‘Outlander’ Prequel & ‘Mobland’ Return, Jay-Z’s Life Through Lyrics, iHeartRadio Music Festival

Outlander: Blood of My Blood

The course of true love runs over particularly rocky ground as the second season of the Outlander spinoff/prequel opens. Julia (Hermione Corfield) and Henry (Jeremy Irvine), the 20th-century parents of Outlander heroine Claire, are separated again, not just by circumstance but by time when the stones of Craigh Na Dun work their magic for just one-half of the dislocated couple, leaving the other stranded in 1715 Scotland, where the Jacobite Rising is about to bring war to the Highlands. The conflict brings new complications to the forbidden romance of Jamie’s parents-to-be, Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy) and Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater), who are still dealing with the fallout of her fateful runaway-bride act that left her would-be groom Malcolm Grant dead. It will probably take all season to sort out this fantastical mess.

MobLand

When mob family fixer Harry Da Souza (Tom Hardy) talks, with his guttural growl, everyone had better listen. So when he informs his reckless bosses Conrad and Maeve Harrigan, played to the hilt by Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren, that their family is in “a death spiral,” he’s not kidding. The second season of Guy Ritchie‘s bloody crime drama opens with Conrad making a mess (as in massacre) during a meeting he didn’t bother to tell Harry about, illuminating the power struggles within the fractured family. They’re their own worst enemy, which is saying something considering their well-connected cartel adversary Kat McAllister (Ozark‘s Janet McTeer) is working overtime to turn them against each other.

Jay-Z in 8

Call it an epic rap session — about rap. In an eight-part docuseries, marking the directorial documentary debut of legendary record producer Rick Rubin, rap superstar Jaÿ-Z sits with Rubin to reflect on his life, his creative process, and his career as represented in his lyrics, from his Reasonable Doubt debut onward. “Around 9 is when I caught the bug, like being obsessed. I would write every day,” he reveals. The series airs two episodes a week, and on the first night, they discuss the influences and inspirations behind tracks including “Intro,” “Meet the Parents,” “Can’t Knock the Hustle,” “What More Can I Say,” “Brooklyn’s Finest,” and “I Love the Dough.”

iHeartRadio Music Festival

If live music is more your thing, check out what’s going on inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas the next two nights (airing at 7:30 pm PT). Ryan Seacrest hosts the annual festival, which features an eclectic array of acts Friday and Saturday, including BTS, Snoop Dogg, Benson Boone, Cardi B, Lainey Wilson, Kenny Chesney, Goo Goo Dolls, Ciara, Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer, and more, with special appearances by the likes of Bobby Bones, Charlamagne tha God, Donny Osmond, Mario and Country Lopez, and current Dancing With the Stars contestants Jenna Dewan and Taylor Hanson.

Anna Pigeon

The emotionally aloof camp ranger and law enforcer Anna Pigeon (Tracy Spiridakos) works very closely with FBI special agent Frederick Stanton (Ronnie Rowe Jr.) on their latest mystery when they encounter a naked man glowing blue in the middle of the road, declaring, “I fell from the sky.” An alien in their midst? Skeptical Anna knows better, but the puzzle deepens when the search for the amnesiac mystery man’s identity reveals two long-buried corpses who seem to share the same name.

INSIDE FRIDAY TV:

• The Greatest @Home Videos: CEDY Awards (8/7c, CBS): Cedric the Entertainer hosts the fourth annual celebration of uplifting and entertaining videos, declaring winners in categories including Celebs, Fur Crazy, Kids Got Talent, and Too Cute. Guests include The Amazing Race‘s Phil Keoghan, Boston Blue‘s Donnie Wahlberg, and Entertainment Tonight‘s Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner.
• Scariest House in America (9/8c, HGTV): Retta returns for a third season of the Ugliest House in America spinoff, touring spooky sites with paranormal histories. In the opener, she gets creeped out in Florida, Ohio, and West Virginia.
• Joffrey Ballet: The Next Movement (9/8c, PBS): A documentary follows five young choreographers from Brazil, India, Puerto Rico, Brooklyn, and Chicago as they compete in the Joffrey Ballet’s “Winning Works” program, creating pieces that turn their personal life stories into dance.
• Real Time with Bill Maher (10/9c, HBO): The host conducts a timely interview with former New York Times tech columnist Kevin Roose, whose new book is titled The AGI Chronicles: The Inside Story of the Race to Create an Artificial Superintelligence.

ON THE STREAM:

• Dark Matter (streaming on Apple TV): “Which one am I? Which one are you?” As multiple versions of characters keep running into each other as they explore alternate worlds through a futuristic box, such conversations are inevitable. For Jason 1 (Joel Edgerton) and his distressed wife, Daniela (Jennifer Connelly), the novelty has worn off and the stress takes a personal toll.
• Best of the Best (streaming on Netflix): Two besties put their best foot forward when college newbies Maya (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) and Anjali (Priyanka Kedia) join UCLA’s Bollywood-fusion dance team and train for the U.S. Championship.
• Linda Perry: Let It Die Here (streaming on Hulu): An acclaimed documentary profile of the singer-songwriter and 4 Non Blondes frontwoman makes its streaming debut.
• Now You See Me: Now You Don’t (streaming on Prime Video): The third movie in the heist franchise steals its way onto the streaming platform.