This week: Huey Newton goes to Cuba, ‘Bridgerton’ is back, and the ‘Saturday Night Live’ season finale
1. Like Netflix, Hulu imports a lot of shows every year. “The Killing Kind,” which premieres Tuesday, is the latest, this one from England. Based on Jane Casey’s 2021 novel, it’s about a lawyer-I-mean-barrister named Ingrid Lewis (Emma Appleton) who defends a man, John Webster (Colin Morgan), in a stalking case. Whoopsy: Now he seems to be stalking her. Who’d have figured? Maybe this is the answer series to “Baby Reindeer.”
2. Apple TV+ continues its string of historical dramas, as the new miniseries “The Big Cigar” joins the streamer’s series “Franklin,” “Manhunt,” “Masters of the Air,” and “The New Look.” This one stars André Holland, so good in “The Knick,” as Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton, who escapes the FBI by going to Cuba with the help of Hollywood producer Bert Schneider (Alessandro Nivola). The six-parter, which premieres Friday, is based on a 2013 Playboy article written by Joshuah Bearman, who also wrote the article that became the movie “Argo.”
3. The boys (and girls) are back in Ton, as season three of “Bridgerton” arrives Thursday on Netflix. Really, it’s just the first four episodes of the season; in a trend that is becoming a new norm on Netflix, the second four episodes won’t premiere until June
13. Breaking up a season instead of running it all at once keeps the conversation about — and the interest in — a show going longer. The season will chronicle Penelope’s romantic prospects, who include Colin Bridgerton and Lord Alfred debling. How will her secret identity play in the dating world?
4. This weekend, “Saturday Night Live” has its season finale, with Jake Gyllenhaal hosting for the third time. Sabrina Carpenter will be the musical guest. When the show returns after the summer, it will enter its 50th season, and there will be a threehour all-star primetime special on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, to honor the milestone. “SNL” remains a ratings and Emmy success for NBC, so expect a lot of hullabaloo.
5. It looks like there may be some heavy competition for “dr. Pimple Popper” in the works, in the category of Grossest TV Show. On Wednesday at 10 p.m., TLC is premiering a new series called “Botched Bariatrics,” and it will follow patients who are suffering from complications from surgery, including a woman who can only eat pureed food and a man living with explosive bowels. Episode titles? “Cut the Crap” and “Butt Out.”