New this week: An Edith Wharton drama; Emma Stone’s ‘The Curse’; and a space-based sci-fi thriller
1. Based on Edith Wharton’s unfinished novel, “The Buccaneers,” set in the 1870s, gives us five wealthy American girls in London and the noble — but financially insecure — British men who court them. She’s looking for a title, he’s looking for the cash; what could possibly go wrong? Kristine Froseth (“Looking for Alaska”) stars as the level-headed Nan, along with Alisha Boe, Matthew Broome, and, as Nan’s mother, Christina Hendricks. The eight-episode season premieres Wednesday on Apple TV+.
2. The Australian comedy “Colin From Accounts” was created and written by husband-and-wife team Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer, who also star as the main characters. They play a two single people who are brought together — and ultimately pushed to live together — by a car accident involving a dog named Colin. The eight-parter premieres Thursday on Paramount+. When it premiered in the UK last year, the Guardian praised the show and said that the dog who plays Colin “delivers a pawfect performance.”
3. “Nathan for You” creator Nathan Fielder teams with Benny Safdie for “The Curse,” a 10-episode comedy about the stresses of a newly married couple in New Mexico who may or may not be cursed. The show features Fielder and Emma Stone as the couple, who are trying to get pregnant while co-starring on an HGTV series. Safdie also co-stars in the series, along with Barkhad Abdi, Corbin Bernsen, and Constance Shulman, beginning Friday on Paramount+ and Sunday at 10 p.m. on Showtime.
4. “Beacon 23” is a space-based sci-fi thriller created by Zak Penn and adapted from the novel by Hugh Howey. It’s about two people — played by Lena Headey and Stephan James — who are trapped at the edge of the known universe. Sounds like there might be an unknown universe? The series premieres Sunday on MGM+ (formerly doing business as Epix).