‘Atypical’ on Netflix, TV Stands Up to Cancer, ‘Harrow’ on Hulu
A critical checklist of notable Friday TV:
Atypical (streaming on Netflix): This lovely, heartbreakingly funny series, now in its second season, is too good to get lost in the relentless surge of Netflix programming. If you haven’t discovered it, you’re in for a treat. Keir Gilchrist is sensational in his poignant awkwardness as Sam, an 18-year-old high-schooler on the autistic spectrum who’s struggling to process all of the change in his life. Protective sister Casey (Brigette Lundy-Paine) has nervously decamped to a ritzy prep school on an athletic scholarship, he is no longer allowed to see his favorite therapist, Julia (Amy Okuda), and at home, mom Elsa and dad Doug (Jennifer Jason Leigh and Michael Rapaport, both never better) have split, with a deeply hurt Doug refusing to forgive Elsa for her transgressions. The very literal and painfully honest Sam cocoons himself in streaming video of penguins in Antarctica, but circumstances keep forcing him to interact with and try to understand the “neurotypicals” in his midst. Chances are you’ll fall for him, his family and friends. Don’t miss it.
Another wave of Netflix premieres includes a second season of the critically panned Marvel series Iron Fist, and the high-school rom-com Sierra Burgess Is a Loser, starring Stranger Things’ Shannon Purser in a twist on the classic Cyrano gambit, in which a smart misfit teams with a popular classmate (Kristine Froseth) to impress her crush.
Stand Up to Cancer (8/7c, many networks, streaming live on Hulu): The annual fundraising special, spotlighting cancer research, marks 10 years since the first telecast, and once again brings out a galaxy of movie and TV stars to spread the word. Musical headliners include Stevie Wonder, Little Big Town and Charlie Wilson.
Harrow (streaming on Hulu): Fan favorite Ioan Gruffudd (Forever) returns in a hit Australian series as forensic pathologist Dr. Daniel Harrow, who goes to unconventional extremes to solve bizarre cases and bring closure to the silent witnesses he oversees. But a secret from his past forces him to use all of his skills to keep a crime buried for the sake of his family and career. Harrow has been renewed for a second season to air in 2019, and later stream on Hulu.
Inside Friday TV: ABC’s hidden-camera What Would You Do? (9/8c) tackles the current controversy over athletes taking a knee during the national anthem in protest of racial injustice. The scenario involves separate instances of a black and white football player telling a coach (all actors) of his intent to kneel, filmed in Kentucky and the Bronx to gauge different reactions… A good time will be had by all demon-hunters on Syfy’s Wynonna Earp (9/8c), because it’s Date Night in Purgatory … PBS’s American Masters continues its “Artists Flight” series of documentaries about noted visual artists with back-to-back premieres: Everybody Knows… Elizabeth Murray (9/8c, check local listings at pbs.org) profiles the maverick painter and printmaker, with Meryl Streep reading from her journals. Followed by Wyeth (10/9c, check local listings at pbs.org), which examines the controversial work and life of Andrew Wyeth.
Where to Stream
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Conversation20 Comments
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Jena questions the "TV Insider video just above these comments"...(I'm seeing a "6 Actors Who Shattered The Glass Ceiling..." thingy)…
I have a DIFFERENT question: What does the "What do you think?"...with Upvote, Funny, Love etc. buttons...refer to?
Is it a rating for the video above it...or for THIS page/article...or (unlikely) for these Comments???
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Those are Disqus' new "Reactions" which are like emojis for the comment section. I guess you're supposed to use them to rate the article...I'd rather use my words.
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Last night I watched PBS's Dionne Warwick special. What a treat seeing all of those performances. A true living legend. She is ranked # 2 after the great Aretha Franklin in regards to the most charted singles in the last century by a solo female artist. Impressive indeed.
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Not much to watch tonight. Father Brown's over for the season, so I guess it's just reruns for me.
