Fans of ‘The Godfather’ can consider a new ‘Offer’
Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what arrived on TV and streaming services this past week.
■ Here’s an offer that will be hard to refuse: Paramount+ is playing host to the Godfather trilogy. Sure, Francis Ford Coppola’s films aren’t hard to come by (they always seem to be playing somewhere on cable), but this is in conjunction with the first three episodes of their making-of miniseries “The Offer” (see below). So leave the gun, take the cannoli and settle in for 13-some hours of Corleone.
■ Not to be confused with Judd Apatow’s Netflix satire “The Bubble” from last month, the streamer also has an anime called “Bubble,” directed by Tetsurou Araki and written by Gen Urobochi about a Tokyo that’s been cut off from the rest of the world and overtaken by adventurous young people. Oh, and there’s bubbles that break the laws of gravity. Or, starting today, you can have a Nora Ephron night with “When Harry Met Sally” and “You’ve Got Mail,” which will also have you quoting “The Godfather.”
■ If you’re looking for some fresh rom-com fare, Sophie Marceau stars as an empty-nester looking for a fresh start in “I Love America,” a French rom-com on Amazon Prime Video. So she leaves Paris behind for Los Angeles where an old friend and current owner of a popular drag club tries to help her start dating again. And Hulu has an LGBTQ teen rom-com called “Crush,” starring Rowan Blanchard and Auli’i Cravalho.
Television
■ “The Wire” creator David Simon returns to Baltimore, the setting of his triumphant 200208 drama, with “We Own This City,” which he produced with fellow “The Wire” alumni George Pelecanos and Nina K. Noble. The HBO limited series dramatizes the corruption that riddled a Baltimore Police Department task force and its impact on the city. Based on Justin Fenton’s nonfiction book of the same title, the series stars Jon Bernthal, Wunmi Mosaku, Jamie Hector and Josh Charles, along with a number of “The Wire” cast members. “We Own This City” debuts Monday.
■ Fans of “The Godfather” are fond of recycling its lines, with “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse” among the most enduring. “The Offer” is the title of a 10-episode Paramount+ series that dramatizes the behind-the-scenes story of the film’s making, based on producer Albert S. Ruddy’s experiences. Miles Teller plays Ruddy, with Matthew Goode as studio boss Robert Evans; Dan Fogler as director Francis Ford Coppola, and Patrick Gallo as Mario Puzo, on whose novel the 1972 film was based. Three episodes of the series, created and written by Michael Tolkin (“The Player”), debuted Thursday, followed by weekly episodes on consecutive Thursdays.
■ Showtime’s comedy “I Love That for You” stars former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Vanessa Bayer as Joanna, a woman longing to be a host on a home shopping channel. The series also reflects a chapter of Bayer’s real life, overcoming childhood leukemia, with Joanne trying to escape being tagged as “that cancer girl.” Molly Shannon, another “SNL” alum, co-stars as the channel’s star, with Jenifer Lewis as its founder. “I Love That for You” debuted Friday on streaming and on demand for subscribers, before its on-air cable debut today.