What's on TV this week—The Franchise, La Máquina, Teacup

Welcome to What’s On, our weekly roundup of notable shows. Here is what’s happening from Sunday, October 6 to Thursday, October 10. All times are Eastern. [Note: The weekend edition of What’s On drops on Fridays.]  

The biggies

The Franchise (HBO, Sunday, 10 p.m.)

Satirical workplace comedy The Franchise, which is executive produced by Veep‘s Armando Iannucci and Sam Mendes, follows the disastrous production of a Marvel-type superhero movie and boasts an impressive cast that includes Himesh Patel, Daniel Brühl, Aya Cash, Lolly Adefope, Jessica Hynes, Billy Magnussen, and Richard E. Grant. The A.V. Club will recap the show weekly.

La Máquina (Hulu, Wednesday, 12:01 a.m.)

The stars of Y Tu Mamá También, Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, reunite for this Spanish-language boxing drama. In the show, an aging pugilist (Bernal) and his manager/BFF (Diego Luna) try to make a comeback while dealing with a dangerous underground organization. All six episodes drop on Wednesday. Here’s a bit from The A.V. Club‘s review:

A big question hovering over La Máquina, the same one that hovers over a lot of miniseries these days, is: Would this—especially considering the filmmaking chops on display—actually have been better as a film? That the answer could be no (if only so we can see these two interact more) speaks volumes about their collective charm.

Teacup (Peacock, Thursday, 3:01 a.m.)

Based on Robert R. McCammon’s novel Stinger, Peacock’s horror series is set on a Georgia farm where a married couple (Yvonne Strahovski and Scott Speedman) and their children must team up with strangers to fight off a creepy threat. The ensemble also features Kathy Baker, Chaske Spencer, and Boris McGiver. The A.V. Club‘s review publishes on Thursday.

Hidden gems

Ali Wong: Single Lady (Netflix, Tuesday, 3:01 a.m.)

Beef star Ali Wong is in her post-divorce era in Single Lady, her fourth comedy special for Netflix, where she talks about the challenges of monogamy, feminism, and her renewed quest to find love.

Scamanda (ABC, Wednesday, 10 p.m.)

The Scamanda podcast turns into a four-part docuseries that unravels the story of Amanda Riley, a Christian wife and mother diagnosed with blood cancer who documents her battle with the disease online while hiding a terrible secret. Check out The A.V. Club‘s recap of the premiere on Wednesday.

Sweetpea (Starz, Thursday, 8 p.m.)

In her latest series, Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets, Fallout) plays a wallflower who is sick of being ignored by her loved ones and co-workers. Pushed to her limit, she makes a snap decision to…turn into a serial killer. Jeremy Swift, Nicole Lecky, Leah Harvey, and Calam Lynch co-star in the darkly comedic project. The A.V. Club‘s review of the show publishes on Monday.

More good stuff

The Menendez Brothers (Netflix, Monday, 3:01 a.m.)

Netflix follows up Monsters with a documentary on the show’s subjects: the Menendez brothers. Alejandro Hartmann directs the feature, which pores over the crime, trial, and case materials and includes new interviews with Lyle and Erik, who were convicted for the murders of their parents in 1996.

An Oprah Special: The Presleys (CBS, Tuesday, 8 p.m.)

Daisy Jones & The Six‘s Riley Keough sits down with Oprah Winfrey at Graceland for an hourlong special that delves into her grandfather Elvis Presley, her mother Lisa Marie, and what it’s like to hail from such a famous family.

Tomb Raider: The Legend Of Lara Croft (Netflix, Thursday, 3:01 a.m.) 

Hayley Atwell voices Lara Croft in Netflix’s animated Tomb Raider series, which chronicles the hero as she finds herself in a life-or-death situation that makes her confront her traumatic past. Richard Armitage, Zoe Boyle, and Allen Maldonado round out the cast. Look for The A.V. Club‘s review on Thursday.

Can’t miss recaps

The Penguin (HBO, Sunday, 9 p.m.) 

Only Murders In The Building (Hulu, Tuesday, 12:01 a.m.)

Agatha All Along (Disney+, Wednesday, 9 p.m.)

Arriving now

Superman & Lois (The CW, Monday, 8 p.m., season four premiere) 

The Accused (FOX, Tuesday, 8 p.m., season two premiere) 

The Irrational (NBC, Tuesday, 10 p.m., season two premiere) 

Abbott Elementary (ABC, Wednesday, 9:30 p.m., season four premiere) 

Outer Banks (Netflix, Thursday, 3:01 a.m., season four part one premiere) 

Ending soon

The Seal Team (Paramount+, Sunday, 3:01 a.m., series finale) 

Bad Monkey (Apple TV+, Wednesday, 12:01 a.m., season one finale)

Slow Horses (Apple TV+, Wednesday, 12:01 a.m., season four finale)

Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist (Peacock, Thursday, 3:01 a.m., season one finale)