‘Serpent Queen’ Schemes Again, ‘Descendants’ Sees Red, Purr-fectly Irreverent ‘Exploding Kittens,’ New ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered’ Movie

The Serpent Queen

Yas, queen! Or, more accurately, Queen Regent. Now that France’s Charles IX (Bill Milner) has come of age, Catherine de Medici (the fierce Samantha Morton) remains the power behind the throne in a country lurching toward religious and civil war during the turbulent 16^th century. The spicy and profane historical drama has another royal shoe to drop, with the looming presence across the Channel of England’s Queen Elizabeth I — soon to be seen (starting in the third episode) played by an equally formidable Minnie Driver.

Descendants: The Rise of Red

And you thought Galinda and Elphaba were mismatched roomies in Wicked. Meet this whimsical fairy-tale franchise’s latest Villain Kid: Red (Kylie Cantrall), the offspring of the treacherous Queen of Hearts (Rita Ora) from unfriendly Wonderland, who’s come to wreak havoc at Auradon Prep, where she clashes with Chloe (Malia Baker), daughter of Cinderella (Brandy) and King Charming (Paolo Montalban). Though they couldn’t be more different, the frenemies team up to stop Wonderland’s attack on Auradon by time-traveling back to the Queen of Hearts’ past, where they hope to steer her away from her villainous future. China Anne McClain reprises her role as Uma, former Villain Kid turned Auradon’s headmaster. The soundtrack from the fourth Descendants film features seven new songs, two reprises and a new version of “So This Is Love” from the original 1950 Cinderella movie.

Exploding Kittens

Inspired by the card game, an irreverent adult animated comedy casts TV’s former Lucifer, Tom Ellis, as God — aka Godcat — who’s come to Earth in the form of a well-fed house cat. And wouldn’t you know that right next door, there’s a Devilcat (Saturday Night Live veteran Sasheer Zamata) setting up a purr-fectly slapstick battle of good vs. evil. Although if someone offers to rub these felines’ bellies, all bets are off.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered: A Tale of Three Letters

The feel-good movie franchise about postal investigators working in the Dead Letter Office is back after a three-year hiatus. Colleagues Oliver (Eric Mabius) and Shane (Kristin Booth), while struggling to settle into marriage, work with fellow married POstables Rita (Crystal Lowe) and Norman (Geoff Gustafson) to get to the source of a trio of dead letters.

Shark Week

Not to be confused with Syfy’s Sharknado movies, Shark Week special The Real Sharkano (airing at 8/7c) follows shark advocate and attack survivor Paul De Gelder when he visits a remote island society of shark worshippers to study their methods of swimming with the deadly predators. Followed by Sharks of the Dead Zone (9/8c), which explores the ability of sharks to survive in oxygen-poor waters affected by marine pollution and outbreaks of algae; and Shark Attack Island (10/9c), with De Gelder and other shark experts investigating a South Pacific hotspot for recent Bull, Tiger and Great White shark attacks.

INSIDE FRIDAY TV:

• The Very Very Best of the ’80s (8/7c, AXS TV): Get your nostalgia on as Season 3 of the countdown show opens with a survey of the decade’s top romcoms. Dee Wallace and The Facts of Life’s Mindy Cohn are among the guests weighing in.
• Deb’s House (10/9c, We TV): Music mogul and talent scout Deb Antney welcomes comedian Tracy Morgan into the crib for inspiration as the field of competing rappers narrows.
• Real Time with Bill Maher (10/9c, HBO): Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy is the one-on-one interview guest. Followed by the season finale of the surreal comedy Fantasmas (11/10c).

ON THE STREAM:

• HIP: High Intellectual Potential (streaming on Hulu): This quirky French procedural (aka HPI: Haut Potentiel Intellectuel in its native tongue) inspired ABC’s upcoming High Potential, starring Kaitlin Olson. Hulu streams three seasons of the original, starring Audrey Fleurot as Morgane, a super-smart and very perceptive misfit who becomes a consultant for the police.
• Me (streaming on Apple TV+): A 10-episode coming-of-age adventure stars Lucian-River Chauhan as 12-year-old Ben, whose adjustment to a new blended family and middle school is complicated by his discovery of shape-shifting superpowers.
• Chain Food: All Star Dishes (streaming on The Roku Channel): Renowned chef Tim Hollingsworth puts a gourmet spin on signature dishes from fast-food faves including Chili’s, Red Robin, Panda Express, Pizza Hut, Dunkin’ and Sonic, letting celebs in on his secrets before unleashing his creations at a busy food festival.
• Arcadian (streaming on Shudder): Nicolas Cage stars in a post-apocalyptic thriller as Paul, the father of two sons trying to survive in a world where evil emerges at night. When one of the boys fails to come home before sunset, Paul risks everything to take on the dark forces and save his child.
• The Mole (streaming on Netflix): Discovery the identity of the saboteur in the season’s final two episodes.