‘Rebuilding Paradise’ is an inspiring story of community resilience
Inept astronauts prepare for life on the moon, a high school teacher engages in a predatory relationship, and Ron Howard directs a powerful documentary about California residents recovering after a devastating fire.
Contenders: Shows to keep on your radar
• Country musician Coffey Anderson and his wife, hip-hop dancer Criscilla, star in reality series “Country Ever After” (Nov. 6, Netflix).
• “The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2020 Inductions” (Nov. 7, HBO, 8 p.m. ET) will honor Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G., T. Rex and Ahmet Ertegun Award honorees Jon Landau and Irving Azoff.
• New half-hour comedy “Moonbase 8” premieres (Nov. 8, Showtime, 11 p.m. ET). The series stars Fred Armisen, Tim Heidecker and John C. Reilly as astronauts trying to qualify for their first lunar mission. It’s an offthe-wall workplace comedy from the people behind “Portlandia.”
• On Nov. 8, 2018, the deadliest U.S. fire in 100 years and the worst in California’s history tore through the city of Paradise. The Camp Fire killed 85 people, displaced 50,000 residents and destroyed 95% of local structures. In “Rebuilding Paradise” (Nov. 8, National Geographic, 9 p.m. ET), director Ron Howard tells the story of this tragedy and the inspiring, resilient community who lost, recovered and rebuilt.
It is presented commercial-free.
• Kate Mara plays
Claire Wilson in “A Teacher” (Nov. 10, FX on Hulu). The story follows Claire, a young high school teacher in suburban Texas, and her student, Eric Walker (Nick Robinson), as they deal with the consequences of an illicit relationship.
• “Rise of the Nazis” (Nov. 10, PBS, 9 p.m. ET) explores how Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party gained control in 1930s Germany. A combination of archival footage, interviews with historians and dramatic reconstruction, the three-part series analyzes how a liberal democracy became a cruel dictatorship in four years.
• Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker host
“The 54th Annual CMA Awards” (Nov. 11, ABC, 8 p.m. ET). Broadcast live from Nashville’s Music City Center, the show has performances by Florida Georgia Line, Miranda Lambert, Rascal Flatts and Ashley McBryde, among others.
Report Card: Ratings winners and losers
• Winners: Netflix renewed “The Baby-Sitters Club” for season two.
• Losers: Fox canceled “Filthy Rich” and “Next” after single seasons.
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 Association. To comment on Stay Tuned, email her at staytuned@outlook.com or follow her on Twitter at @mcstaytuned.