Unbelievable, Undone, and other great shows that don’t include that prefix
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Friday, September 13, and Saturday, September 14. All times are Eastern.
Top picks
Unbelievable (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.) and Undone (Amazon, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): It’s not light viewing, by any stretch, but believe us on this: Unbelievable is well worth your time. That would probably be true of anything with Merritt Wever, Toni Collette, and Kaitlyn Dever all in the cast, but it’s definitely true here.
Here’s Danette Chavez on this affecting limited series:
Like its source material, Unbelievable presents a system that is unfeeling, but not unfailing. The shortcomings of law enforcement are exploited by the serial rapist on the loose, but as we see throughout the series, Marie’s debacle was equally predicated on human error. But there’s a strong current of hope running through that spikes whenever Wever and Collette, as Duvall and Rasmussen, are on screen.
Somehow, Unbelievable isn’t the only very good Un-show arriving this weekend. There’s also Undone, and it is unmissable. (Sorry.)
Hailing from BoJack Horseman’s Kate Purdy and Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Undone centers on a young woman (Rosa Salazar of Alita: Battle Angel) whose existence seems to come unstuck from time, space, and perhaps reality after a car accident; she’s guided through all that happens next by her dead father (Bob Odenkirk). Look for Danette Chavez’s review of this visually stunning series—it combines rotoscoping with oil painting and both 2D and 3D animation—later today.
Regular coverage
The Great British Baking Show (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.)
Wild card
This Close (Sundance Now, Friday, 12 a.m., and Saturday, 12 a.m., second-season premiere): Shoshannah Stern and Josh Feldman’s winning friendship dramedy returns for its second season tonight—and, based on the few episodes we’ve seen, it’s somehow even better than the first.
Next week we’ll share our conversation with members of the cast and producing team behind this excellent Sundance series, but for now, let’s just make sure everyone is clear on the scheduling. On Friday, the first two episodes of the second season of This Close will air back-to-back, with two more following on Saturday. That schedule will repeat for the next two weeks.