What's on TV this week—Dangerous Liaisons, The Crown, Falling For Christmas

Welcome to What’s On, our weekly picks of must-watch shows. Here’s what you need to watch from Sunday, November 6, to Thursday, November 10. All times are Eastern. [Note: The weekend edition of What’s On drops on Fridays.]

The biggies

Dangerous Liaisons (Starz, Sunday, 8 p.m.)

Starz’s Dangerous Liaisons adaptation doesn’t boast Glenn Close, Keanu Reeves, or Michelle Pfeiffer like the 1988 film, but the period drama is here for the long haul, considering it was already renewed for a second season. Created by Harriet Warner, the show explores the passionate romance between the Marquise de Merteuil (Alice Englert) and the Vicomte de Valmont (Nicholas Denton), who rise from the slums of Paris and scale the heights of the French aristocracy. Lesley Manville, Carice Van Houten, Colette Dalal Tchantcho, and Paloma Faith co-star.

Netflix’s award-winning drama The Crown returns after a two-year gap. In its fifth season, the show digs into how the British monarchy fared in the ’90s (hint: not well). The show gains an entirely new cast again, with Imelda Staunton stepping in to play Queen Elizabeth. The ensemble also includes Jonathan Pryce, Elizabeth Debicki, Dominic West, Olivia West, Jonny Lee Miller, Lesley Manville, and Bertie Carvel. The A.V. Club will recap the season, with a new recap publishing every weekday from November 9 until November 22.

Lindsay Lohan returns to the screen, thanks to Netflix’s affinity for holiday movies. Janeen Damian directs Falling For Christmas, starring Lohan as a newly engaged, spoiled hotel heiress named Sierra Belmont. After a skiing accident, she suffers from amnesia (because of course she does) and wakes up in a small town, living under the care of a lodge owner and his daughter just in time for Christmas. Snow falls, love blooms—you know how it goes. The cast includes Chord Overstreet, Jack Wagner, Olivia Perez, and George Young. Look out for The A.V. Club’s review.

Hidden gems

Mood (BBC America, Sunday, 10 p.m.)

Created by and starring Nicôle Lecky, Mood is a British musical drama that Lecky based on her one-woman play. She stars as Sasha Clayton, an aspiring singer struggling to succeed as a broke twentysomething. Her life takes a turn when she befriends a social media influencer who introduces her to quick ways to earn cash online. The six-part first season already came out in the U.K. and will air weekly in the U.S. via BBC America. Be on the lookout for The A.V. Club’s review.

Forget holiday baking or regular food shows, Schitt’s Creek’s Dan Levy has teamed up with HBO Max for a cooking competition catered specifically to brunchers. The Big Brunch’s eight episodes will feature 10 chefs vying for a whopping $300,000 prize, and Levy will act as host and judge alongside chef Sohla El-Waylly and restaurateur Will Guidara. Look out for an essay on the show later this week.

David E. Kelley is threatening to take over your TV time again with The Calling, which follows NYPD Detective Avraham Avraham (Jeff Wilbusch), whose belief in mankind is his superpower. (Sure, why not?). Guided by a deep sense of spirituality and religious principles, Avraham is left to question his own humanity when a routine investigation turns upside down. Juliana Canfield, Karen Robinson, and Michael Mosley also star.

More good stuff

Deepa & Anoop (Netflix, Monday, 3:01 a.m.)

Netflix and Mattel’s kids’ show Deepa & Anoop returns for a second season. Created by Bollywood animator Munjal Shroff, the animated musical series follows seven-year-old Deepa and her color-changing BFF, Anoop, who team up to make everything grander for the guests of Mango Manor, a B&B run by her immigrant family.

Eleven days before the 2022 World Cup is set to begin in Qatar, Netflix is causing a stir by debuting FIFA Uncovered, a docuseries that digs into corruption, racketeering, tax evasion, and wire fraud within soccer’s governing body.

Based on the 2016 film Zootopia, the six shorts in season one dive into intriguing and beloved characters like Fru Fru, Gazelle, and Flash. The episodes will weave in and out of the film, using different formats such as a dance talent competition and reality show.

Can’t miss recaps

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

The White Lotus (HBO, Sunday, 9 p.m.)

Andor (Disney+, Wednesday, 3:01 a.m.)

Documentary Now! (IFC, Wednesday, 10 p.m.)

Atlanta (FX, Thursday, 10 p.m., series finale)

Ending soon

The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu, Wednesday, 12:01 a.m., season five finale)

The Good Fight (Paramount+, Thursday, 3:01 a.m., series finale)

A Friend Of The Family (Peacock, Thursday, 3:01 a.m., season one finale)

Inside Amy Schumer (Paramount+, Thursday, 3:01 a.m., season five finale)