WHAT’S NEW THIS WEEK
NEW ON DVD
“Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)”: In this “Suicide Squad” spinoff, Quinn (Margot Robbie) has left the Joker and joined forces with Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya to take on the crime lord Black Mask (Ewan McGregor). Rotten Tomatoes: 78% fresh.
“Fantasy Island”: Blumhouse gives the popular ’70s TV show a horror makeover. Rotten Tomatoes: 8% fresh.
“The Photograph”: Issa Rae plays the estranged daughter of a famous photographer who falls in love with the journalist (Lakeith Stanfield) who is investigating her late mother’s life. Rotten Tomatoes: 73% fresh.
NEW MUSIC FRIDAY
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, “Reunions”: The Americana star says this of his seventh album and fourth with the 400 Unit, “There are a lot of ghosts on this album. Sometimes the songs are about the ghosts of people who aren’t around anymore, but they’re also about who I used to be, the ghost of myself.” It includes background vocals by David Crosby and Jay Buchanan (Rival Sons).
Weezer, “Van Weezer”: The 14th album from Rivers Cuomo and company was inspired by their metal roots, including Kiss, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, Rush and Slayer.
Charli XCX, “How I’m Feeling Now”: The fourth album from the British pop star was written and recorded in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. In announcing it on Zoom, she said, “The nature of this album is going to be very indicative of the times just because I’m only going to be able to use the tools I have at my fingertips to create all music, artwork, videos, everything.”
Magnetic Fields, “Quickies”: Twentyeight new short songs from Stephin Merritt, ranging in length from 13 seconds to 2:35. “I’ve been reading a lot of very short fiction,” he explained, “and I enjoyed writing ‘101 Two-Letter Words,’ the poetry book about the shortest words you can use in Scrabble. And I’ve been listening to a lot of French baroque harpsichord music. Harpsichord doesn’t lend itself to languor. So I’ve been thinking about one instrument at a time, playing for about a minute or so and then stopping, and I’ve been thinking of narratives that are only a few lines long.”
Bon Jovi, “Bon Jovi 2020”: The New Jersey band’s 15th album features the singles “Unbroken” and “Limitless,” along with “Lower the Flag,” a song about last year’s mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio.
Perfume Genius, “Set My Heart”: Mike Hadreas follows his 2017 Grammy-nominated album “No Shape” with this set that features backup from Jim Keltner, Pino Palladino, Matt Chamberlin and Phoebe Bridgers.
WHAT’S ON TV
“The Misery Index” (10:30 p.m. Thursday, TBS): Host Jameela Jamil (“The Good Place”) and members of the cast of “Impractical Jokers” return for a second season of this unconventional comedy competition series, which endeavors to unite the world in celebrating one another’s misery. The season premiere explores why online dating essentially is dead.
“Masters of Illusion” (8 p.m. Friday, WPCW): Dean Cain returns as host for Season 7 of this mystifying variety series featuring escape artists, cutting-edge illusionists and talented performers.
“Basketball County: In the Water” (9 p.m. Friday, Showtime): NBA star Kevin Durant and sports business executive Rich Kleiman collaborated on the production of this new documentary that shines a spotlight on Prince George’s County, Md., which since 2000 has spawned 25 NBA players, more than a dozen WNBA players and several others who have competed at elite universities.
“St. Louis Superman” (8 p.m. Saturday, MTV): Filmmaker Smriti Mundhra’s Oscarnominated half-hour documentary short subject chronicles the story of Bruce Franks, a black rapper and activist who is motivated to run for public office after witnessing the racially motivated unrest that erupted in 2014 in Ferguson, Mo.
“Beverly Hills Dog Show” (8 p.m. Sunday, WPXI): Actor and TV personality John O’Hurley and American Kennel Club-licensed judge and analyst David Frei return as hosts of this year’s edition, which was taped in February before coronavirus quarantines were imposed. Mary Carillo, Akbar Gbajabiamila and Maria Menounos are on hand as contributors, along with such dog-loving celebrity guests as Lauren Ash (“Superstore”), Brian Baumgartner (“The Office”), Reece Caddell (“Coop and Cami Ask the World”), Bo Derek, Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis and Miss America 2020 Camille Schrier, among others.
“Hightown” (8 p.m. Sunday, STARZ): Monica Raymund (“Chicago Fire”) stars in this new drama series, which charts the journey to sobriety for an alcoholic National Marine Fisheries Service agent. The partyhard lifestyle of Jackie Quinones (Raymund) is disrupted by her discovery of a corpse on a Cape Cod beach, the remains of an opioid overdose victim. Jackie struggles to clean up her act as she investigates what quickly starts to look like a murder, not an accident. James Badge Dale, Riley Voelkel, Shane Harper and Amaury Nolasco also star.
“Snowpiercer” (9 p.m. Sunday, TNT; 11 p.m. Sunday TBS): Like the 2013 action movie blockbuster from Oscar winner Bong Joon Ho (“The Parasite”) that inspired it, this new sci-fi series is set in a future world that has been plunged into a new Ice Age after an attempt to reverse climate change goes horribly wrong. In this bleak new reality, Earth’s survivors now live aboard the supertrain of the show’s title, a 1,001-car juggernaut where one’s social status determines placement among the passengers. Jennifer Connelly, Daveed Diggs, Alison Wright, Mickey Sumner and Iddo Goldberg star.
Taylor Swift, “City of Lover Concert” (10 p.m. Sunday, ABC): New special filmed last September in Paris at the L’Olympia Theater.