The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching
Rebecca
Alfred Hitchcock won his only Best Picture Oscar for his 1940 adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s classic gothic novel. But there’s always room for an ambitious new interpretation, and director
Ben Wheatley has stepped up to the challenge. Lily James co-stars, opposite Armie Hammer, as a young woman who agrees to marry a handsome widower after a whirlwind romance in Monte Carlo. But at his grand family estate on the English coast, his first wife, Rebecca, lives on as more than a haunting memory, particularly in the mind of Mrs. Danvers, the intimidating housekeeper played by Kristin Scott Thomas. Available for streaming Wednesday, Oct. 21, Netflix
Equal
The heroes and heroines of the early LGBTQ rights movement are too little known, but this four-part docuseries, co-produced by Greg
Berlanti and Jim Parsons, brings their stories to stirring life. Episode 1 revisits the nation’s first gay and lesbian organizations, founded in California in the 1950s. Others focus on leaders from the black community and trans activists, and all four mix archival footage with dramatizations featuring such stars as Cheyenne Jackson, Sara Gilbert, and Anthony Rapp. Available for streaming Thursday, Oct. 22, HBO Max
The Final 2020 Presidential Debate
This one remains on the calendar. But now that President Trump has contracted Covid and balked at participating in Oct. 15’s scheduled debate, there’s no telling if he and Joe Biden, the man leading him in all polls, will both appear for their slated final encounter. The candidates are to meet on a stage in Nashville if they meet at all. Thursday, Oct. 22, at 9 p.m., most major networks
Bad Hair
Hell hath no fury like an ill-advised weave. In this brash horror comedy from Dear White People creator Justin Simien, Elle Lorraine plays a meek wannabe VJ trying to make her mark in 1989 as hip-hop goes mainstream. But when she agrees to change her look, her new tresses turn out to have more-murderous ambitions. With Lena Waithe,
Kelly Rowland, Usher, and Vanessa Williams. Available for streaming Friday, Oct. 23, Hulu
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Can Borat be Borat in 2020? Sacha Baron Cohen’s fictional Kazakh journalist was borderline offensive back in 2006, when the culturally clueless character took America by storm in the hit mockumentary Borat! The sequel should raise more hackles, but also win laughs, as Borat returns to a Covid-wracked U.S. determined to present his adult daughter as a gift to Vice President Mike Pence. Available for streaming Friday, Oct. 23, Amazon Prime
The Witches
Roald Dahl’s fright-filled children’s classic gets a Robert Zemeckis–directed adaptation with a cast that includes Octavia Spencer, Anne Hathaway, Kristin Chenoweth, and Chris Rock. Available for streaming Thursday, Oct. 22, HBO Max
Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You
A laid-back documentary goes behind the scenes with the Boss and the E Street Band during the recording of their latest album. Available for streaming Friday, Oct. 23, Apple TV+
On the Rocks
Bill Murray coaxes Rashida Jones into an unlikely father-daughter caper in Sofia Coppola’s new dramedy, which reaches homes after a limited theatrical release. Available for streaming Friday, Oct. 23, Apple TV+