Worth Watching: Olympians on ‘The Weight of Gold,’ Netflix Profiles ‘Speed Cubers,’ ‘Bulletproof’ Finale

Bulletproof
© Sky UK Limited
Bulletproof

The Weight of Gold (9/8, HBO): If not for the pandemic, we’d all be immersed in coverage of the Tokyo Summer Olympics this week. Anyone interested in the games, and in particular the Olympians who make the spectacle so memorable, will find this documentary, narrated by swimming superstar Michael Phelps (also an executive producer), very timely. Gold addresses the mental-health challenges faced by Olympians as they deal with the emotional toll of exceptional athleticism and the adjustment to post-Olympic life. Among those joining Phelps to share their personal stories: Shaun White, Bode Miller, Lolo Jones, Sasha Cohen and David Boudia.

The Speed Cubers (streaming on Netflix): A much quirkier form of competition plays out in a documentary film following young experts with a very specific skill set: working Rubik’s cubes in record time. Speed Cubers focuses on the rivalry and friendship of two of the world’s best: 17-year-old Max Park and 23-year-old Feliks Zemdegs.

Bulletproof (9/8c, The CW): The second-season finale of the British buddy-cop crime drama finds maverick detectives Bishop (Noel Clarke, who co-wrote the episode) and Pike (Ashley Walters) going off book — so what else is new — as the team sets out to take down the Markides crime family for good. Things go sideways — again, business as usual — when Deputy Director Cockridge (Lee Ross) interferes.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (10/9c, ABC): Still reeling from the tragedy of Enoch’s (Joel Stoffer) sacrifice, which saved the S.H.I.E.L.D. team from the time storm, they land back in 1983, where an army of hand-picked anarchist Inhumans are being built. On a more personal note, Daisy (Chloe Bennet) decides to confront her mother for the first time since her death.

Inside Wednesday TV: The INSP docuseries The Cowboy Way (9/8c) returns for a seventh season, with Bubba, Cody and Booger reuniting to expand their business, which means partnering with top cattlemen in Florida and Alabama… The latest British import to hit Hulu: Ladhood, a six-episode coming-of-age comedy starring Liam Williams (Back to Life), who adapts his BBC radio show which reflects on his misspent adolescence to better understand how it shaped his adult personality… The season finale of truTV’s delightfully deranged At Home with Amy Sedaris (10/9c) celebrates New Year’s with oh so many balloons, and a guest appearance by Paul Rudd.




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  1. R

    RedElephant

    Fred...I was disappointed to find myself "giving up" on AoS 2-3 weeks ago...

    After watching only intermittently over its previous seasons...there were just too many references to past events/characters for me to be able to fully "understand" it...(even with the Recaps here and on TvFanatic)...

    [But I did find the humorous banter and frequent witty repartees almost Wynonna Earp level.]

    1. O

      OliveHelmet

      Yes, it can be a bit confusing. Of course if you have any questions about characters or plot points you could always ask me and I'll be more than happy to explain to the best of my ability.

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  2. O

    OliveHelmet

    ABC all night , first the comedies and capping off the evening with Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

  3. B

    BlueSword

    The ABC comedies didn’t air last night instead a Regis (RIP) Retrospective/ Memorial special was on in their place. Well done, considering the man passed over the weekend . ABC is usually first out with these last minute posthumous specials . I can vividly recall watching the Debbie Reynolds,Carrie Fisher , Michael Jackson , Whitney Houston, Prince and Kobe Bryant specials very shortly after their deaths. It’s as if ABC has all the material needed for every star waiting to be released .

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  4. J

    Jena

    The season finale of Bulletproof for me. I know the ratings for this show probably aren't good, and it's ignored by the "critics," but I've enjoyed it.

    1. B

      BlueSword

      Ratings for most scripted shows this summer have been abysmal. Hopefully ratings will tick up again once the new season launches (whenever that will be).

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      1. J

        Jena

        Yeah, I'm sure all TV viewership has gone down the proverbial drain. Even so, ratings for Bulletproof is probably at the bottom. It really isn't the usual CW fare, so I'm not too surprised it hasn't found an audience there.

        BTW, saw a piece on the news this morning about how Tyler Perry has gotten production of some of his shows going during the pandemic. It takes a lot of work and precautions, but at least he's getting something done.

        1. R

          RedElephant

          The Bold and the Beautiful has had NEW episodes for the past 2 (3?) weeks...so some progress is being made with some shows...

          1. B

            BlueSword

            General Hospital returns next week. Hopefully we will have some semblance of a new season. Likely will launch in 2021 unfortunately . Although CW and FOX wisely saved some pre COVID scripted shows for the Fall.

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          2. J

            Jena

            I didn't know that, I know the fans must be glad. I was wondering why some shows haven't started filming via green screen. Each actor can be filmed separately (from home or wherever) and then all the parts added together. I don't know how that would look when put all together, but I'm sure it can be done, to some degree.

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        2. O

          OliveHelmet

          Tyler Perry films in Atlanta , so perhaps they are have more liberal rules . Some of the daytime soap operas are resuming.

          Yes, :I checked Bulletproof's ratings and they are as you suspected (dead last). Encouraging to see TV INSIDER granting Bulletproof the headline picture and description of tonight's season finale. Some sites and magazines only focus on hit shows and virtually ignore low rated programs. Not TV GUIDE magazine and this site.

          1. J

            Jena

            If I'm not mistaken, Georgia is one of the states with a high increase in virus cases, so that's why I was surprised at Perry's efforts. But they seem very structured and organized, and (so far) successful. He's going to start the process over again for one of his other series this weekend.

            1. R

              RedElephant

              New cases!!!...new cases!!!...that's what the news stations incessantly report...

              But if you focus on Hospitalizations Due to Covid...AND...Deaths From (not just With) Covid...they're FALLING in almost every State...

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                OliveHelmet

                My comment was deleted about there being bias in the media to keep the narrative negative ( until the election of course)

                On to more entertaining subjects. Are you up to date with AoS? Last week was considered the best of the season.

                I can't wait for the new TV season to start, miss having lots of great shows to watch.

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