Worth Watching: Finding ‘Soulmates,’ Damage Control on ‘Filthy Rich,’ A Town Hall for Biden
A selective critical checklist of notable Monday TV:
Soulmates (10/9c, AMC): Is there a science to the mystery we call love? A thought-provoking six-part anthology series starts with a tantalizing prospect: Imagine that some genius in the year 2023 discovers a “soul particle” that once isolated could match anyone up with their foolproof soulmate. Happy endings all around? Not necessarily. The emotionally charged opener, “Watershed,” has an ironic O. Henry vibe as happily married Nikki (Succession‘s first-rate Sarah Snook) and Franklin (The OA‘s appealing Kinglsey Ben-Adir) begin wondering, “When did we stop being the normal ones?” when everyone around them starts jumping into insta-relationships because the test told them to. Little by little, the confidence in their own union strains to look past the petty aggravations after 15 years of married life (and two rowdy daughters). “All married couples have to have ‘the talk’,” they’re advised. But can they survive it if they do?
Filthy Rich (9/8c, Fox): The Sunshine Network is reeling after the live baptism of “Jezebel” Ginger (Melia Kreiling) backfired into more scandal, so it’s once again up to embattled matriarch Margaret (the perfectly cast Kim Cattrall) to do damage control. “Blending our differences can be delicious,” she insists, when she invites her missing husband’s illegitimate offspring to appear on her Wings of a Dove talk show. What could possibly go wrong? Especially once the conniving Rev. Paul (Aaron Lazar) brings political fat cats and investors to sit in the front row to watch.
Decision 2020: Joe Biden Town Hall (8/7c, NBC): Maybe he can get a word in edgewise this time. Presidential nominee and former VP Joe Biden takes questions in a format similar to the next scheduled so-called debate, participating in a live town-hall discussion of the issues in Miami’s Pérez Art Museum. Lester Holt anchors, as Biden responds to a socially distanced audience of undecided voters from the battleground state. NBC has offered a similar opportunity to the president should circumstances allow.
Inside Monday TV: One Day at a Time‘s Justina Machado dances the salsa to “Que Viva La Vida” with pro Sasha, which promises to be a highlight of the latest round of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars… TLC feeds its 90 Day Fiancé gluttons well. After an hourlong Happily Ever After? Tell-All Part 3 special (8/7c), there apparently is even more to tell, because a new follow-up series, HEA Strikes Back! premieres immediately afterward (9/8c)… Investigation Discovery’s The Missing (9/8c) digs into stories of people who mysteriously vanished, leaving loved ones looking for answers… Through diaries and home movies, ID’s O.J. & Nicole: An American Tragedy (10/9c) looks beyond the infamous murder trial, 25 years after the controversial verdict, to give voice to Nicole Brown Simpson, the woman whose murder (along with Ron Goldman) and ensuing crusade for justice galvanized the nation in the 1990s.
