The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching
Nova: Why Ships Crash
The March 2021 accidental grounding of the container ship Ever Given was a mishap with global consequences. The vessel, which is longer than the Empire State Building is tall, became wedged in the Suez Canal, blocking the passage between Asia and Europe for six days and cutting off nearly $10 billion in trade. A new Nova episode investigates how the crash occurred, and how it may impact future commerce. Wednesday, May 18, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings
Angelyne
Before Kim Kardashian and Addison Rae, there was Angelyne—a breast-enhanced, bleachedblond pinup figure who seized the attention of 1980s Los Angeles by blanketing the city in billboards and cruising its streets in a pink Corvette. In this new limited series, Emmy Rossum plays the enduring local icon, who concealed her true identity for decades while acting, recording, and selling Angelyne merchandise—proving that self-invented celebrity could be a way of hiding. Available Thursday, May 19, Peacock
The G Word With Adam Conover
Americans hold a pretty dim view of their government. But what do they know? In his latest comic-investigative series, Adam Conover, the host of Adam Ruins Everything, helps viewers wrap their heads around all that federal employees do, or fail to do, to maintain food safety, minimize weather disasters, protect money flows, and more. It’s a civics lesson built to be both questioning and fun, as might be expected from a show based on Michael Lewis’ The Fifth Risk and executive-produced by Barack and Michelle Obama. Available Thursday, May 19, Netflix
Night Sky
Drama series about gateways to other worlds are so much in vogue that J.K. Simmons is already on his second. Here, he and fellow Oscar winner Sissy Spacek co-star as an elderly couple who for years have told no one that they discovered a portal on their property that leads to another planet. The mystery deepens with a stranger’s arrival. Available Friday, May 20, Amazon Prime
Now & Then
A secret held between five Miami friends for two decades comes back to haunt them in this new bilingual thriller series. Twenty years earlier, the friends covered up their role in a fatal accident that ended a night of celebration. But now the perfect lives they’ve built are threatened by an apparent blackmail attempt and the determination of a detective who failed to nail them when they were young. Rosie Perez and Roma’s Marina de Tavira lead the cast. Available Friday, May 20, Apple TV+
Other highlights
A Perfect Pairing
Victoria Justice, the former Nickelodeon star, costars with Adam Demos in a light romantic comedy about a wine importer who falls for a hunky ranch hand while on her first trip to Australia. Available Thursday, May 19, Netflix
The New York Times Presents: Elon Musk’s Crash Course
Two reporters investigate a dangerous Elon Musk side venture: the quest to create a self-driving car. Friday, May 20, at 10 p.m., FX and Hulu
Planet Earth: Dynasties II
A new installment of the groundbreaking British nature series follows clans of elephants, pumas, cheetahs, and hyenas as they struggle to perpetuate their lineages. Saturday, May 21, at 8 p.m., BBC America