‘West Wing’ Reunion on ‘Wonder Years,’ ‘Big Brother’ at 25, ‘Cocaine Sharks’ & HBO’s ‘After the Bite’
Emmy winner Bradley Whitford guests with former The West Wing co-star Dulé Hill on The Wonder Years. CBS’s Big Brother marks its 25th anniversary with a prime-time retrospective. Discovery’s Shark Week continues with an investigation into rumors of cocaine-fueled sharks off the Florida Keys, while HBO explores the aftermath of a shark attack on a Cape Cod community.
The Wonder Years
Young Dean (Elisha “EJ” Williams) is surprised when his jazz-loving dad Bill (Dulé Hill) bonds with Alan van der Kamp, his music teacher—but we’re not, because the cool-cat instructor is played by Hill’s former West Wing colleague, Emmy winner Bradley Whitford, in a fun guest role. When Bill eagerly accepts Alan’s invitation to a house party with wife Lillian (Saycon Sengbloh), they learn that Alan’s fondness for swinging may not be limited to music. Back home, Dean badgers older brother Bruce (Spence Moore II) to take him to see the hot new movie Easy Rider, but a detour at the local college proves just as exciting.
Big Brother: 25th Anniversary Celebration
Special
In advance of next week’s season premiere, the claustrophobic reality show marks its 25th anniversary with a prime-time salute from Entertainment Tonight, with Nischelle Turner hosting from the Big Brother set. Julie Chen Moonves leads a retrospective of highs and lows from the archives, including the inevitable showmances, feuds and other moments of infamy from the house where invasion of privacy is a given.
Cocaine Sharks
Documentary Premiere
Shark Week continues with a trip to the Florida Keys, as shark expert Tom Hird investigates rumors of sharks within the fishing community that accidentally ingest the drug. Imagine the worst. The night’s other specials include Air Jaws: Final Frontier (8/7c) from New Zealand and Florida Shark: Blood in the Water (9/8c).
After the Bite
Documentary Premiere
Not immune to TV’s shark mania, HBO responds with a thoughtful documentary about the impact of a shark attack on a Cape Cod community forced to confront the realities of environmental change. With warming waters and surging numbers of the protected North Atlantic gray seal species (a favorite of sharks), the marine predators have become more prevalent in the waters off the Northeast town of Wellfleet, Massachusetts, which is rocked when a boogie boarder is killed in a 2018 attack. The documentary reveals how the community responded with a goal to protect the public while preserving the changing ecosystem.
INSIDE WEDNESDAY TV:
- FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 (7 pm/ET, Fox): The U.S. Women’s National Team takes on the Netherlands in Wellington, New Zealand.
- Riverdale (9/8c, The CW): Jughead (Cole Sprouse) debates child psychiatrist Dr. Werthers (Malcolm Stewart) over his banning of comic books, but maybe they should be paying more attention to Veronica (Camila Mendes), who invites the guys over to watch a purloined stag film.
- To Catch a Smuggler (9/8c National Geographic): A new season of the docuseries opens with a Homeland Security stakeout in San Diego netting almost $500,000 of meth and fentanyl, while customs and border agents in El Paso intercept a carload of cocaine and hidden cash.
- My Strange Arrest (10/9c and 10:30/9:30c, A&E): A new series highlights bizarre and uncomfortable arrests, including the apprehension of a naked guy allegedly stealing an ATV and two elderly cat ladies caught trespassing while trapping strays.
- Teenage Euthanasia (midnight/11c, Adult Swim): The wildly irreverent animated sitcom returns for a second season, with undead mom Trophy Fantasy (Maria Bamford) worried about losing custody of Annie (Jo Firestone), while the rest of the funeral-home family gets stuck to each other with corpse glue.
ON THE STREAM:
- The Afterparty (streaming on Apple TV+): The visually inventive comedy whodunit ventures into whimsical Wes Anderson territory when the focus turns to the victim’s eccentric adopted sister, Hannah (Pen15’s Anna Konkle). Her bizarre garden may have provided the murder weapon, but even more damning is her fondness for her brother’s bride, Grace (Poppy Liu).
- Hijack (streaming on Apple TV+): With only one more hour to go in this flight from hell, Sam (Idris Elba) decides it’s time to rise up against the hijackers, passing along a note to “get ready to shake things up.” But there’s at least one more shocker in store before landing.
- The Hardy Boys (streaming on Hulu): The supernatural teenage mystery, inspired by the classic book series, sends brother sleuths Frank (Rohan Campbell) and Joe (Alexander Elliot) and their friends—now including Bailee Madison (Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin) as Drew Darrow—on their final mission to find a powerful relic.
