The Week ’s guide to what’s worth watching
Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me
Anna Nicole Smith was the American bombshell that the 1990s were looking for. Not surprisingly, her life ended tragically early. This documentary uses input from friends to revisit Smith’s story, beginning with her Texas childhood, her first marriage at 17, and the Playboy breakthrough that launched her mainstream modeling career. Her brief marriage to a far older billionaire provides a surprising key to understanding her true nature. Tuesday, May 16, Netflix
Sisters
Sarah Goldberg has started her life after Barry a bit early. The actress who plays Sally Reed on the award-winning HBO series co-wrote this six-part comedy-drama with her best friend, and the pair co-star. Goldberg plays a cheery woman who learns after her mother’s death that the father she never knew is still alive and living in his native Ireland. Seeking to find her old man, she teams up with a cynical Irish half-sister who also hasn’t seen the elusive alcoholic in years. Wednesday, May 17, IFC, Sundance Now, and AMC+
Working: What We Do All Day
What if Barack Obama showed up at your workplace just to hang out? In this four-part series, the former president does exactly that, asking questions as he tries to understand how people at all levels experience work and are navigating its changes. Obama has his eyes on big trends, including robotization, AI, and widening wealth inequality. But he also proves to be a guy that everyday workers can open up to about timeless concerns. Wednesday, May 17, Netflix
Ghosts of Beirut
Before Osama bin Laden, there was Imad Mughniyeh. The Hezbollah operations leader is widely believed to have overseen a decades-long campaign of terror that began in 1983 with bombings in Beirut, including a barracks attack that killed 241 Americans. This new high-action drama series from the creators of the Israeli hit Fauda follows Mughniyeh from the start, when he was a 21-year-old persuading others to die for his cause. It also focuses on the hunt for Mughniyeh, who eluded his pursuers until he was killed by a CIA-Mossad bomb in 2008. Friday, May 19, Showtime
Love to Love You, Donna Summer
You know the records. Donna Summer, Queen of Disco, broke through in 1975 with “Love to Love You Baby” and followed up with the electronicdance cornerstone “I Feel Love,” and multiple
No. 1’s. A decade after Summer’s death at 63, this documentary gets past the career highlights to reveal a creative songwriter and collaborator who knowingly played a role when performing but still struggled to reconcile her private and public lives. Saturday, May 20, HBO and HBO Max
Other highlights
Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss
The Office star affably hosts an offbeat new travel series focused on places where people are truly happy. Thursday, May 18, Peacock
The Secrets of Hillsong
A four-part docuseries charts the rise and fall of Hillsong, a global megachurch that attracted celebrity congregants before scandals triggered a collapse. Friday, May 19, at 10 p.m., FX
White Men Can’t Jump
Sinqua Walls and Jack Harlow co-star in a remake of the Wesley Snipes–Woody Harrelson 1992 original, a hoops dramedy classic. Friday, May 19, Hulu