Remembering Mary Tyler Moore, ‘Maisel’ and ‘Citadel’ Finales on Prime Video, Hollywood’s ‘New Face’

Documentary Premiere

8/7c

She could turn the world on with her smile, but Mary Tyler Moore’s impact on the culture was much more far-reaching: first as the trend-setting Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show, then as independent career woman Mary Richards on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. This intimate two-hour biographical portrait balances an appreciation of her career—which took a shift into drama on Broadway and the movies (an Oscar nomination for Ordinary People)—with a candid account of her personal life, which included struggles with alcoholism and diabetes, two divorces, the untimely death of her son and a happy third act with husband Dr. Robert Levine. As Veep Emmy winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus notes, Mary “fundamentally shifted in our culture how we perceived women in entertainment.”

Series Finale

The triumphant series finale of the Emmy-winning comedy reveals the circumstances of comedian-in-waiting Midge Maisel’s (Rachel Brosnahan) long-awaited big break. We’ve seen in flash-forwards all through this final season what a big deal Mrs. Maisel became, but there’s something undeniably thrilling about witnessing the moment when it all begins to happen. As she memorably puts it: “Being a coward is only cute in The Wizard or Oz.” Midge and Mary Tyler Moore would have been great pals.

Season Finale

Already renewed for a second season, the big-budget spy thriller from the Russo Brothers wraps its freshman year with an elaborate action sequence aboard a submarine containing armed nukes. That’s where Citadel agents Mason Kane (Richard Madden) and Nadia Sinh (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) head to foil the scheme of Manticore’s vindictive Dahlia Archer (Leslie Manville), with the fate of their kidnapped daughter—about whose existence Mason/Kyle just learned—in the balance. And who’s the mole responsible for Citadel’s current misfortunes? That revelation is likely to make Citadel’s second season even more interesting.

Special

8/7c

The stunning sweep at this year’s Oscars of Everything Everywhere All at Once, including wins for Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan, was seen as a long overdue breakthrough for Asian representation in Hollywood cinema. A new edition of Soul of a Nation explores the rocky history of how Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders have been portrayed over the decades, including interviews with veteran actors James Hong and Nancy Kwan, and the niece of Chinese-American film star Anna May Wong. Nightline co-anchor Juju Chang sits with Everything Everywhere stars Yeoh and Quan. Other interview subjects include actors Jason Scott Lee (Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.) and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Never Have I Ever).

Season Finale

8/7c

The Season 3 finale of Starz hit Power Book II: Ghost (8/7c) finds Tariq St. Patrick (Michael Rainey Jr.) being investigated by the Feds, forcing the Wall Street intern and drug dealer to partner with those who betrayed him to protect his family. Elsewhere, queenpin Monet (Mary J. Blige) consolidates power within her empire. For a lighter reprieve, Starz launches the second season of its fashionable comedy Run the World (9:30/8:30c), about the sisterhood of three best friends in Harlem. What’s next for Whitney (Amber Stevens West) now that she and fiancé Ola (Tosin Morohunfola) are on the outs? And can her BFFs Renee (Bresha Webb) and Sondi (Corbin Reid) find the right balance between love and career?

INSIDE FRIDAY TV:

• Couples Therapy (8/7c, Showtime): Tune in for Dr. Orna Guralnik’s last sessions in the Season 3 finale of the engrossing docuseries.
• Kendra Sells Hollywood (streaming on Max): The Discovery+ series following Kendra Wilkinson’s adventures in the L.A. real estate market is now on the home page of what used to be HBO Max. And so it goes.
• RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars (streaming on Paramount+): The queens create and star in trailers for the scripted TV series of their dreams, with guest judge Maude Apatow (Euphoria) helping decide which are “must-she TV.”
• Influencer (streaming on Shudder): A thriller for our times stars Emily Tennant as a social-media star touring Thailand whose mysterious new friend (Cassandra Naud) takes her off the grid to a deserted island. If there’s no wi-fi, can anyone hear you scream?
• Barbecue Showdown (streaming on Netflix): The heat is on as comedian Michelle Buteau hosts a second season of the open-flame competition where eight amateur barbecue enthusiasts compete for $50,000.