From Muppets to murderers, sharks to catfish, a new Star Trek to a new-to-America comedy game show, there are a number of things headed to a TV near you in the next couple of weeks.
Here are 10 things worth checking out:
Helter Skelter: An American Myth (premieres Sunday, July 26, at 11 p.m.on Epix) Its been almost three years since Charles Manson died at the age of 83 and 51 years since his followers murdered nine people but the fascination with the man and his crimes continues. This six-episode docu-series tells the story of Mansons life and the murders, and features interviews with former members of the so-called Manson family.
Epix promises that it will will upend what people think they know about Manson and the murders, and cast an entirely new light on this crime of the century. Thats not altogether true. If youve read any of the books or seen any of the umpteen TV productions (both documentaries and dramas) about Manson, this will all be familiar.
If you dont know a lot about the man, his followers and their crimes and plenty of Americans werent born when actress Sharon Tate and eight others were killed Helter Skelter: An American Myth is more than enough to fill you in.
The title isnt great, however. Yes, Manson has been mythologized over the years. But his crimes were real they werent a myth.
Wynonna Earp (returns Sunday, 11 p.m., Syfy) This weird Western/horror/supernatural series and cult favorite in which the great-great-granddaughter of Wyatt Earp fights reincarnated bad guys returns for its fourth season sort of. The series was in production when the coronavirus pandemic broke out, forcing an end to filming. And that came after a long delay as the result of financial trouble at the production company. (The last new episode aired 22 months ago.)
Apparently, half of 12 planned episodes were completed; the rest will air maybe next year sometime?
Maxxx (starts streaming Wednesday on Hulu) This import from the U.K. stars O. T. Fagbenle (The Handmaids Tale) as a former member of a boy band trying to launch a solo career a number of years after falling into obscurity.
Maxxx is a thoroughly terrible person a foul-mouthed narcissist with no redeeming qualities and the laughs come at his expense. Along with a lot of cringing. It is, in a way, reminiscent of Absolutely Fabulous.
Christopher Meloni who will return to his SVU role as Elliott Stabler in the spinoff Law & Order: Organized Crime plays Maxxxs manager.
In My Skin (starts streaming Thursday, July 30, on Hulu) It took a while, but this acclaimed 2018 British drama has finally made it to America. Its a coming-of-age story centering on a Welsh teenager, 16-year-old Bethan (Gabrielle Creevy), whos trying to navigate life and keep her troubled home life her mother is bipolar hidden from her classmates.
Its not exactly a happy story, but it will definitely tug at your heart.
In My Skin won the 2019 BAFTA (the British Oscar/Emmy) as best drama, and Creevy won as best actress.
Muppets Now (starts streaming Friday, July 31, on Disney+) This new six-episode series is, believe or not, unscripted. Well, dont believe that. Its clearly scripted, albeit with, perhaps, some improvisation from time to time.
It casts the Muppets in several genres, some of which recur from episode to episode. The first installment features Lifesty with Miss Piggy. (Get it?) Theres a profile of Kermit the Frog in Muppet Masters. (Turns out hes a photobomber.) The Swedish Chef stars in a you guessed it! cooking show titled Okey Dokey Kookin. (And wait till you see him face off with Danny Trejo in Episode 2.) And in Mup Close and Personal, Kermit interviews RuPaul. (That goes off the rails when Gonzo, Miss Piggy and others join in.)
Episode 2 introduces viewers to Pepes Unbelievable Game Show headlined by Pepe the King Prawn. (Its insane.) And Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker host Muppet Labs Field Test. (Also insane.)
Reviews of Muppets Now are embargoed until July 27, but I dont think Disney will mind if I tell you that I was amused and I occasionally laughed out loud.
Taskmaster (debuts Sunday, Aug. 2, at 8 p.m. on The CW/Ch. 30) This totally bizarre, utterly hilarious British series is new to America, but its been airing in the U.K. since 2015. And its sort of hard to describe.
A group of British comedians perform a series of strange tasks assigned by Greg Davies (the Taskmaster) and administered by his assistant, Alex Horne. The first episode involves powerful smells, a search for a baby monitor, homemade ventriloquist dummies, sneaking up on Horne, and peeling a banana with your feet. And its way funnier than that sounds.
Davies assigns points for various tasks, and theres a winner in each episode but that doesnt really matter. Its all about the comedy.
The CW bought the rights to Seasons 8 and 9, a total of 20 episodes. Once you tune in and get addicted, heres a bonus the first 52 episodes are available on YouTube.
