Roberts leads Prime’s ‘Homecoming’
A compelling mystery, the new Amazon Prime drama “Homecoming” (TV14) begins streaming today, starring Julia Roberts in her first episodic TV show. Heidi Bergman (Roberts) is first seen as a counselor at the Homecoming Transitional Support Center, a rehab facility for soldiers returning from combat missions.
Located in a sterile office complex in Florida, the rehab center is shot from above and shown from unconventional angles to accentuate the location’s uncomfortable nature and slapped-together decor.
Bergman exchanges nervous, obviously scripted patter with one soldier, Walter Cruz (Stephan James). She’s more uncomfortable than her client. It’s clear that she’s in over her head.
She also has to contend with Colin Belfast (Bobby Cannavale), Homecoming’s sleazy CEO, who sees the soldiers as guinea pigs for his experimental “treatment.”
The series then jumps four years into the future, where Heidi works as a waitress in a modest seafood restaurant while taking care of her mother (Sissy Spacek). There, she’s visited by a Department of Defense auditor (Shea Whigham) investigating complaints about Homecoming and concerns about Cruz. Heidi’s vague recollections prove puzzling to him and to viewers.
Based on a popular podcast and directed by Sam Esmail (“Mr. Robot”), this is a chilly and rather intense whodunit. Like many podcasts, and not unlike the great HBO series “In Treatment,” its 30-minute running time may be all that viewers can endure in one sitting. All 10 episodes stream exclusively on Amazon Prime.
› Robin Wright takes center stage as the sixth and final season of “House of Cards” begins streaming on Netflix. In 2013, this series announced that Netflix was a serious challenger to HBO and FX as a purveyor of quality dramas. In five short years, Netflix and other streaming services have gone from upstarts to the dominant force in television.
› Netflix also premieres “The Other Side of the Wind,” a completed version of director Orson Welles’ final, unrealized project.
As a companion to “Wind,” Netflix will stream “They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead,” a documentary profile of Welles that focuses on the making of his last film.
› The History Channel embarks on the six-hour, three-night documentary miniseries “Watergate” (9 p.m., TV-14). It surveys the Nixon administration from its earliest days, its growing frustration with criticism and leaks, and its descent into criminal activity and the investigation of the famous 1972 break-in that gave the scandal its name.
› Cinemax premieres the second season of its unorthodox animated documentary series “Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus” (10 p.m., TV-MA). The first season focused on the lives of country stars. Season two covers funk, beginning with a profile of Parliament-Funkadelic’s George Clinton.
› Diane Lane and Ron Livingston star in a new installment of “The Romanoffs” about rumors, accusations and reputations.
› Elsewhere on a crowded night, Hulu begins streaming “Dietland,” AMC’s underappreciated and recently canceled series.
Contact Kevin McDonough at kevin .tvguy@gmail.com.