5 things you have to watch on TV this weekend
Netflix drops The Recruit, Harrison Ford saddles up for the latest Yellowstone spinoff, and more
Welcome to the weekend edition of What’s On. Here are the big things happening on TV from Friday, December 16, to Sunday, December 18. All times are Eastern. [Note: The weekly What’s On will publish on Sundays.]
1. Noah Centineo is a full-grown man in The Recruit
Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.: In his latest attempt to escape the teen rom-com hero title, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before’s Noah Centineo leads the spy drama The Recruit. Created by Alexi Hawley (The Rookie), the show centers on new lawyer Owen Hendricks, who just wants to do his job at the CIA when he gets caught up in international political schemes. Aarti Mann, Kristian Bruun, Laura Haddock, and Fivel Stewart co-star. Look out for The A.V. Club’s review this week.
2. The Yellowstone-verse expands with 1923
Paramount+, Sunday, 3:01 a.m.: Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren adopt their best Western accents for 1923, a Yellowstone spinoff set in a year you’ll never be able to guess. Taylor Sheridan helms the drama about John Dutton’s (Kevin Costner) ancestors, Jacob and Cara, as they deal with Prohibition and the Great Depression on their Montana ranch. The cast includes Sebastian Roché, James Badge Dale, Marley Shelton, and Jerome Flynn.
3. Get ready for the British export Litvinenko
Sundance Now and AMC+, Friday, 3:01 a.m.: David Tennant continues his hot streak of British dramas with Litvinenko, based on the experiences of former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko, whose death from polonium poisoning in 2006 kicked off a complex and dangerous investigation that jeopardized the U.K.-Russia relationship.
4. Prime Video presents the psychological thriller Nanny
Prime Video, Friday, 12:01 a.m.: Nikyatu Jusu directs Nanny, a psychological thriller following Senegal immigrant Aisha (Anna Diop), who longs for the son she left behind in her home country. Aisha is hired to care for the daughter of an affluent couple (played by Michelle Monaghan and Morgan Spector) in New York City, and soon a violent presence invades her dreams and her reality, threatening the new life she’s built for herself. Here’s an excerpt from The A.V. Club’s review:
Nanny rises to become an unsettling, darkly gorgeous meditation on the immigrant experience, West African folklore, and the forces which drive one woman to keep fighting. With those elements in place, all anchored by a fearless performance by Anna Diop, it emerges as one of the most compelling horror films of the year.
5. Elvis star Austin Butler and Lizzo take on SNL
NBC, 11:29 p.m.: Austin Butler is making the rounds during his Oscar campaign for Elvis by hosting 2022’s final Saturday Night Live episode. The actor—who better show up ready to dazzle with his Elvis accent and dance moves—will be accompanied by musical guest Lizzo, who stepped in at the last minute after the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were forced to drop out of the show. Check out The A.V. Club’s recap of the show on Sunday morning.