Ryan Murphy reinvents ‘Hollywood’ in latest series for Netflix
Aformer president and a former first lady get the documentary treatment, Disney+ says May the Fourth be with you, and Ryan Murphy tackles Tinseltown.
Dispatches: Weekly TV news
• Apple TV+ gave an eight-episode, straight-toseries order to “The Shrink Next Door,” starring Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell. The comedy is based on the podcast of the same name and follows the strange relationship between a psychiatrist and his long-time patient.
• HBO is developing a TV series based on the “Hellraiser” films. Rather than reboot the movie mythology, the potential show will continue and broaden the story about a group of evil beings from hell and their leader, the iconic Pinhead character.
Contenders: Shows to keep on your radar
• Ryan Murphy creates an alternate history in “Hollywood” (May 1, Netflix). Set in the 1940s with a mixture of real and fictional characters, Murphy imagines a Golden Age where Rock Hudson is open about his sexuality, a woman is running a major film studio and an African-American woman is groomed to be a star.
• CBS is hoping you’re feeling nostalgic for movies past. “Raiders of the Lost Ark” kicks off a five-week run of theatrical films from Paramount Pictures, starting May 3 at 8 p.m. ET.
• “Billions” returns for an abbreviated season (May 3, Showtime, 9 p.m. ET). In this installment, Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis) and Chuck Rhoades’ (Paul Giamatti) fragile cooperation falls apart and new enemies rise to threaten them both. Taylor Mason (Asia Kate Dillon) reluctantly returns to Axe Capital while Wendy Rhoades (Maggie Siff) forms new alliances. Due to COVID-19, production was suspended so the first seven episodes will air, with the rest scheduled for later in the year.
• George W. Bush is the latest addition to American Experience’s slate of presidential biographies. “W” (May 4 and 5, PBS, 9 p.m. ET) is a two-part look at Bush’s presidency. Covering his road to the White House, his response to the Sept. 11 attacks and the ensuing war in Iraq, it then moves to his handling of Hurricane Katrina and the financial crisis.
• On May 4, the global community of “Star Wars” fans celebrate all things from a galaxy far, far away and Disney+ joins the festivities with “Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian.” The behind-the-scenes special features the show’s cast and crew in roundtable conversations with executive producer Jon Favreau. Each of the eight episodes explores a different part of how the series was made and includes never-before-seen footage.
• Former first lady Michelle Obama stars in the documentary “Becoming” (May 6, Netflix). The film, which shares the same name as Obama’s best-selling 2018 memoir, covers a similar history of her life but also picks up where the book left off.
Melissa Crawley is the author of “Mr. Sorkin Goes to Washington: Shaping the President on Television’s ‘The West Wing.’” She has a Ph.D. in media studies and is a member of the Television Critics