Justin Timberlake leads inspiring story about outsiders
The week is filled with solid movie and documentary series choices.
Dispatches: Weekly TV news
• A prequel to “Game of Thrones” is in the works at HBO. An adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s “Tales of Dunk and Egg” will follow the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk), and a young Aegon V Targaryen (Egg).
The action takes place 90 years before the events of “A Song of Ice and Fire.”
• Fox is bringing back “America’s Most Wanted.” Elizabeth Vargas will host the series, which began in 1988 on Fox and moved to Lifetime for several years before ending in 2013. During its 25 seasons with original host John Walsh, the show caught over 1,000 criminals. It premieres in March.
Contenders: Shows to keep on your radar
• “We Are: The Brooklyn Saints” (Netflix) is a documentary series that follows a youth football program and celebrates both the players and the community it serves.
• In “Palmer” (Apple TV+), Justin Timberlake is a small-town football star whose life is turned upside down after he is convicted of a crime and spends 12 years in prison. Returning home, his life takes another twist when he decides to care for an abandoned 7-year-old boy.
Get the tissues out for this heartwarming tale of two outsiders who are determined to define their own futures.
• “Finding Ohana” (Netflix) is a family-friendly drama about two Brooklyn teenagers who travel to Hawaii to explore their heritage.
• In “Burden” (Showtime), a Black preacher played by Forest Whitaker helps a former Klansman (Garrett Hedlund) shed his racist past.
• During the 1970s oil crisis, entrepreneur Elizabeth Carmichael’s promotion of a fuel-efficient three-wheeled car called “The Dale” put her under intense media scrutiny, which uncovered suspicion about the car’s technology and her past.
Documentary series “The Lady and The Dale” (Jan. 31, HBO, 9 p.m. ET) chronicles Carmichael’s rise and fall.
• The murder of Swedish journalist Kim Wall made international headlines in 2017. “The Investigation” explores the case (Feb. 1, HBO Max, 10 p.m. ET).
• Luke Evans (“Beauty and the Beast,” “The Alienist”) plays Steve Wilkins, a detective working on a notorious cold case in “The Pembrokeshire Murders”
(Feb. 2, BritBox).
• Canadian police drama “The Murders” (Feb. 4, Sundance Now) follows a rookie homicide detective in Vancouver who is seeking redemption after a fellow officer’s death.
Report Card: Ratings winners and losers
• Winners: “Walker” was The CW’s most watched series premiere in five years.
• Losers: NBCSN will shut down by the end of 2021, moving its live sporting events to
USA Network and Peacock.
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.