Elizabeth Smart: Finding Justice (Sunday, Aug. 2, at 8 p.m. on Lifetime) In this hourlong special, Smart interviews Candra Torres who, as a teenage bride in the 1970s, was kidnapped and brainwashed by the man who murdered her husband. She was a victim of Stockholm syndrome when few people had even heard that term.
Smart who was also kidnapped as a teenager does a great job in the interview, relating to Torres in a way that not much of anybody else could.
The hourlong Finding Justice airs after the premiere of the TV movie A Murder to Remember (6 p.m., Lifetime), which is based on Ann Rules recounting of Torres story in her book Empty Promises.
Star Trek: Lower Decks (starts streaming Thursday, Aug. 6, on CBS All Access) The second animated Trek series is a lot different from the first. Not only is TV animation light years beyond what it was in 1974, but this is a comedy about junior officers on the U.S.S. Cerritos, one of the least important vessels in Starfleet.
Its coming to us from executive producer Mike McMahan, who was a writer/producer on Rick and Morty.
I can make one prediction with 100% confidence: A good-sized contingent of Trekkers are going to hate Lower Decks, because they dont have a sense of humor about the franchise.
Is it actually funny? I have no comment yet reviews are embargoed until Aug. 6, the day the show premieres.
Catfish: The TV Show (returns Wednesday, Aug. 5, at 9 p.m. on MTV) This addictive reality show features investigations into online relationships that may be what they seem but mostly are not, because one person is catfishing the other. In other words, pretending to be someone he/she is not.
Its amazing that, after 146 episodes, there are still so many catfish out there. And Season 9 will be different from all that have gone before, because hosts Nev Schulman and Kamie Crawford will be doing all their investigating and confronting of catfish virtually, what with the pandemic.
If it seems crazy that the catfish would agree to go online and be identified, remember that theyve been doing it in person since 2012.
Shark Week (Sunday, Aug. 9 through Sunday, Aug. 16, Discovery) This has been an annual event since 1988, featuring a mix of science, entertainment and lets be honest here dopey, dubious fun. The full schedule isnt out yet, but we do know that this years lineup will include Tyson vs. Jaws: Rumble on the Beach.
Yes, were being told that former boxing champion Mike Tyson will try to score a TKO over the massive shark when the two heavyweights square off underwater. And were assured that no sharks were harmed (or bitten) in the making of this episode.
Is Tyson really going to box a massive shark? I doubt it. There will be some kind of a twist. There always is.
Will it be fun? It just might be.
Read more:
Muppets, murderers and a new 'Star Trek' are among 10 things to watch on TV - Salt Lake Tribune
- What Pepe The Frog's Death Can Teach Us About ... - NPR.org [Last Updated On: February 11th, 2018] [Originally Added On: February 11th, 2018]
- The Truth About Pepe The Frog And The Cult Of Kek [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2018] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2018]
- Heat Street Apologizes for Saying Pepe the Frog Isn't Anti ... [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2018] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2018]
- Pep Le Pew - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: September 28th, 2018] [Originally Added On: September 28th, 2018]
- Amazon.com: Pepe Scream: Appstore for Android [Last Updated On: February 20th, 2019] [Originally Added On: February 20th, 2019]
- Zara Loses Its Skirt Over Pepe the Frog - The New York Times [Last Updated On: February 25th, 2019] [Originally Added On: February 25th, 2019]
- An Obituary For The Painfully Misunderstood Pepe The Frog ... [Last Updated On: March 29th, 2019] [Originally Added On: March 29th, 2019]
- Pepe the Frog - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: March 29th, 2019] [Originally Added On: March 29th, 2019]
- I 'stormed' Area 51 and it was even weirder than I imagined - The Guardian [Last Updated On: September 28th, 2019] [Originally Added On: September 28th, 2019]
- What the uncanceling of Pepe the Frog just for HK protests, though tells us about US media - RT [Last Updated On: September 28th, 2019] [Originally Added On: September 28th, 2019]
- How the alt-right co-opted the OK hand sign to fool the media - The Guardian [Last Updated On: October 3rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: October 3rd, 2019]
- The 'OK' Hand Gesture Is Now Listed As A Symbol Of Hate - NPR [Last Updated On: October 3rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: October 3rd, 2019]
- Pepe the protest frog? Hong Kong kids aren't alt-right - FRANCE 24 [Last Updated On: October 3rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: October 3rd, 2019]
- Why Joker is unlikely to inspire real-world violence - Vox.com [Last Updated On: October 16th, 2019] [Originally Added On: October 16th, 2019]
- How Area 51 memes enticed a generation to Naruto run at a military base - The Independent [Last Updated On: November 12th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 12th, 2019]
- Theater Review: The Slow Launch and Rapid Rise of Dr. Rides American Beach House - Vulture [Last Updated On: November 12th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 12th, 2019]
