Too Much TV: What You Should Be Watching This Weekend
Plus the funniest book about Hollywood you'll read this weekend.
Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Friday, June 6th 2025:
THE FUNNIEST BOOK ABOUT HOLLYWOOD YOU'LL READ THIS WEEKEND
I have wanting to highlight this book for awhile, but the coverage was pushed back during my recent health battles. But it feels as if this is a week where we could all use a laugh. And a great reading pick is Jon Hart's new book Unfortunately, I Was Available, which takes a jaundiced and battle weary look at what it's like to be a gig worker in the entertainment industry.
Here is a short excerpt from his experience of working as a background actor on season one of Mrs. Maisel:
When I’m called back to set, they place me in front of Maisel’s lead, Rachel Brosnahan, and her strapping date, a doctor, actor Zachary Levi. I don’t want to be in the forefront, as I’m wet and not camera-ready. But let’s be clear: I don’t know if I’ll ever be camera-ready. Ultimately, production agrees. After they shoot a take, they replace me, explaining that I’m too tall and that I’m blocking Rachel.
Instead, I’m placed in the way back, at the bar, ordering a beer—fine by me.
Actor Rufus Sewell, who plays an artist, is the star of the day. In our scene, Rufus stands atop the bar and recites a lengthy poem, which is actually portions of several different poems strung together. It’s an arduous soliloquy, and he must recite it verbatim while appearing inebriated. Frankly, it’s the toughest monologue I’ve witnessed in my BG travails.
By my estimation, Rufus does it quite well. But, of course, I’m background and don’t count.
You can read the entire Mrs. Maisel story here for free, courtesy of Jon.
And here's a link in case you'd like to order the book. I don't receive any money for it, I'm just trying to support another entertainment industry gig worker. I feel his pain.
HAS THE DEMONIZATION OF DEI BROUGHT A LOSS OF DIVERSITY IN HOLLYWOOD?
There are few TV critics or journalists who are as thoughtful about the medium as Eric Deggans. Sure, he is a guest host and writes for NPR. So the assumption would be that he isn't spending his time ranting about the unfairness on this season's Below Deck.
But Deggans has a keen sense of television's history and its failings. And even more importantly, he's not afraid to push network or studio executives to explain their position on having a more diverse cast. Or why the industry continues to struggle to create programming that speaks to the experiences of viewers who aren't white men.
In his newsletter
Carla Hay wrote a bracing story for the National Association of Black Journalists’ news website noting a long list of TV shows centered on Black characters which have been cancelled or will end this year, including Clean Slate (Prime Video), The Equalizer (CBS), Found (NBC), Harlem (Prime Video), How to Die Alone (Hulu), and The Irrational (NBC). Others, like CBS’ The Neighborhood, will end in the coming TV season.
There’s other troubling signs: A study by Samba TV found the diversity of non-white lead characters in shows dropped 7 percent from 2023 to 2024. A study by UCLA found that, even though streaming TV audiences are more female and want more diverse program topics, television showrunners, creators and lead actors still tend to be “predominantly white and male.” The Ankler noted an even steeper drop for TV shows with LGBTQ+ themes and characters, down 36% in 2024.
TWEET OF THE DAY
WHAT YOU SHOULD WATCH THIS WEEKEND
I see a lot of television critics complaining that the next couple of weeks are extremely slow and their isn't "anything good" premiering late in June. Granted, every critic has their own definition of "good." But despite that, there are a number of interesting shows premiering this week. They just may not be the high-profile shows that get covered by everyone.
So here are a few ideas for you, covering all sorts of genres:
The Survivors (Netflix)
If you watched the Australian series The Slap ten years ago or 2020's Stateless, you know what to expect from Tony Ayres. He is a master of unfurling the complicated ways grief and guilt and anger play in our lives. This adaptation of Jane Harper’s bestselling Australian crime novel is as much about the impact of murder as it is about the murder itself. The show explores the way crime can tear holes in people's souls, even though they seem to have somehow moved on.
It begins with a teenage boy Kieran (Ned Morgan), who is close to drowning during a storm. His older brother Finn (Remy Kidd) and Finn’s friend and crewman Toby (Talon Hooper) attempt a rescue, but die in the effort. Kieran survives and eventually leaves town for fifteen years. He returns with his new wife and child, hoping to introduce them to his parents. But not only is that a complicated effort, everyone in the small town remembers the deaths. And many of the residents blame Kieran. So when a young woman investigating the murders is killed herself, the town pivots quickly into a hotbed of suspicion, betrayal and red herrings.
The Survivors is ostensibly about murder and that thread of the story stands on its own. But it's just as much about the emotional costs of grief and how three mothers cope with losses they can barely acknowledge. The show is not a typical six-episode murder mystery and that's one of the my favorite things about the series.
Click for a look at the series trailer.
Phineas And Ferb (Disney)
If I had not had a son who was the age to enjoy this animated series when it first premiered, I'm not sure I would have watched it. Which would have been a shame, since Jeff Marsh and Dan Povenmire have created what is perhaps the best animated kids series of at least the last twenty years. While consistently cranking out original tunes so dipped in ear candy that Disney should have considered having them write the songs for the latest Wicked movie.
Season five premieres more than a dozen years after the season four finale and while the show has moved forward just a year in time, the premise is essentially the same. Stepbrothers Phineas Flynn (Vincent Martella) and Ferb Fletcher (David Errigo Jr.) enlist their friends Isbella (Alyson Stoner), Buford (Bobby Gaylor), and Baljeet (Maulik Pancholy) to help them create and build insanely improbable projects during their summer vacation. Their sister Candace (Ashley Tisdale) tries to reveal their escapades to their mother, which never quite seems to work out. And then there's the family’s pet platypus Perry, who leads a double life as a secret agent battling the evil scientist Dr. Doofenshmirtz (Dan Povenmore).
