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Thursday 15
“Des” (Sundance Now streaming anytime) Baby-faced David Tennet (“Doctor Who”) gets cast seriously against type in this three-part docudrama about notorious London serial killer Dennis Nilsen.
“Sesame Street: The Power of We” (HBO Max streaming anytime) Muppet regulars Elmo and Abby Cadabby meet up with Gabrielle and her cousin Tamir for a one-hour special about racism. See, even kids know it’s wrong to treat people unfairly based on skin color … or fur color, as the case may be.
“A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote” (HBO Max streaming anytime) Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Rob Lowe, Dulé Hill, Bradley Whitford and other cast members of Aaron Sorkin’s “The West Wing” reunite after 17 years for a staged reading of the Season 3 episode “Hartsfield’s Landing.”
“Social Distance” (Netflix streaming anytime) Filmed in isolation, this eight-part “quarantine anthology” from creator Jenji Kohan (“Orange Is the New Black”) features “both dark and funny takes on how people strive to stay connected while staying apart.”
“Enemies of the People: Trump & the Press” (Vice 5:30pm) Journalists reflect on the last four years covering President Trump, who has frequently branded them an “enemy of the people.”
Friday 16
“Grand Army” (Netflix streaming anytime) This gritty teen drama follows five students at Grand Army High School in Brooklyn. It’s loosely based on SLUT: The Play by feminist playwright Katie Cappiello.
“Helstrom” (Hulu streaming anytime) Disney+ has been rabidly devouring all the Marvel shows in development on other networks, but it was unable to absorb this stray, a supernatural horror series about Damion and Ana Helstrom, the offspring of a powerful serial killer, who now hunt down demons. Like ya do. This “stand-alone” series is pretty loosely based on Marvel’s Marvel Spotlight Presents: Son of Satan comic, launched in 1973 to capitalize on the popularity of The Exorcist.
“La Révolution” (Netflix streaming anytime) Netflix’s newest French import teaches us all sorts of things about European history we never knew. For instance: During the French Revolution, future inventor of the guillotine Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin (played here by Amir El Kacem) uncovered a bizarre disease—called “Blue Blood”—which caused members of the aristocracy to become violent murderers.
Saturday 17
“Start-up” (Netflix streaming anytime) Like K-pop? How about some K-drama? A passionate young entrepreneur (Nam Joo-Hyuk) teams up with his first love (Suzy Bae from the K-pop group Miss A) to launch the next big tech start-up in Korea’s Silicon Valley.
David Byrne’s American Utopia (HBO 6pm) Spike Lee directs this concert/documentary which captures David Byrne’s hit Broadway musical of the same name.
“Holy CalamaVOTE” (Cartoon Network 1am) Adult Swim and Ben & Jerry’s team up to present a mini Run the Jewels concert, encouraging people to get out and vote. Among the special guests: Mavis Staples, Zach de la Rocha and Josh Homme.
Sunday 18
“Halloween Freakshow Cakes” (Food 8:30pm) OK, OK, calm down, Food Network. They’re just cakes. No matter how much moldable fondant you pile on to them.
Monday 19
“Murder Unboxed” (Quibi streaming anytime) For some inexplicable reason, Quibi’s new true crime series mimics popular online “unboxing” videos. Each episode cuts the tape and peels back the cardboard flaps on “outlandish” real-life crime scene evidence. A Samurai sword, a Playboy magazine and a toaster? How do these seemingly unconnected items reveal who done it and how?
Tuesday 20
“World Series Game 1” (KRQE-DT2 6pm) Covid regulations, fake crowd noise and a severely truncated season: It hasn’t been the finest year to be a sports fan. But here’s the World Series anyway.
Wednesday 21
537 Votes (HBO 7pm) With the 2020 presidential election looming, we might as well look back and try to figure out what the hell happened last time around. HBO gathers insiders and political operatives for this timely documentary discussing the circumstances surrounding the unprecedented, contested outcome of the 2000 U.S. presidential election.