‘Resident Alien,’ an Animated ‘Predator,’ Murderbot Under Repair, Taraji P. Henson’s Last ‘Straw’

Resident Alien

If Harry (the inspired Alan Tudyk), the alien in human disguise, doesn’t quite seem himself as Season 4 of the sci-fi comedy begins, there’s a reason. The real, or unreal, Harry is trapped in a prison cell on the moon while an insect-like Mantid alien shapeshifter has assumed his form, swaggering around Paradise and leaving headless bodies in the woods as the creature searches for a suitable mate. And that’s just the beginning of the twists.

Predator: Killer of Killers

Those alien predators really get around and apparently have been doing so for quite some time. In an ambitious and thrillingly animated anthology film, the fearsome creatures observe and engage warriors from three very different eras: a Viking queen in 9^th-century Scandinavia, a ninja in 17^th-century Japan, and in 1941, a scrappy young Air Force pilot maneuvering a rickety vessel named The Bullet. The gruesome vignettes lead to an ultimate showdown where the human heroes become gladiators of a sort.

Murderbot

Pen15‘s Anna Konkle guests on the rollicking sci-fi comedy as Leebeebee, sole survivor of a research unit, whose rescue coincides with Murderbot’s (Alexander Skarsgård) altruistic decision to shoot itself before it kills its human crew (because of a combat override module unwillingly attached by a rival security bot). While Murderbot reconstructs, the scientists begin to suspect the worst about what’s going on inside their sec unit. Wait till they learn how much time it was spending watching cheesy space operas!

Tyler Perry’s Straw

Taraji P. Henson (Empire) is put through the wringer in director-writer Tyler Perry‘s emotional melodrama about desperate single mom Janiyah, whose string of bad luck culminates in an incident in which her attempt to cash a check is mistaken for a robbery, leading to a tense hostage standoff. Co-starring in this Dog Day Afternoon-style drama: Sherri Shepherd as a sympathetic bank teller and Teyana Taylor as a police detective who senses the human drama behind Janiyah’s actions.

BMF

Michael Chiklis (The Shield) joins the cast of the crime drama in Season 4 as a dogged DEA agent who joins the list of enemies pursuing drug-trafficking brothers Meech (Demetrius Flenory Jr.) and Terry (Da’Vinchi). They’re rebounding from their Mexican misadventures while their business empire expands to L.A. and the music industry.

Inside Friday TV:

• Stanley Pup (5:30 pm/ET, truTV): You’ve heard of the Puppy Bowl, so it’s only natural for the National Hockey League to get in on the fun with a friendly competition for rescue dogs, in which each of the 32 NHL teams are represented by a four-legged friend.
• Wylde Pack (7:30/6:30c, Nickelodeon): An animated family comedy follows the hijinks of half-siblings Lily and Jack after the latter moves into the crowded household.
• Late to the Party: Coming Out Later in Life (8/7c, ABC): A Pride Month special from ABC News Studios features former New York Times columnist Charles Blow, who came out as bisexual in his 40s, as he explores the stories of other LGBTQ+ people who came out in their later years.
• Soaring to Life: Making of How to Train Your Dragon (8/7c, NBC): Go behind the scenes of the hit fantasy franchise, in advance of the live-action remake opening in theaters June 13.
• 20/20 (9/8c, ABC): JuJu Chang reports on the 2010 disappearance and murder of Illinois mom and nursing-home employee Bonnie Woodward.

 

On the Stream:

• RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (streaming on Paramount+): In the semifinals, the queens perform the musical “Starbooty: The Rebooty,” with guest judge Adam Shankman as choreographer.
• The Chi (9/8c, streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime): On an emotional Mother’s Day, Emmett (Jacob Latimore) hosts all of his baby mamas together, while Alicia (Lynn Whitfield) gathers mothers who have also lost their children. The episode makes its linear premiere Sunday at 9/8c.
• Esports World Cup: Level Up (streaming on Prime Video): Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is the setting for a $60 million tournament of 1,500 esports players battling to become the first EWC champion.
• The Survivors (streaming on Netflix): An Australian limited series based on Jane Harper’s novel focuses on Kieran (Charlie Vickers), a young man haunted by the deaths 15 years earlier of three close friends during a storm, a tragedy rekindled when a young woman is murdered in the seaside community.
• The Alto Knights (streaming on HBO Max): Barry Levinson‘s 2025 period mob drama, starring Robert De Niro in a dual role as crime bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, makes its streaming debut and premieres on HBO Saturday at 8/7c.