‘Jaws’ at 50, ‘Frozen’ on Stage, Trust Issues with ‘Murderbot,’ Planet Weird

Jaws

Just when you thought it was safe to relax with the TV on a quiet Friday night … those ominous beats of John Williams‘ classic score remind you that danger lurks under the water in Steven Spielberg’s 1975 classic shark thriller, which launched an era of summer blockbusters. Spielberg introduces the movie, airing as a three-hour prime-time event (starting at 8/7c) on the 50th anniversary of the exact day the movie opened in packed theaters. Jaws holds up a half-century later, with sustained suspense and splendid character work from Roy Scheider as Amity’s harried police chief Martin Brody, Richard Dreyfuss as rambunctious oceanographer Matt Hooper and Robert Shaw as grizzled shark hunter Quint. (All four Jaws films are streaming on Peacock.)

Disney’s Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical

The animated hit becomes a lavish stage musical in a filmed presentation of the West End (not Broadway) production at London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Samantha Barks (Les Misérables, Broadway’s Pretty Woman) stars opposite Laura Dawkes as sisters Elsa and Anna, who become estranged when Queen Elsa’s frosty powers send the kingdom of Arendelle into a frozen state. Jammy Kasongo plays loyal mountain man Kristoff, with Craig Gallivan stealing the show with puppeteer duties as snowman Olaf. The score features 12 new songs, with Elsa’s Act 1 climax “Let It Go” the show-stopping standout.

Murderbot

The thrilling sci-fi action comedy reaches a turning point now that the title Security Unit (Alexander Skarsgård) has tasted first blood, rescuing its terrified crew of human scientists in spectacularly grisly fashion. The bot may have saved their lives, but they no longer know if they can trust it. “You would all be dead if I wanted to kill you,” Murderbot dispassionately informs them, urging evacuation from their endangered habitat. Team leader Mensah’s (Noma Dumezweni) helpful advice: “It’s safer if they think of you as a person who is trying to help.” They’ll learn soon enough as more perils await them on a planet full of surprises.

Planet Weird

National Geographic is really into Earth’s oddballs these days, first with the hilarious Underdogs (airing on Sundays) and now with a series exploring the strangest of the planet’s species. The first two episodes shine the spotlight on weird creatures including the flame bowerbird and its funky mating dance, Christmas Island crabs on a perilous pilgrimage, an aquatic spider surfing a watery web and a saltwater crocodile with impressive sensors.

Noah’s Arc: The Movie

The groundbreaking LGBTQ+ dramedy marks its 20th anniversary with a movie reuniting L.A. friends Noah (Darryl Stephens), Alex (Rodney Chester), Ricky (Christian Vincent) and Chance (Doug Spearman). Returning after two seasons (2005-06), a 2008 feature film sequel (Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom) and a 2020 short film (Noah’s Arc: The ‘Rona Chronicles), the story now focuses on Noah and husband Wade (Jensen Atwood), who are expecting the arrival of twins when each learns they’ve landed the job of their dreams. Who’ll give it up to stay home with the babes?

INSIDE FRIDAY TV:

• The Never Ever Mets (8/7c, OWN): Following last week’s Season 2 finale, the seven couples reunite as host Ta’Rhonda Jones spills about what’s really going on in their love lives.
• Janis Ian: Breaking Silence (9/8c, PBS): American Masters profiles the influential singer-songwriter (“At Seventeen,” “Society’s Child”), who began her career as a teenager, becoming a folk icon in the 1960s and ’70s and a gay-rights advocate. Interviews include Ian and celebrity admirers Lily Tomlin, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie and Hacks’ Jean Smart.
• Resident Alien (11/10, Syfy and USA Network): Harry (Alan Tudyk) and D’arcy (Alice Wetterlund) travel back in time to retrieve the device Harry hopes to trade to the Grays to get his alien energy back.

 ON THE STREAM:

• A Minecraft Movie (streaming on Max): The hit fantasy-comedy, based on the video game and starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa, makes its streaming debut. The movie premieres on HBO Saturday at 8/7c.
• RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (streaming on Paramount+): Country star Orville Peck schools the queens in honky-tonk for the first Stagecooch Festival, with choreographer Jamal Sims joining the judges’ panel.
• KPop Demon Hunters (streaming on Netflix): An animated action comedy features original music to accompany the adventures of K-Pop superstars who take on a demonic boy band.
• Ash (streaming on Shudder): A sci-fi thriller stars Eiza González as the sole survivor of a slaughter aboard a planetary research station who doesn’t know whether to trust the astronaut (Breaking Bad‘s Aaron Paul) who says he came in response to her distress signal.