What's on TV this week—The Oscars, Invincible season 2, Apples Never Fall

Welcome to What’s On, our weekly picks of must-watch shows. Here’s what you need to watch from Sunday, March 10 to Thursday, March 14. All times are Eastern. [Note: The weekend edition of What’s On drops on Fridays.]

The biggies

The 2024 Academy Awards (ABC, Sunday, 7 p.m.)

Alright, fellow movie nerds: It’s our time to geek out at the 96th annual Academy Awards. Some of the Best Picture contenders (check out the full list of nominees) include Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Killers Of The Flower Moon, The Holdovers, and American Fiction. A potentially fun part of this year’s ceremony? Multiple former nominees team up onstage to present the big acting awards, as they did in 2009. Also expect performances from Ryan Gosling, Billie Eilish, Finneas, and Jon Batiste. Look out for The A.V. Club’s coverage of the night this week.

After dropping the first part of season two in November, Prime Video’s Invincible returns with four more outings. (That months-long break feels… unnecessary). In the new installments of Robert Kirkman’s animated superhero drama, Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) is still on the planet Thraxa to begrudgingly help his villainous dad, Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons), with his new family. Meanwhile, in his absence, Earth suffers at the hands of an evil Angstrom Levy (Sterling K. Brown). The voice cast also includes Sandra Oh, Zazie Beetz, Mark Hamill, Gillian Jacobs, Andrew Rannells, and Walton Goggins. The A.V. Club’s review of the new batch publishes on Tuesday.

Apparently nothing will stop our TV overlords from adapting Liane Moriarty thrillers. After Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers, Peacock brings her novel Apples Never Fall to life with the help of a star-studded ensemble. Annette Bening, Sam Neill, Alison Brie, Jake Lacy, and Essie Randles co-star in this mystery drama, which centers on Joy and Stan Delaney, a retired married couple whose family is thrown into chaos when Joy suddenly disappears and buried secrets are revealed. The A.V. Club’s review posts on Wednesday.

Hidden gems

The Girls On The Bus (Max, Thursday, 3:01 a.m.)

Melissa Benoist returns to the small screen after Supergirl with the 10-episode political drama The Girls On The Bus. Based on Amy Chozick’s memoir, Chasing Hilary, the show follows four reporters on an election campaign trail over seven months. They may have different reporting styles and priorities, but the series unpacks how they grow to rely on each other during difficult times. The cast includes Carla Gugino, Christina Elmore, Natasha Behnam, Scott Foley, Brandon Scott, and Mark Consuelos. Look out for The A.V. Club’s review on Monday.

Peacock’s loss is Netflix’s gain because, in excellent news, Meredith Scardino’s musical comedy Girls5eva is back for season three. The series chronicles four women who were part of a one-hit-wonder ’90s girl group. Despite busy family lives, they reunite for another shot at fame. (Come for the jokes, stay for the fun original music.) The A.V. Club’s review publishes on Thursday.

More good stuff

Bandidos (Netflix, Wednesday, 3:01 a.m.)

Élite star Ester Expósito leads the new Spanish series Bandidos, a project that’s part thriller, part underwater heist drama. The show follows a group of thieves who try to retrieve the hidden treasure that sunk in the Gulf of Mexico during a war. Of course, they’re not the only ones attempting to pull this off, so they must fight various enemies to get to the gold.

Carla Gutiérrez directs the documentary Frida, based on Frida Kahlo’s famous illustrations, diaries, letters, and essays. The film covers 40 years of the iconic artist’s life, bringing it to the screen with the help of some lyrical animation.

Can’t miss recaps

Saturday Night Live (NBC, 11:30 p.m.)

The Regime (HBO, Sunday, 9 p.m.)

Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO, Sunday, 10 p.m.)

Shōgun (FX on Hulu, Tuesday, 12:01 a.m.)

Arriving now

Young Royals (Netflix, Monday, 3:01 a.m., season three)

The Amazing Race (CBS, Wednesday, 9:30 p.m., season 36 premiere)

9-1-1, Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19 (ABC, Thursday, 8-10 p.m., season premieres)

Ending soon

Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans (FX, Wednesday, 10 p.m., season two finale)