Fantasy Epic ‘Shadow and Bone’ Drops, ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ Finale, ‘Romeo & Juliet’ Goes Modern, ‘Big Shot’ Adapts to High School

Season Premiere

The entire first season of this new fantasy-with-a-side-of-steampunk series drops today and you’re going to want to clear your schedule for the weekend so you can binge it. Based on the books by Leigh Bardugo, it takes place in a magical fictional land where a cartographer named Alina discovers she has the powers of a Grisha – a witch. And not just any power, but that of a Sun Summoner, which no one has ever seen before and has been prophesied to be able to destroy the Fold. The Fold is a curtain of darkness, inhabited by monsters, that divides the country of Ravka down the middle, making their continued existence a constant struggle, and keeping them at war with their neighbors. As Alina reckons with her new powers, she has to learn how to use them while also trying to figure out who to trust as many target her. Keep an eye on the Crows (Freddy Carter, Amita Suman, Kit Young), a quirky trio of outlaws with their own plans, and the most fun and interesting characters in the series.

Season Finale

The finale to this Marvel six-part series is already here, and there’s a lot that needs to be wrapped up. Where we last left Sam and Bucky (Sebastian Stan), Sam was preparing to finally take up the mantle and become the next Captain America. Now that he’s got those sweet new moves with the shield, and fancy suit the Bucky got him from the Wakandans, he’s going to have his work cut out for him his first week on the job. John Walker (Wyatt Russell), after being fired from his short-lived stint as the new Cap, is out for blood for Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman), and with his own shield too (if you missed that mid-credits scene from last episode where he forges it, go back and watch it now). Karli and her Flag Smashers meanwhile have their own, probably deadly, plan to stop the vote at the GRC conference that could deport all refugees. We’ll also likely see the return of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s Valentina, and learn how she fits into things, as well as a possible reveal of who the Power Broker is. So there’s a lot that has to happen in this final episode, but we’re sure Sam and Bucky are up to the challenge!

9/8c

With theater largely closed due to the pandemic, you can bring the experience to you with this series of filmed performances. This installment is a contemporary rendering of Shakespeare’s tale of star-crossed lovers in Verona, Romeo & Juliet, starring Golden Globe winner Josh O’Conner (The Crown) and Jessie Buckley (Fargo). The production was directed by Shakespeare Theatre Company Artistic Director Simon Godwin, and was shot over the course of 17 days at London’s National Theatre.

In this new feel-good series Full House’s John Stamos is a shamed NCAA basketball coach job who takes a job at an all-girls private school and learns to be a better person. In last week’s premiere, Stamos’s Marvyn tries to amp up the girls’ practices – he already started doing this in episode 1 with two-a-day practices – but faces pushback from the school’s faculty. As already established, Marvyn doesn’t know anything about coaching within the world of high school, and how his team manages to balance basketball with a heavy school workload is just one more lesson he’s going to have to learn.

Inside Friday TV:

• For All Mankind (streaming on Apple TV+): On the season 2 finale, the situation on the moon becomes untenable as tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union become worse than ever, and multiple missions are dangerously affected.
• The Blacklist (8/7c, NBC): How does Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone) wind up working with a powerful enemy? This retrospective episode retraces all the steps that lead to this wild turn of events.
• Van Helsing (10/9c, Syfy): It’s all hands on deck to kill the Dark One (Tricia Helfer), including Jack (Nicole Muñoz) teaming up with her once sworn enemy, who provides a dangerous weapon to the Van Helsings that might do the trick. Using this weapon though won’t come without a price, and the consequences could be dire.
• A Black Lady Sketch Show (11/10c, HBO): This Emmy nominated six-part sketch comedy series that features Black women living hilarious, relatable experiences is back for season 2.