What's on TV this week—Fargo season 5 and Squid Game: The Challenge

Welcome to What’s On, our weekly picks of must-watch shows. Here’s what you need to watch from Sunday, November 19 to Thursday, November 23. All times are Eastern. [Note: The weekend edition of What’s On drops on Fridays.]

The biggies

Fargo (FX, Tuesday, 10 p.m.)

Fargo is back, baby. Noah Hawley’s darkly funny crime dramedy returns for another installment, this one starring Jon Hamm, Juno Temple, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Joe Keery, Richa Moorjani, Dave Foley, Sam Spruell, and Lamorne Morris. Set in 2019, the 10 episodes follow Temple’s Dorothy Lyon, who isn’t the sweet suburban housewife everyone thinks she is. Hamm plays a rigid sheriff on the hunt for the one that got away. The A.V. Club will recap the show weekly.

Squid Game: The Challenge is proof of how easy it is to learn the wrong lessons from pop culture. Filmed in the U.K., the 10-episode reality series features 456 players competing to win $4.56 million in the same types of games featured in Netflix’s fictional Squid Game series. Look for The A.V. Club’s coverage of the show this week.

Hidden gems

Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man And The Pool (Netflix, Tuesday, 3:01 a.m.)

In his fifth comedy special for Netflix, The Old Man And The Pool, comedian Mike Birbiglia juggles two of life’s most important questions: What’s next for us? And does the YMCA fill up their swimming pools with a ton of chlorine? Hey, they’re both equally hefty conundrums.

Directed by Sam Boyd and written by Richard Curtis, Genie is a remake of Curtis’ 1991 film, Bernard And The Genie. In it, Melissa McCarthy plays the magical Flora, who helps the workaholic Bernard (Paapa Essiedu) remember how to connect with his family. Marc Maron, Alan Cumming, Denée Benton, and Luis Guzmán co-star.

Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell reunite for Good Burger 2, the sequel to their 1997 comedy. Set 26 years later (duh), Dexter (Thompson) and Ed (Mitchell) band together at their former titular workplace for ludicrous new adventures. Jillian Bell, Lil Rel Howery, Marsai Martin, Ego Nwodim, Liza Koshy, Mark Cuban, and Carmen Electra co-star.

More good stuff

Leo (Netflix, Tuesday, 3:01 a.m.)

The animated film Leo follows a 74-year-old lizard named Leo (voiced by Adam Sandler) who’s plotting his escape from the Florida school where he’s been kept as a pet for decades. But Leo’s plans are derailed when he has to rescue his class from a horrible new teacher. The voice cast includes Cecily Strong, Bill Burr, Stephanie Hsu, Jason Alexander, Rob Schneider, and Heidi Gardner.

If you’re missing Ted Lasso, this holiday special might just help fill the void. Hannah Waddingham’s Home For Christmas features the actor and singer performing classic holiday favorites in front of a live audience. Expect appearances by a few of her Lasso co-stars, like Phil Dunster, Nick Mohammed, and Juno Temple.

Another year, another Thanksgiving, another extravagant Macy’s parade. NBC broadcasts the whole event on its linear channel as well as on Peacock. Performers for 2023 include Grammy nominee Jon Batiste, Ashley Park, En Vogue, Brandy, and Pentatonix, among others. Of course, the star of the show remains those massive floats.

Can’t miss recaps

The Gilded Age (HBO, Sunday, 9 p.m.)

A Murder At The End Of The World (FX on Hulu, Tuesday, 12:01 a.m.)

The Curse (Paramount+, Friday, 3:01 a.m.)

The Great British Bake Off (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m., season finale)

Arriving now

High On The Hog (Netflix, Wednesday, 3:01 a.m., season two)

Ending soon

Fear The Walking Dead (AMC, Sunday, 9 p.m., season eight finale)