It is all just insanely fun and clever enough that you can watch it with your kids and all of you will be entertained. Phineas And Ferb premiered last night (Thursday) on the Disney Channel. But the entire season is available for bingeing on Hulu and Disney+.
Click here to see a video of the first segment of the new season.
Predator: Killer Of Killers (Hulu)
The Predator movie franchise has a bit of a quality control problem. Some films have been spectacular, while other flounder around trying to figure out how to make a fight between humans and alien killing machines seem even remotely fair. Dan Trachtenberg took over the franchise several years back and delivered an absolutely stellar film Prey in 2022. He's back with two Predator projects this year: a theatrical film and this animated movie for Hulu, which is essentially an anthology.
The movie follows the stories of three people from very different time periods who find themselves battling a Predator. That simple premise delivers a wonderfully fun film. The action sequences are impressive and it's fascinating to see how a Viking, Japanese feudal warrior and WWII pilot react to encountering something that is not only unknown to them, but deadly in ways they can't conceive.
The animation is quite realistic in a way that almost allows you to forget your watching an animated film. If you have any interest in a Predator movie, this is one you won't want to miss.
Click here to see a trailer for the movie.
KO (Netflix)
I am not going to argue that KO is a great action film. It is perfectly serviceable, with some sharp actions scenes and a couple of solid acting performances. But this Netflix original from French director Antoine Blossier is entertaining enough if you're looking for a film which will allow you to turn your brain off for 90 minutes. Ciryl Gane plays Bastien, a MMA fighter who accidentally kills an opponent in the ring. Two year's later, that fighter's widow contacts him to request he retrieve her son from a bad situation he has gotten himself into with local gangsters. The movie plays out pretty much the way you would expect. But that might be enough for you.
FROM MY SPONSORS
ODDS AND SODS
* I'm not saying that the new Fox "social survival competition series" The Snake isn't any good. But Fox sent out screeners late on Friday afternoon for a show that premieres Tuesday, June 10th. Even more importantly, the screener letter specifies the three enclosed episodes are "for informational purposes," which means critics can't formally review it ahead of the premiere. These are not the moves a network makes when it has faith in a new series.
* Nyaight Of The Living Cat premieres Sunday, July 6th on Crunchyroll. Here is the official logline, which to be honest makes the show pretty much a must-watch for me. Evil cats! Count me in: "Run! The adorable cats are here. In 20XX, the world is dominated by cats. A virus which turns anyone who touches a cat into a cat has spread into a worldwide nyandemic. Cats rub against people, turning them into cats. Can humanity fight their urge to pet cats to survive in this cat-ridden world?"
* The drama series The Hunting Wives is moving from Starz to Netflix, which will premiere the series on Monday, July 21st. This is one of those licensing situations that requires a bit of explanation. The series was produced by Lionsgate Television, and slated for Starz. It was completed last year, but Lionsgate elected to retain the show during the recent final split from Starz. The reason is that Starz saw the program as a limited series, but Lionsgate believed it could be an ongoing series. Starz has a marginal footprint outside of the U.S., so Lionsgate had already licensed the show in a number of territories globally. Netflix picked up the Starz rights to the show for a year and the hope is that it will be enough of a hit for both Netflix and the other partners to pick up a second season.
* Fox has canceled Alert: Missing Persons Unit after three seasons and The Cleaning Lady after four.
* A new season of Love Island USA Aftersun, the companion series to Love Island USA, premieres tomorrow, June 7th on Peacock. The series will have a new host, with Sophie Monk taking over for Maura Higgins.
* In a bit of a late-night news dump, Prime Video announced late Friday afternoon that it had canceled the Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino series Étoile. Amazon had originally given the series a two-season order, but apparently exercised its right to cancel the season after the modest ratings season one garnered in its first month.
WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND THIS WEEKEND
FRIDAY, JUNE 6TH:
BMF Season Premiere (Starz)
City Confidential Season Premiere (A&E)
Killer Cases Season Premiere (A&E)
K.O. (Netflix)
Late To The Party: Coming Out Later In Life (ABC)
LOL Live! (Hulu)
Mercy For None Series Premiere (Netflix)
Predator: Killer Of Killers (Hulu)
Resident Alien Season Four Premiere (Syfy/USA)
Secret Life Of My Other Wife (LMN)
Soaring To Life: The Making of How To Train Your Dragon (NBC)
Stanley Pup (truTV)
Straw (Netflix)
The Survivors (Netflix)
Wylde Pak Series Premiere (Nickelodeon)
SATURDAY, JUNE 7TH:
Good Night, And Good Luck (CNN)
Kidnapped By A Killer: The Heather Robinson Story (Lifetime)
Ocean With David Attenborough (NatGeo)
Storage Wars Season Premiere (A&E)
To Barcelona, With Love (Hallmark)
SUNDAY, JUNE 8TH:
Seduced By His Lies (Lifetime)
78th Annual Tony Awards (CBS)
The Wedding Contest (UP tv)
MONDAY, JUNE 9TH:
Art Detectives Series Premiere (Acorn TV)
BET Awards 2025 (BET)
Divorced Sistas Series Premiere (BET)
The Creature Cases Season Four Premiere (Netflix)
Virgins Series Premiere (TLC)
SEE YOU ON MONDAY!