Worth Watching: ‘Magnum’ Is Back, a ‘Simpsons’ Short, TCM Goes to ‘Oz’
A selective critical checklist of notable Friday TV:
Magnum P.I. (9/8c, CBS): While Hawaii Five-0 may be history, CBS isn’t giving up on the Aloha State, as the exotic private-eye reboot resumes its second season with a crisis that hits close to home. When Kumu (Amy Hill), the cultural curator of the Masters estate, is kidnapped by an injured man she believes has been wrongly accused of murdering his wife, it’s up to Magnum (Jay Hernandez) and Higgins (Perdita Weeks) to clear his name, find the killer and rescue their friend. All in an hour.
Maggie Simpson in Playdate with Destiny (streaming on Disney+): Another treat for the stay-at-home audience from the Disney streamer, which a week ago made the animated hit Onward available for early access. This charming Simpsons short was released in theaters as a prelude to Onward, featuring little Maggie as she falls for a fellow infant who rescues her from playground danger. (This was a follow-up to the Oscar-nominated Maggie Simpson in The Longest Daycare, which will join the Disney+ lineup later this month.)
The Wizard of Oz (8/7c, Turner Classic Movies): So many of us are all too aware that there’s no place like home these days, and this 1939 musical fantasy classic is a perfect tonic for those seeking an escape. (When people ask me where to turn for relief, TCM is always one of my first recommendations.) Judy Garland goes “over the rainbow” to the magical Oz, kicking off a night devoted to “Fantasy Lands.” It’s followed by 1940’s The Blue Bird (10/9c), an unsuccessful Shirley Temple vehicle intended to cash in on the success of Oz — and legend has it that Shirley was the studio’s first choice for Dorothy — and 1968’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (11:45/10:45), with Dick Van Dyke navigating a magical flying car.
On the Stream: If it’s Friday, there must be a ton of streaming premieres. Among the highlights: On Disney+, A Celebration of the Music from Coco, which goes behind the scenes of a musical concert production of the Oscar-winning animated hit at the Hollywood Bow… Netflix movies include the rom-com fantasy Love Wedding Repeat, starring Sam Claflin and Olivia Munn, in which alternate versions of a farcical wedding play out Groundhog Day-style; and The Main Event, a wrestling fantasy about an 11-year-old (Seth Carr) who finds a mask giving him enough super-strength to enter a WWE competition. … Netflix’s comedy series Brews Brothers, from producer brothers Greg Schaffer (That 70s Show) and Jeff Schaffer (Curb Your Enthusiasm), stars Alan Aisenberg and Mike Castle as squabbling siblings who run a brewery together, but not without conflicts coming to a head.
Inside Friday TV: On VH1’s Emmy-winning RuPaul’s Drag Race (8/7c), Madonna is back in vogue as the contestants vie to see who’ll be the lucky star in a Madonna-themed musical. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez takes a break from Congress to sit in as a guest judge… A toy gun from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is one of the artifacts perused on History’s Pawn Stars (10/9c)… HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher (10/9c) welcomes an eclectic lineup of guests including New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, former VP Al Gore and comedian Nikki Glaser. Remotely, naturally
