Regular coverage
Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Disney+, Friday, 3:01 a.m.)
Ted Lasso (Apple TV+, Friday, 12:01 a.m.):
Movie night
Jungle Cruise (Disney+, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Emily Blunt, and Jesse Plemons star in this adventure film based on a Disney ride, now in theaters and available to stream for $30 on Disney+ Premier Access. Here’s a snippet of Jesse Hassenger’s review: “It’s a distorted remake, told through a game of telephone that has passed the African Queen sensibility through (relatively) modern fantasy-adventure spectaculars like The Mummy and Pirates Of The Caribbean. Has the homage been maintained, or has it become one more optical illusion?”
The Last Mercenary (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): In this David Charhon-directed action comedy, Jean-Claude Van Damme plays a former secret service agent who must urgently return to France when his son is accused by the government for arms and drug trafficking. Charles Bramesco’s review will be available on the site later today.
Wild cards
Outer Banks (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m., season two): “‘Stupid things have positive outcomes all the time.’ This is the motto of J.J. (Rudy Pankow), a member of the Pogues, the have-not townies of Netflix teen adventure drama Outer Banks. This sentence could also work as the unofficial mantra of the show itself. Watching the series requires turning off part of your brain lest you start ruminating on plot leaps that threaten to shred your enjoyment. If you can do that (maybe shotgun a beer or two, just like the Pogues do!) and squint a little bit, Outer Banks can offer a downright thrilling ride.” Here’s the rest of Gwen Ihnat’s review of the Netflix drama’s second season.
The Demi Lovato Show (Roku, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): In this Roku original series, originally ordered by Quibi, singer and actor Demi Lovato will host special guests during each 10-minute episode to discuss social issues ranging from body positivity and mental health to gender identity and activism. Oh, and aliens and UFOs as well. All nine episodes drop today, and the guests include Lucy Hale, Jameela Jamil, Jay Shetty, and Olivia Munn.