What's on TV this week—The Curse, A Murder At The End Of The World, The Crown
Plus, Matt Rife's comedy special, an NCIS spin-off, a Kardashians docuseries, and more
Welcome to What’s On, our weekly picks of must-watch shows. Here’s what you need to watch from Sunday, November 12 to Thursday, November 16. All times are Eastern. [Note: The weekend edition of What’s On drops on Fridays.]
The biggies
The Curse (Showtime, Sunday, 10 p.m.)
It’s the linear premiere of The Curse, an absurd new dramedy from the minds of Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie, which will air new episodes on Showtime on Sunday nights. (The A.V. Club’s recaps will publish two days earlier, when new episodes drop on Paramount+ every Friday.) The show stars Emma Stone and Fielder as a married couple, Whitney and Asher Siegel, who host an HGTV reality series called Flipantrophy while trying to conceive a baby. Naturally, things start taking a bizarre turn when they realize they’ve been cursed by a stranger. Safdie co-stars along with Dahabo Ahmed, Corbin Bernsen, Barkhad Abdi, Constance Shulman, and Gary Farmer.
A Murder At The End Of The World (FX on Hulu, Tuesday, 12:01 a.m.)
The OA’s Brit Marling is back with another complex drama, A Murder At The End Of The World, a super-modern take on Agatha Christie’s novels. The murder mystery follows Darby Hart (Emma Corrin), who is invited to participate in a retreat at a remote location along with eight billionaires. When the guests start dying, Darby, an amateur sleuth, begins her investigation. The cast includes Marling, Alice Braga, Clive Owen, Jermaine Fowler, Raúl Esparza, and Harris Dickinson. The A.V. Club will recap the show weekly.
The Crown (Netflix, Thursday, 3:01 a.m.)
The Crown returns for its sixth and final season, but Netflix is up to its usual tricks, splitting the season into two parts. The first four episodes arrive November 16 and the remaining six drop in mid-December. The first half of the season centers primarily on Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki), her new romance, and its impact on the monarchy. This year, The Crown also introduces an adult William (Ed McVey) and Kate (Meg Bellamy) in the early days of their courtship. Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce, Lesley Manville, and Dominic West all return to play key members of the Royal Family. The A.V. Club’s review publishes this week.
Hidden gems
Blackberry (AMC, Monday, 10 p.m.)
Matt Johnson’s 2023 film Blackberry makes its streaming debut on AMC+, but there’s a catch: It’s chopped up into a three-part limited series for some reason. The biographical drama centers on the rise and fall of the smartphone brand, with Johnson, Glenn Howerton, Jay Baruchel, Rich Sommer, Martin Donovan, Cary Elwes, and SungWon Cho making up the ensemble.
David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived (HBO, Wednesday, 9 p.m.)
David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived is a heartfelt documentary about gymnast Holmes, who was Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double in the Harry Potter films. Holmes’ life and career were turned upside down when an on-set accident left him paralyzed, but his resilience kept him going. The doc goes deep into Holmes’ story through interviews with Holmes, his friends and family members, and Radcliffe.
House Of Kardashian (Peacock, Thursday, 3:01 a.m.)
The Kardashians are the focus of yet another on-screen project—except this time it’s not a reality series. House Of Kardashian is a three-episode docuseries centered on three members of the clan—Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian, and Kylie Jenner—that explores their rise to fame as businesswomen and influencers.
More good stuff
NCIS: Sydney (CBS, Tuesday, 8 p.m.)
NCIS might just be the franchise that never leaves us. The CBS crime procedural heads down under for its latest iteration, NCIS: Sydney, which follows American agents teaming up with the Australian Federal Police to form a naval crimes unit. Expect culture clashes, jurisdictional troubles, and, of course, complicated romances as cases are solved.
Brawn: The Impossible Formula One Story (Hulu, Wednesday, 12:01 a.m.)
Keanu Reeves (!) hosts Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story, which delves into the fall of the Brawn GP team and their subsequent comeback. The four-part docuseries features interviews and insights from various auto racing insiders and bigwigs.
Matt Rife: Natural Selection (Netflix, Wednesday, 3:01 a.m.)
In his first hourlong comedy special for Netflix, comedian Matt Rife talks about everything from social media trolls to his problem with protection crystals, before digging into some serious topics.
Can’t miss recaps
The Gilded Age (HBO, Sunday, 9 p.m.)
The Great British Bake Off (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.)
Arriving now
Julia (Max, Thursday, 3:01 a.m., season two premiere)
Ending soon
Welcome To Wrexham (FX, Tuesday, 10 p.m., season two finale)