Rock Hudson’s Double Life, Idris Elba Gets Hijacked, Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul Visit Philly, ‘Wonder Years’ Considers a Move

Documentary Premiere

9/8c

A powerful Hollywood biographical portrait that doubles as a sobering social history, Heaven (the title plays off of one of his hit romantic movies) tracks the unlikely career and secret life of Rock Hudson, a matinee idol of the 1950s and ’60s who earned an Oscar nod for the 1956 epic Giant and was big box office in romcoms co-starring Doris Day. What his fans didn’t know, and tabloids only hinted at, was his identity as a closeted gay man, one of Hollywood’s better-kept secrets—until his diagnosis with AIDS was made public in 1985, putting a human face on the epidemic. Well-chosen film clips illustrate the dichotomy between his manufactured beefcake image and the real “Roy Fitzgerald”—one scene shows an actress quipping, “Hiding in closets isn’t going to cure you”—while a gay activist reflects on how “he found a way to be comfortable with both lives.” (And yes, that’s my byline on stories from USA TODAY during the aftermath of Hudson’s AIDS diagnosis.)

Series Premiere

Maybe not an optimum piece of escapism during the height of summer travel season, this seven-part real-time thriller (launching with two episodes) is nonetheless a white-knuckle winner. Idris Elba (Luther) stars as a corporate negotiator who uses his reasoning skills—and occasionally his fists—when hijackers take over a seven-hour flight from Dubai to London. The crises and cliffhangers on board Kingdom Flight 29 are echoed below as a scrappy air-traffic controller (the wonderful Eve Myles) and a counterterrorism agent (crisp Archie Panjabi) scramble to keep this incident from becoming an international disaster. If shows like Netflix’s Bodyguard are your idea of a guilty pleasure, buckle your seat belt. There’s turbulence ahead. (See the full review.)

10/9c

Breaking Bad Emmy winners Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul break bonkers, deliciously spoofing their public image when they cross paths with the Guys (Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day) on a visit to Philly to promote their new liquor brand. Turns out the guys from Paddy’s have their own hooch to pitch, and their relentless quest to get the celebrities’ attention has unexpected consequences. Come along for the ride, and the flight—on Frank’s (Danny DeVito) private jet.

9/8c

In a smart and particularly socially conscious episode of the reimagined sitcom revival, the Williams family is recruited by a slick real-estate agent (Scrubs’ Donald Faison) as “the perfect Black family” to be the first to move into an integrated neighborhood in Montgomery, Alabama. While parents Bill (Dulé Hill) and Lillian (Saycon Sengbloh) consider being pioneers in this new social experiment, young Dean (Elisha “EJ” Williams) sees himself as being on “the cutting edge of racial progress” when he accepts his Jewish buddy Brad’s (Julian Lerner) invitation for a sleepover at his home. Playing Brad’s mom, whose solicitousness to her guest causes Dean to develop a major crush: Lindsay Sloane, who appeared on the original Wonder Years series as Winnie’s BFF Alice Pedermeir.

The buddy comedy gets cringey when Sylvia (Rose Byrne) decides to keep her work disaster a secret from husband Charlie (Luke Macfarlane) but confides instead in her platonic pal Will (Seth Rogen). In yet another decision to be regretted, she joins Will and his brew-pub partners on a road trip to San Diego to meet the deep-pocketed racing legend who they hope will add their business to his restaurant portfolio. Ted McGinley, so appealing as the friendly neighbor on Apple’s Shrinking, is an over-the-top hoot as Johnny Rev, who like an increasingly suspicious Charlie makes all the wrong assumptions about Sylvia and Will’s friendship.

INSIDE WEDNESDAY TV:

• LA Fire & Rescue (8/7c, NBC): The real-life first-responder docuseries spotlights Inglewood Station 172 as the crew battles an intense industrial warehouse fire.
• Riverdale (9/8c, The CW): Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos) arrives in town while Archie and the gang are struggling with repressive 1950s attitudes, including the communist Red Scare, the forced outing of gay students and a boycott of comic books.
• grown-ish (10/9c, Freeform): The sixth and final season of the collegiate black-ish spinoff opens during the summer before Andre Jr.’s (Marcus Scribner) sophomore year, when he struggles with “analysis paralysis” about choosing a major and the future of his relationship with Annika (Justine Skye).

 ON THE STREAM:

• Anthem (streaming on Hulu): Just in time for July 4, a thoughtful music documentary follows composer Kris Bowers and music producer Dahi as they travel the country to explore the nation’s many contemporary music influences in a quest to find a new sound and anthem that reflects today’s America.
• The Family Stallone(streaming on Paramount+): In the reality show’s season finale, Sly Stallone’s nostalgic plan to take the family on a memory tour of his Philadelphia (and Rocky) roots hits a snag when daughter Scarlet decides to hang instead with her college friends.
• Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators (streaming on Netflix): Another cautionary tale of the dark side of fame unfolds in a five-part docuseries chronicling the outrageous and often violent antics of the 1990s’ syndicated athletic spectacle. Stars including “Nitro,” “Storm,” “Gemini” and “Ice” tell their harrowing stories of excess and injury.
• Disney Gallery: Star Wars: The Mandalorian—The Making of Season 3 (streaming on Disney+): Go behind the scenes with Mando, Grogu and the makers of the latest season of the hit Star Wars spinoff that helped put the streamer on the map.