hulu this week
“Feud: Capote vs. The Swans”
The second installment in Ryan Murphy’s (“American Horror Story”) Feud anthology, FX’S “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans” premieres Thursday, Feb. 1, on Hulu. Based on Laurence Leamer’s bestselling book, “Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era,” this eight-episode limited series digs into the life of acclaimed novelist and screenwriter Truman Capote (portrayed by Tom Hollander, “Pride & Prejudice,” 2005). Surrounding himself with a close circle of rich, glamorous socialites “who defined a bygone era of high society New York” (per FX), whom he calls “the Swans” — including grande dame Barbara “Babe” Paley (Naomi Watts, “The Watcher”), Slim Keith (Diane Lane, “House of Cards”), C.Z. Guest (Chloe Sevigny, “Big Love”) and Lee Radziwill (Calista Flockhart, “Ally Mcbeal”) — Capote befriended them and became their confidant, placing himself seamlessly within their lives. when Capote doles out the ultimate betrayal by exposing their deepest secrets in the writing a thinly veiled, fictionalized account of their lives, he quickly finds himself banished from high society and is sent spiralling into self-destruction. Written for television by Jon Robin Baitz (“Brothers & Sisters”), “capote vs.the Swans” is directed by Gus Van Sant (“Elephant,” 2003), Max Winkler (“Minx”) and Jennifer Lynch (“American Horror Story”). the series also stars Demi Moore (“Ghost,” 1990) as Ann “Bang-bang” Woodward, Molly Ringwald (“The Breakfast Club,” 1985) as Joanne Carson, treat Williams (“Everwood”) as Bill Paley, Joe Mantello (“American Horror Story”) as Jack Dunphy, and Russell Tovey (“Being Human”) as John O’shea.
“Genius: MLK/X”
For the first time in its run, the anthology series “Genius” expands its borders to tell the entwining story of two iconic historical figures for its fourth installment. Streaming on Hulu (and Disney+) Friday, Feb. 2, “Genius: MLK/X” explores the lives of Martin Luther King Jr. (Kelvin Harrison Jr., “Godfather of Harlem”) and Malcolm X (Aaron Pierre, “The Underground Railroad”). Following King and X through their formative years to adulthood, when their dueling philosophies became foundational to the American civil rights movement, the story looks at how their identities were formed by their unique upbringings and the traumatic injustices they experienced. From creator Jeff Stetson (“Containment”), with showrunners and executive producers Raphael Jackson Jr. and Damione Macedon (both of “Power”), “Genius: MLK/X” is inspired by “The Sword and the Shield: the Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.,” by Peniel E. Joseph. The cast also includes Weruche Opia (“I May Destroy You”), Jayme Lawson (“The Batman,” 2022), Ron Cephas Jones (“This is Us”), Gary Carr (“Death in Paradise”), Hubert Point-du Jour (“Dr. Death”) and Lennie James (“The Walking Dead”).
“Love & WWE: Bianca & Montez”
WWE stars Bianca Belair and Montez Ford bring their sparkling relationship to the small screen in their new reality series, “Love & WWE: Bianca & Montez,” when it premieres Friday, Feb. 2, on Hulu. Giving fans a sneak peek into their busy personal lives, wwe’s hottest couple let cameras follow them on the wild road to Wrestlemania, as Bianca fights to hold on to her title and Montez continues his climb to the top. Surrounded by a tight-knit group of friends and family, along with their fellow WWE superstars, the couple give it their all to stay at the top of their game. Produced by WWE and Wheelhouse’s Spoke Studios, “Love & WWE: Bianca & Montez” comes from executive producers Kevin Dunn (“WWE Smackdown!”) and Chris Kaiser (“Biography: wwe Legends”) for WWE and Pam Healey (“Secret Chef”), will Nothacker (“Tricked”), Liz Fine (“Buying Beverly Hills”), Russ Friedman (“Total Divas”) and Jayson Elmore (“Restaurant: Impossible”) for Spoke.
“Brian Banks” (2018)
Directed by Tom Shadyac (“I Am,” 2010) and written by Doug Atchison (“Akeelah and the Bee,” 2006), this 2018 film tells the real-life story of a NFL hopeful plucked from the field and put behind bars. Wrongfully imprisoned for six years, see how exonerated linebacker Brian Keith Banks found his way back to the game in “Brian Banks,” available now to stream on Hulu. this fictional adaptation of Banks’ experience stars Aldis Hodge (“Hidden Figures,” 2016) as the formerly accused player, who is now on parole after being imprisoned for an incident that took place 11 years prior, in which a high school classmate wrongfully accused Banks of sexual assault. Following the advice of his lawyer, Banks first pled no contest, and was soon sentenced to six years in prison. Now 27, the film begins as Banks approaches the California Innocence Project in hopes of clearing his name, the first step in a process that eventually cleared the man of any and all convictions and led to his return to the NFL.