- Inside the extreme right-wings plan to take over campus conservatism - Raw Story [Last Updated On: November 12th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 12th, 2019]
- Hong Kong and Cartoons: Art and Its Influence in the Pro-Democracy Protests - The Bagpipe [Last Updated On: November 12th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 12th, 2019]
- How Donald Trump Jr. Landed Smack in the Middle of a Right-Wing Civil War - The Daily Beast [Last Updated On: November 12th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 12th, 2019]
- Trump, Israel and anti-Semitism: How white nationalists are rattling the American right - Haaretz [Last Updated On: December 2nd, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 2nd, 2019]
- Hong Kongers mark half year protest anniversary with huge rally - Capital FM Kenya [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2019]
- Our Top 5 Fav Memes From The Decade - 5Why [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2019]
- Worst tweet of the decade was the Vita Coco urine tweet - Business Insider [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2019]
- Overwhelming illustrations put the internet in your eyeballs - Fast Company [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2019]
- Decade list: Top trends and memes - UNR The Nevada Sagebrush [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2019]
- White Power Hand Signal Used During Army-Navy Game - West Point, Annapolis Investigating - Jim Heath TV [Last Updated On: December 18th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 18th, 2019]
- Alexander the Bot: The Twitter War for the Macedonian Soul - Balkan Insight [Last Updated On: December 18th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 18th, 2019]
- Ive Been Reporting From the Front Lines of the Hong Kong Protests. Heres What It Taught Me About the Power of Art - artnet News [Last Updated On: December 18th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 18th, 2019]
- From sexting to politics: How emoji evolved this decade - The Next Web [Last Updated On: December 18th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 18th, 2019]
- The memes that defined the 2010s - Vox.com [Last Updated On: December 18th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 18th, 2019]
- When the O.K. Sign Is No Longer O.K. - The New York Times [Last Updated On: December 18th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 18th, 2019]
- The hope of Chanukah - The Spectator USA [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2019]
- The Top 10 Memes That Defined the Decade - Highsnobiety [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2019]
- We wish we'd written that: STAT staffers share their favorite stories of 2019 - STAT [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2019]
- Hide the Pain Harold is the meme of the decade (according to Imgur) - The Next Web [Last Updated On: January 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 16th, 2020]
- Sorry Racist Friend, That MLK Quote You Posted Yesterday Meant Nothing Coming From You - Moms [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2020]
- Hong Kong rings in Chinese New Year with protest-themed gifts - Quartz [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2020]
- Big premieres in the Big Sky: 149 films at Big Sky Film Fest - Montana Kaimin [Last Updated On: February 13th, 2020] [Originally Added On: February 13th, 2020]
- Sundance: Feels Good Man charts a path of redemption for Pepe - TechCrunch [Last Updated On: February 13th, 2020] [Originally Added On: February 13th, 2020]
- Pepe the Frog - adl.org [Last Updated On: February 13th, 2020] [Originally Added On: February 13th, 2020]
- The 1975s New Meme-Heavy Video Will Make You Feel 1,000 Years Old - Vulture [Last Updated On: February 24th, 2020] [Originally Added On: February 24th, 2020]
- What is the 'boogaloo'? How online calls for a violent uprising are hitting the mainstream - NBC News [Last Updated On: February 24th, 2020] [Originally Added On: February 24th, 2020]
- Civil war talk takes on a life of its own as far-right extremists coalesce around the Boogaloo - AlterNet [Last Updated On: February 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: February 29th, 2020]
- SXSW Review: 'Feels Good Man' documents the rise of Pepe the Frog - Vanyaland [Last Updated On: March 24th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 24th, 2020]
- Meme of The Decade - The Banner Newspaper [Last Updated On: March 24th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 24th, 2020]
- 10 ways to spot online misinformation - The Conversation US [Last Updated On: March 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 31st, 2020]
- AFLW star Tayla Harris and the kick that ignited the trolls - then punted them to the sidelines - The Age [Last Updated On: April 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 26th, 2020]
- How Pepe the Frog Became a Nazi Trump Supporter and Alt ... [Last Updated On: April 27th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 27th, 2020]
- What Does Pepe the Frog Mean? | Memes by Dictionary.com [Last Updated On: April 27th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 27th, 2020]
