Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
ENTERTAINMENT/WHAT TO WATCH
Moms rule
Sure, Mother’s Day can be a day to go out for brunch, but we know more than a few moms who wouldn’t mind spending the day on the couch watching something with their family. Here are some moms from movies and TV to get you in the mood.
Bad Moms: (Available to rent on Amazon, iTunes) Three overstressed moms looking to have fun run into trouble with the PTA. With Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn.
Mother: (Available to rent on Amazon, iTunes) The late Debbie Reynolds plays the titular role to Albert Brooks, an unlucky in love novelist who moves back home to figure out where he’s gone wrong.
Catastrophe: (Available on Amazon Prime) Not only does Sharon Horgan play a delightfully foul-mouthed mom, but Debbie Reynolds’ daughter, Carrie Fisher, steals episodes as Rob Delaney’s character’s mom.
Bates Motel: (Netflix) You may know her from “Psycho,” but this AMC series looks at Norman Bates’ mom before Hitchcock got involved.
Mommie Dearest: (Available to rent on Amazon, iTunes) In one of the most iconic bad moms on film, Faye Dunaway chews the scenery as Joan Crawford with a host of wire hangups. Terminator 2 — Judgment
Day: (Available to rent on Amazon, iTunes) One of film’s most badass mothers, Linda Hamilton plays Sarah Connor, John Connor’s buff, tough mom who is dangerous with a shotgun.
Empire: (Hulu) Taraji P. Henson’s Cookie is a lot of things, and one of those is a mom who spent 17 years in prison for drug dealing before showing up again to reclaim her place in her kids’ lives.
Fresh Off the Boat: (Hulu) Constance Wu steals the show as a super-strict mom in this ABC comedy series based on the life of chef Eddie Huang.
Catch up on
The Civil War — A Film by Ken Burns: (Netflix) While at least one person in government has openly wondered why there was a Civil War, Burns’ extraordinary absorbing nine-part doc-series explains why the two sides were on an inevitable collision course in the first episode. But stick around for the others. The reasons for the conflict are as varied as they are many, but the roots go deep. The series first aired in 1990 but remains a relevant, wellresearched work.
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver: (HBO) On May 7, Oliver again took on the topic of net neutrality. He first did so in 2014, and the next year the FCC put in place regulations that require Internet service providers to treat all legal content equally. The new FCC chairman appointed by the current administration wants to roll back those rules. Clearly against such action, Oliver at least lays out the importance of the issue in a funny way.
This week
Decline and Fall: (Available Monday on Acorn TV) The first-ever TV adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s debut novel. Eva Longoria, Jack Whitehall and David Suchet (“Poirot”) star in the 1920sset story about a divinity student who was expelled for a prank and is forced to take a teaching position at a small Welsh school.
Year Million: (9 p.m. Monday on Nat Geo) Laurence Fishburne narrates this six-part series that blends dramatic sequences with nonfiction segments. Experts such as Ray Kurzweil, Michio Kaku, Peter Diamandis and Brian Greene conjecture what life might be like in the very distant future.
Mommy Dead and Dearest: (9 p.m. Monday on HBO) The documentary goes down a very strange rabbit hole, involving a young woman named Gypsy suspected of killing her mother, Dee Dee, but it’s no simple murder case.
Tracy Morgan — Staying Alive: (Available Tuesday on Netflix) Stand-up show from the comedian.
Downward Dog: (9:30 p.m. Wednesday on ABC) New comedy stars “Fargo’s” Allison Tolman as a woman dealing with work and relationship problems. The gimmick is that her dog narrates the show. Moves to 8 p.m. Tuesday time slot May 23.
I Am Heath Ledger: (10 p.m. Wednesday on Spike) Documentary on the late actor.
12 Monkeys: (8 p.m. Friday on Syfy) The third season of the time-traveling series is being rolled out through the weekend with four episodes tonight and three each Saturday and Sunday.
The Keepers: (Available Friday on Netflix) From director Ryan White (“The Case Against 8”), the seven-part documentary series examines the unsolved murder of a Baltimore nun and the secrets that linger nearly five decades after her death.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: (Available Friday on Netflix) Guest stars on Season 3 include Laura Dern, Rachel Dratch, Andrea Martin and Maya Rudolph, plus Fred Armisen, Tina Fey, David Cross, Jon Hamm, and Amy Sedaris return for cameos.
The Wizard of Lies: (8 p.m. Saturday on HBO) The biopic directed by Barry Levinson stars Robert De Niro as the notorious swindler Bernie Madoff. Michelle Pfeiffer plays his wife. With Lily Rabe and Hank Azaria.