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