- Boogaloo Extremists, Banned From Facebook, and the Hawaiian Shirt - The New York Times [Last Updated On: July 7th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 7th, 2020]
- Incels: Alienated Men And Violence In The Digital Age - Rantt Media [Last Updated On: July 7th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 7th, 2020]
- Drive-In Film Fest Has Debut - Micromedia Publications [Last Updated On: July 7th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 7th, 2020]
- Qiana Di Bari, Owner of Sale Pepe in Lahaina, On Racism in the Food Business and Why She Feels At Home On Maui - HONOLULU Magazine [Last Updated On: July 7th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 7th, 2020]
- Inside 'Boogaloo' movement 'armed to the teeth' and calling for overthrow of US - Daily Star [Last Updated On: July 11th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 11th, 2020]
- What is frog TikTok, and why does it so often cross over with lesbian TikTok? - Metro.co.uk [Last Updated On: July 14th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 14th, 2020]
- The Rundown: July 16, 2020 - Multiversity Comics [Last Updated On: July 17th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 17th, 2020]
- There's a documentary on the way about Pepe the Frog - entertainment.ie [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Most Googled things by US states over past 10 years including Kim Kardashian, Baby Shark and Fortnite - The Sun [Last Updated On: July 22nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 22nd, 2020]
- Disney Plus "Muppets Now" Zoom Video Call With Kermit the Frog And Friends - We Are Movie Geeks [Last Updated On: July 22nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 22nd, 2020]
- Pepe the Frog Creator Tries to Reclaim Meme in Feels Good Man Doc Trailer - Rolling Stone [Last Updated On: July 22nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 22nd, 2020]
- 'Feels Good Man' Will Try To Save Pepe The Frog, The Innocent Cartoon That Became A Hate Symbol - esquire.com [Last Updated On: July 22nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 22nd, 2020]
- What Does The "Pepe The Frog" Meme Mean? | YourTango [Last Updated On: July 25th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 25th, 2020]
- Trailer for Award-Winning Doc FEELS GOOD MAN Takes Viewers on an Artist's Journey to Reclaim His Creation 'Pepe the Frog' - GeekTyrant [Last Updated On: July 27th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 27th, 2020]
- How 'Pepe the Frog' went from harmless to hate symbol ... [Last Updated On: July 27th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 27th, 2020]
- Pepe the Frog - Dictionary.com [Last Updated On: July 27th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 27th, 2020]
- Young Men, Alienation and Violence in the Digital Age - Fair Observer [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Muppets Now: Together Again, With a Touch of Amnesia - Rolling Stone [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Former Overwatch Pro Silkthread Reveals Blizzard Tried To Fine Him $1000 For Pepe The Frog Tweet - Bounding Into Comics [Last Updated On: August 5th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 5th, 2020]
- How White Nationalists Weaponize Motherhood - The Cut [Last Updated On: August 7th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 7th, 2020]
- The Hate-Fueled Rise of r/The_Donaldand Its Epic Takedown - WIRED [Last Updated On: August 9th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 9th, 2020]
- Donald Trump Jr. has a long history of spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories online - Insider - INSIDER [Last Updated On: August 10th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 10th, 2020]
- Open Air Cinema and Streaming Series Continue at The Loft - Tucson Weekly [Last Updated On: September 12th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 12th, 2020]
- How Pepe the Frog's Creator Rescued Him From the Alt-Right - Daily Beast [Last Updated On: September 12th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 12th, 2020]
- You Can't DM People on 4chan: Arthur Jones and Giorgio Angelini on Pepe the Frog Documentary Feels Good Man - Filmmaker Magazine [Last Updated On: September 12th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 12th, 2020]
- Pepe the Frog Mutates from a Far Right Meme Into a Lovable, Far Gone Figure in Feels Good Man - The Texas Observer [Last Updated On: September 12th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 12th, 2020]
- An Artist Tries to Save Pepe the Frog From Fascists - Hyperallergic [Last Updated On: September 12th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 12th, 2020]
- Movie review: New doc chronicles chilling tale of Pepe the Frog - Online Athens [Last Updated On: September 12th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 12th, 2020]
- Documentary details how Pepe the Frog became the mascot of white supremacy - The State Press [Last Updated On: October 8th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 8th, 2020]
- Pepe the Frog finds redemption in the Amazon documentary 'Feels Good Man' - Idaho State Journal [Last Updated On: October 8th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 8th, 2020]
- Ladbrokes Casino bonus: how good is the 2020 welcome offer? - Telegraph.co.uk [Last Updated On: October 10th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 10th, 2020]