George Clooney and Brad Pitt Are ‘Wolfs,’ On the Road with Will and Harper, Before ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ in ‘Apartment 7A,’ Latino History with John Leguizamo
On the streaming movie marquee: George Clooney and Brad Pitt star as underworld fixers in the caper comedy Wolfs, Will Ferrell travels with his recently transitioned friend Harper Steele in an acclaimed documentary, and Emmy winner Julia Garner stars in the Rosemary’s Baby prequel Apartment 7A. On PBS, comedian/actor John Leguizamo presents The Untold History of Latinos, followed by the annual Hispanic Heritage Awards.
Wolfs
Veteran Spider-Man director Jon Watts is director-writer of an offbeat showcase for superstars George Clooney and Brad Pitt, who are clearly enjoying their frenemy-buddy vibe as rival fixers called in separately—and resentfully—to dispose of a body in the hotel room of a prominent New York D.A. (Only Murders in the Building’s Amy Ryan). Complications quickly ensue, with car and foot chases, gunfights and mayhem on a dark and stormy night. It’s the glow of its stars’ considerable charisma that keeps this caper going.
Will & Harper
Endearing and affecting, this acclaimed documentary (a hit at Sundance) is an ode to enduring friendship, featuring Saturday Night Live alum Will Ferrell on a revealing road trip with his best bud Harper Steele—who as Andrew Steele was a head writer at SNL and penned many of Ferrell’s most popular sketches. After Harper comes out to Will about transitioning to live as a woman, they decide to travel by car from New York to L.A. over 16 days for an experiment in tolerance and self-acceptance. Their poignant and genuinely funny journey is not to be missed.
Apartment 7A
Before Rosemary bore her infamous baby while living at the Bramford, an earlier tenant had her own experience with satanic terror. That’s the story of Apartment 7A, a prequel to Rosemary’s Baby, Ira Levin’s classic novel and Roman Polanski’s brilliant 1968 film. This version can’t help but suffer by comparison, though Emmy winner Julia Garner (Ozark) gives it her all as wannabe Broadway dancer Terry Gionoffrio, who after a mishap is given shelter—and an enviable apartment—by elderly couple Minnie and Roman Castavet (Dianne Wiest reprising Ruth Gordon’s Emmy-winning role alongside Kevin McNally). There are strings attached, naturally—or should we say, supernaturally. You’ll see every twist coming, especially if you know the source material, but it may inspire you to put Polanski’s movie high on your rewatch list for the Halloween season.
Voces American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos
Inspired by his own Tony-nominated play Latin History for Morons, actor/comedian John Leguizamo embarks on a three-week exploration of Latino lore spanning thousands of years. Filming in Mexico and across the U.S., the series includes interviews with historians, anthropologists and other experts, with actors (Benjamin Bratt, Rosario Dawson, Edward James Olmos, Rosie Perez, Laurence Fishburne, Bryan Cranston and more) reading from the historical record. The opening chapter reaches back to the ancient era of the Great Empires (including Inca, Maya, Aztec) in Mexico, South America and the Caribbean. Followed by the 37th Annual Hispanic Heritage Awards (10/9c), with recipients including fashion designer Carolina Herrera, NBA star Carmelo Anthony, comedian Julio Torres, and the first Posthumous Award honoring the legacy of baseball’s Roberto Clemente.
La Maison
The addictive French-language fashion-house melodrama revels in family conflict when upstart designer Paloma Castel (Zita Hanrot) arrives for her first day at the LEDU Maison as the new artistic director. Her volatile predecessor, Vincent Ledu (Lambert Wilson), who was once the lover of Paloma’s late father, is in denial that inevitable change has come to the century-old brand. Things come to a head when Paloma arranges for a traditional LEDU family photo shoot—without Vincent. “Does she know our favorite dish is eating each other alive?” snarks black sheep Robinson Ledu (Antoine Reinartz). Know? She’s the main course!
INSIDE FRIDAY TV:
- The Greatest @Home Videos (8/7c, CBS): With the season opener of The Neighborhood still a few weeks off, Cedric the Entertainer returns with a special edition of the upbeat viral-video show.
- True Crime Watch: Officially kicking off its 33rd season, Dateline NBC (9/8c) reports on the 2011 disappearance and murder of Katelyn Markham, a young Ohio art student. On ABC’s 20/20 (9/8c), Deborah Roberts explores the ramifications of the 2004 disappearance and murder of 24-year-old Tamika Huston in South Carolina, whose story (including a lack of national media coverage) inspired the Audible series “Finding Tamika,” hosted by Erika Alexander.
- The Braxtons (9:30/8:30c, We TV): In the season finale, Toni premieres her Vegas show, still grieving the loss of her sister Traci, while sibling Tamar consults a medium.
- Social Studies (10/9c, FX): Over five episodes (two at launch), filmmaker Lauren Greenfield (The Queen of Versailles) conducts a year-long study of L.A. teens from the first generation that grew up consumed by the influences and pressures of social media.
- Three Women (10/9c, Starz): This week’s woman in the spotlight is the gorgeous yet dissatisfied Sloane (DeWanda Wise), whose sensual open marriage to the supportive Richard (Blair Underwood) hits a snag after he draws a line at her attraction to the very hot “oyster guy” Will (Blair Redford).
ON THE STREAM:
- The Great British Baking Show (streaming on Netflix): Firm up those soggy bottoms for a new season of the comfort-food baking competition, judged by Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith. The first of 10 weekly episodes introduces a new group of amateur bakers.
- Rez Ball (streaming on Netflix): The spirit of Reservation Dogs lives on in this uplifting drama about a scrappy Native American high-school basketball team in New Mexico that rallies to play for the state championship after the loss of their star player.
- How to Die Alone (streaming on Hulu): In the comedy’s two-part season finale, Mel (Natasha Rothwell) has an epiphany that leads her to reconnect with Alex (Jocko Sims) on New Year’s Eve, then take an even bigger leap as she embarks on her first flight.
- RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All-Stars (streaming on Paramount+): Talk-show host and Drag Race UK judge Graham Norton joins the panel when the international cast throws shade during a no-holds-barred drag roast.
- Pachinko (streaming on Apple TV+): Ambition and pride create conflict in post-war Japan when Noa (Kang Tae Joo) is accepted to university and hesitates to ask Hansu (Lee Min-ho), his benefactor—and unbeknownst to him, his father—for the necessary funds. His mother Sunja (Kim Min-ha) is willing to sacrifice anything, including her dreams of opening a restaurant, to help her son.