BTW, is it just me, or is everyone seeing, on this page, just above these comments, a "TV Insider video"? It's new within the past couple of weeks. I hope it goes away soon.
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I see an A-Team video. Does it slow down your computer?
I have nothing to watch until Monday's Salvation.
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What did you think of this week's Salvation? Any thoughts or predictions? And what about Burden of Truth? Am I crazy or is this week the first we're hearing about this Joe Cool Mr. Popularity kid at the school who killed himself? And to suggest that his suicide brought on the symptoms that a VARIETY of girls exhibit (all presenting in the same way) is like saying it's witchcraft... really put me in mind of Salem and the power of susceptibility. That would be pretty demeaning to teenage girls everywhere.
As for the ad... mine is like a Gif that asks you to click for more info. Right now it says "6 Actors who Shattered the Glass Ceiling at the Emmys. Let's go."
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You never can tell what will happen when it comes to Salvation. I guess the part of the earth will be destroyed and if renewed they will focus on the struggles on earth and the space craft for the ones who opt to leave. Is there really any way of them knowing what section of the earth will be obliterated? Very tense show for sure. Love it so much. I know a renewal is very unlikely, but these days live ratings don't mean as much, especially in summer.
Now with Burden of Truth, I'm not sure if that boy who committed suicide had anything to do with all of those girls having that illness. Seems unlikely.
I was thinking he has sexual relations with each and he transmitted a disease. And knowing this he committed suicide. Just a hunch. But the toxic waste in the ground at the school field seems more likely. But why don't boys or coaches get affected? This mystery is extremely complex.
To me, Burden of Truth seems more like a regular season show. It's not light enough for summer. The quality of the acting, writing and production values are all very good.
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According to hints in the previews, it sounds like Darius is thinking of taking the spaceship up by himself and crashing it into the asteroid to deflect it.
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Yeah, I think the "all in their head/psychological" thing on Burden of Truth is just a red herring. It's going to be debunked at some point. Otherwise the whole series is pointless, as there will be nobody at fault, nobody to sue, and the "good guys" have wasted a lot of time and money. From a TV perspective, that's just stupid, so it's obviously not going to end up being the case. There will probably be some new information or new person affected, and blow that theory out of the water.
As for the field... it was mentioned in the first episode or two that the boys' sports get all the good things, the good new stadium,etc., and the girls' sports get stuck with some lousy unkempt field that was donated. That explains why no boys have been affected by the illness. (Doesn't explain about coaches, although maybe because they stand off to the side of the field most of the time....)
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That's a tremendous sacrifice and he would be the ultimate martyr.
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I'm surprised he doesn't have the technology to send the ship unmanned!
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He probably does, but they need some ridiculous reason to put his life in danger again.
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That's what makes this show so much fun! I love when Jena rips it apart like she did with Designated Survivor.
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Salvation...NO question at all...with 1,000 SWAT police running around with rifles, helmets and bullet-proof suits...Grace just nonchalantly walks through them in a business suit (with no gun/helmet/bullet-proof suit) with her hands in the air!!??!!
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That's how I took it, too. That's why I said (somewhere) that the hacker woman is probably going to volunteer to do it herself, since she (probably) helped build the ship, and she thinks her life is over now that she's been kicked out of Re/Syst.
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She's more likely to sneak onto it and just take it.
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Just Killjoys again for me, and that's ok because I've got a lot of recorded programs to watch.
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Did you watch Take Two yet?
Spoiler Alert!
At the very beginning in the art gallery, when the expensive painting was stolen, where was it exactly? The projector was installed by the owner for security purposes. So the whole time that painting was stored somewhere else? The projector was a ruse for thieves. I'm confused.
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The real painting was hanging on the wall before the theft. The thief installed the projector when they upgraded the security system 2 weeks before they got the painting. Then, the thief turned the projection on when she stole the painting so they wouldn't notice the painting was missing right away.
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Thank! Didn't realize the thieves were involved in the security. How ironic! I guess that is a common tactic.
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