WHAT’S NEW THIS WEEK
NEW ON DVD
“Wonder Woman 1984”: The 2017 “Wonder Woman” was a critical and commercial success, with director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot infusing new life into a welltrod genre. Tribune News Service film critic Katie Walsh wrote that “‘1984’ doesn’t have the same jaw-dropping impact of ‘Wonder Woman’ (how could it?), but Jenkins maintains a steady hand on the character and her story, giving us more of what we loved about the first film.”
“Our Friend”: Dane (Jason Segel) moves in with Matt (Casey Affleck) and his family after a devastating diagnosis. Based on a true story.
“55 Steps”: Patients-rights lawyer and her client help each other transform their lives. Stars Hilary Swank and Helena Bonham Carter.
“A Perfect Planet”: Sir David Attenborough delivers dire warnings about our perfect planet in this BBC documentary.
NEW MUSIC FRIDAY
Demi Lovato, “Dancing With The Devil … The Art Of Starting Over”: The singer’s first album since 2017, ranging in style from pop to R&B to country, is a companion piece to the YouTube Originals docuseries, which focuses on her recovery from a near fatal overdose in 2018.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor, “God’s Pee AT STATES END”: Constellation Records notes of the post-rock band’s first album since 2017 that it consists of “two riveting 20-minute side-length trajectories of noisedrenched widescreen post-rock, while another two 6-minute pieces find the band at its most haunting and elegiac.”
WHAT’S ON TV
“Prank Encounters” (Thursday, Netflix): Each episode of this prank show, entering Season 2 with host Gaten Matarazzo (“Stranger Things”), takes two complete strangers on the surprise ride of a lifetime.
MLB Baseball (1 p.m. Thursday, ESPN): It’s a quadruple-header of baseball action on Opening Day, starting with the New York Yankees hosting the Toronto Blue Jays. Then the scene switches to Denver, where the Colorado Rockies welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers. In prime time, it’s the New York Mets visiting the Washington Nationals, followed in late night by a Houston Astros-atOakland A’s tilt.
“Manifest” (8 p.m. Thursday, WPXI): This eerie thriller returns for Season 3, which reportedly will answer the central question of “Manifest”: What happened to the passengers of Flight 828?
“Top Chef” (8 p.m. Thursday, BRAVO): A new batch of exceptional executive chefs and restaurant owners representing a cross -section of kitchens and food styles across North America gather in Portland, Ore., as this Emmy-winning culinary competition series launches Season 18.
“United States of Al” (8:30 p.m. Thursday, KDKA): This new buddy sitcom follows the tight friendship between Marine Combat veteran Riley (Parker Young), who is trying to adjust to civilian life in Ohio, and Awalmir (nicknamed Al, played by Adhir Kalyan), who was Riley’s interpreter during his tour of duty in Afghanistan.
“The Moodys” (9 p.m. Thursday, WPGH): As Season 2 opens with two back-to-back episodes, Moody patriarch Sean Sr. (Denis Leary) is contemplating retirement. He wants to turn his heating and air business over to his hapless older son, Sean Jr. (Jay Baruchel), then cross America in an RV with wife Ann (Elizabeth Perkins).
“Wipeout” (9 p.m. Thursday, TBS): This “reimagined” version of the iconic 2008-14 ABC extreme obstacle course series returns, hosted by John Cena and Nicole Byer, with former Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model Camille Kostek providing field commentary.
“Law & Order: Organized Crime” (10 p.m. Thursday, WPXI): Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), who left the Special Victims Unit of the New York Police Department under a cloud at the end of Season 12, returns to the department to lead a new task force against organized crime in this new spinoff.
“The Barbarian and the Troll” (7:30 p.m. Friday, NICK): “Trolls” creator Mike Mitchell and puppeteer Drew Massey teamed up to create this delightful family fantasy about a troll named Evan (voiced by Massey), who yearns for adventure but so far has not ventured beyond the shadows of the bridge under which he lives.
“The UnXplained” (9 p.m. Friday, HIST): A new episode called “The Mystery of Plagues” looks at some of the deadliest pandemics in human history, not unlike the lethal novel coronavirus that continues to challenge medical experts.
“The Ten Commandments” (7 p.m. Saturday, WTAE): Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner and Anne Baxter star in director Cecil B. DeMille’s final film, the 1956 biblical epic about the life of Moses.
“The Wizard of Oz” (10:30 p.m. Saturday, TNT): The memories! The colors! Toto, too! Almost every child knows the story of Dorothy and her faithful dog blown by a twister to the magical land of Oz. Judy Garland stars as Dorothy in this 1939 classic adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s book.
“My Grandparents’ War” (8 p.m. Sunday, WQED): Combining important moments in history with personal stories, this new four -part weekly history and genealogy series features a quartet of British actors — Helena Bonham Carter, Mark Rylance, Kristin Scott Thomas and Carey Mulligan — each of whom hosts a one-hour episode exploring how World War II had a lasting impact on the lives of their grandparents.
“Atlantic Crossing on Masterpiece” (9 p.m. Sunday, WQED): Based on a true story of passion and politics, this eight-part miniseries chronicles the deep friendship — forged during World War II — between President Franklin Roosevelt (Kyle MacLachlan, “Twin Peaks”) and Norwegian Crown Princess Martha (Swedish actress Sofia Helin).
27th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (9 p.m. Sunday, TBS, TNT): The annual ceremonies honoring the best performances in film and television for the past calendar year are broadcast live from Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
“Gangs of London” (10:14 p.m. Sunday, AMC): Already picked up for a second season, this new drama series takes viewers into the dark and little-known heart of one of the world’s most vibrant cities. At the moment, however, London is torn by a power struggle among the international gangs that control it after the head of London’s most powerful crime family is assassinated.