6 things you have to watch on TV this weekend
Check out the weird and wonderful new series I'm A Virgo, the sophomore season of sports drama Swagger, and more
Welcome to the weekend edition of What’s On. Here are the big things happening on TV from Friday, June 23, to Sunday, June 25. All times are Eastern. [Note: The weekly What’s On will publish on Sundays.]
1. Boots Riley delivers a winner with I’m A Virgo
Prime Video, Friday, 12:01 a.m.: Sorry To Bother You star Boots Riley is back with another absurd, poignant project. His seven-episode TV show, I’m A Virgo, releases in its entirety on June 23 on Prime. The series centers on Cootie, a 13-foot Black man raised by his aunt and uncle, who shield him from the world. Everything changes when a group of teenagers accidentally discover him. When They See Us Emmy winner Jharrel Jerome leads the cast, and his co-stars include Mike Epps, Walton Goggins, Brett Gray, and Carmen Ejogo. Here’s a bit from The A.V. Club’s review:
The delightful weirdness and vibrance of the series’ first few episodes give way to an abrupt and inevitable tragedy that changes the lives of the central characters forever. But Riley’s trademark humor, empathy, and trippy aesthetics live right alongside this darkness—and it doesn’t feel jarring at all.
2. Underrated sports drama Swagger returns
Apple TV+, Friday, 12:01 a.m.: Reggie Rock Bythewood’s sports series Swagger is back for an eight-episode second season. Inspired by Kevin Durant’s experience, the show explores young basketball players, their families and coaches, and the fine line between opportunism and corruption. O’Shea Jackson Jr., Isaiah Hill, Tessa Ferrer, and Shinelle Azoroh co-star.
3. Tune into the coming-of-age musical World’s Best
Disney+, Friday, 3:01 a.m.: World’s Best is a coming-of-age musical film about 12-year-old Prem Patel (Manny Magnus), a math genius who discovers his recently deceased father, played by Ghosts’ Utkarsh Ambudkar, was a famous rapper. Determined to change careers, Prem pursues hip-hop hoping to feel closer to his dad. The cast includes Jake Choi, Punam Patel, and Christopher Jackson.
4. Evil Dead Rise makes its way to Max
Max, Friday, 3:01 a.m.: Horror fans, unite. This year’s creepy, pretty great Evil Dead Rise is streaming on Max in case you missed it in theaters or already saw it on the big screen and are ready for a rewatch. Lee Cronin’s film is the fifth installment in the franchise and it chronicles sisters Beth (Lily Sullivan) and Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) as they try to save their family from Deadites. Check out The A.V. Club’s review.
5. Against all odds, Carpool Karaoke continues
Apple TV+, Friday, 12:01 a.m.: James Corden might have left the U.S., but his The Late Late Show legacy carries on with his chat show’s hit segment, “Carpool Karaoke.” For this batch of episodes, the series features pairings like Sheryl Lee Ralph and Cedric The Entertainer, Community stars Danny Pudi and Alison Brie, and Alanis Morisette and superfan Cara Delevingne.
6. Netflix digs into the King Of Clones
Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.: The Netflix doc King Of Clones focuses on South Korea’s notorious scientist Hwang Woo-suk, who embarked on a human cloning experiment two decades ago. The tide turned against him a few months after his announcement in 2002, when he messed around with IVF experiments, leading him to move his base of operations to Saudi Arabia.