‘Dopesick’ Finale, ‘Tiger King 2,’ ‘Hard Knocks’ With the Colts, a Marvel ‘Hit-Monkey’

Season Finale

Tragedy leads to an imperfect justice in the finale of the gripping docudrama about the OxyContin opioid crisis and the efforts of state’s attorney prosecutors to hold Purdue Pharma and its ruling family, the Sacklers, accountable. Michael Keaton grounds the series’ more emotional elements as small-town doctor Samuel Finnix, who devotes himself to trying to reverse the damage he has done to himself and to those he unknowingly got addicted.

Season Premiere

As inevitable as a toxic tide, the hit reality series spawns a sequel. Five new episodes revisit the outrageous characters who became infamous, for better or (often) worse, in the wake of the show’s pop-culture explosion in the early days of the pandemic. (If you’ve been wondering where Kate McKinnon has been this season on Saturday Night Live, she’s playing controversial animal activist Carole Baskin, the target of Joe Exotic’s wrath, in a Peacock limited series currently in production.)

Season Premiere

9/8c

For the first time, the fly-on-the-locker-room-wall sports docuseries goes beyond a team’s preseason journey to follow a pro NFL franchise during the season in real time. Each episode covers the previous week’s game as Hard Knocks tracks the Colts, led by ex-Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, through the remainder of the season and into the playoffs should fate smile upon them.

Series Premiere

A stylized animated adult thriller, based on (what else) a Marvel Comics character, depicts the violent exploits of a rage-filled Japanese snow monkey (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) who seeks vengeance when his entire tribe is slaughtered. Conveniently, the monkey becomes psychically linked to the ghost of Bryce (Ted Lasso’s Jason Sudeikis), an American assassin who helps guide the primate on a bloody mission to satisfy their mutual desire for revenge. George Takei and Olivia Munn are among the voice cast.

Inside Wednesday TV:

• Thanksgiving Sitcom Episodes: On ABC’s The Goldbergs (8/7c), Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) feels threatened when Linda Schwartz (Mindy Sterling) offers to host Thanksgiving. And then Pop-Pop (Judd Hirsch) shows up with a new “lady friend.” Later, on Home Economics (9:30/8:30c), the siblings try to establish a new holiday tradition by hosting the family dinner at Conner’s (Jimmy Tatro) place. Nothing ever goes wrong there, right?
• Hart to Hart (7/6c, Ovation TV): Episodes from the first season (1979) of the popular light mystery, starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as globe-trotting sleuths Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, begin airing in four-hour back-to-back blocks. The remaining four seasons, and eight subsequent TV movies, will air in 2022.
• The Wonder Years (8:30/7:30c, ABC): Dean (Elisha “EJ” Williams) is conflicted when his mom (Saycon Sengbloh) takes his troubled bully under her wing and even helps him prepare for the science fair, which is typically Dean’s domain.
• Flipping Showdown (9/8c, HGTV): Flip or Flop: Atlanta’s Ken and Anita Corsini have shelled out more than $2 million of their own fortune to invest in a flipping competition involving nine homes and corresponding renovation budgets. Three teams take on three properties each, with the winner earning the chance to join the Corsini business with their own local franchise.
• The Conners (9/8c, ABC): Speaking of renovation, newlywed Dan (John Goodman) gets nostalgic after deciding to sell some old furniture to make room for new bride Louise (Katey Sagal). They’d better leave the iconic couch alone!
• Tough as Nails (9/8c, CBS): With theaters reopening nationwide, a timely challenge tasks the teams to set up a lighting grid at L.A’s Wiltern Theatre.
• Behind the Monsters (streaming on Shudder): The series explores the creation of slasher icon Freddy Krueger from the Nightmare on Elm Street Best to stay awake while this is on.
• Kendra Sells Hollywood (streaming on discovery+): Having sold herself as a reality-TV brand for years, starting with The Girls Next Door, Kendra Wilkinson reinvents herself as a real-estate agent, taking on the competitive L.A./Hollywood scene. If the Playboy Mansion comes back on the market, she’d be a natural.
• Prayers for the Stolen (streaming on Netflix): Direct from international film festivals, this movie from Mexican-El Salvadoran director Tatiana Huezo views the drug cartel wars devastating Mexico from the perspective of three young girls who bond while hiding from danger in a rural mountain town.