Sterling K. Brown stars as Medwin Harris, a free Black man in 19th-century Nova Scotia, in Hulu’s “Washington Black‚” out Wednesday. George “Washington Black” is the name of the clever young Barbados-born refugee that Harris shelters, and he’s portrayed first by Eddie Karanja, then Ernest Kingsley Jr. Shot largely in Nova Scotia, the eight-part limited series drops in its entirety on Wednesday. The series is based on Esi Edugyan’s sprawling 2019 historical novel, “Washington Black,” and recounts Black’s fictional journey fleeing slavery in Barbados in the wake of a murder, tracing the rocky but adventurous path his life takes afterward. Emmy winner Brown was involved from the jump as star and executive producer of the project, which dramatizes a lesser-known narrative of the Black diaspora.
What else clicks this week?
“The Hunting Wives,” Monday on Netflix: The wave of female-driven psychological thrillers a la “Big Little Lies” shows no signs of receding. In this adaptation of May Cobb’s salacious best-selling novel, Malin Akerman (“Watchmen”) plays seductive East Texas queen bee Margo Banks. She and husband Jed (Dermot Mulroney) welcome newcomer Sophie O’Neill (Brittany Snow) to their upscale lifestyle and down-home neighborhood. Before you can say “Dallas,” the couple and their clique entice the dewy new arrival from Cambridge, Mass., into a web of murder, mayhem, and Aqua Net.
“Hip Hop Was Born Here,” Tuesday on Paramount+: “NCIS: Los Angeles” cast member, rapper, and Grammy-winner LL Cool J hosts the original five-part docuseries about hip-hop’s history, its music, and culture. The New Yorker, born James Todd Smith, sets the genre’s birthplace squarely in New York City. After joining Def Jam Records, he got his bona fides by creating 10 consecutive platinum-selling albums. Interviewing legends Method Man, Big Daddy Kane, Remy Ma, and Jadakiss, among many others, the host uses an anecdotal approach to access the roots of the multi-generational movement.
“Match Game,” Wednesday on ABC at 9 p.m. then streaming on Hulu: The game show reboot and resurgence continues with can’t-stop-won’t-stop “Only Murders in the Building” star Martin Short as host. Not much has changed except that the purse is larger, and the boundaries of acceptable TV speech have been expanded. “Match Game,” which first aired in 1962 with Gene Rayburn as host and Johnny Olson as announcer, premiered in black and white. Short will lead a gaudier weekly version. At stake is $25,000 as four contestants battle to “match” the answers of six celebrities with fill-in-the-blank questions straight off a naughty SAT cheat sheet.
“Happy Gilmore 2,” Friday on Netflix: The migration of star-driven original movies from summer theatrical releases directly to streamers is exemplified by Adam Sandler’s “Happy Gilmore” sequel. Nearly 20 years after the 1996 original, the comic leading man returns with costars Christopher McDonald and Julie Bowen, his foul-mouthed hockey-player-turned-golfer still putting around on the golf course for a good cause. This time, Gilmore’s raising money for the failing dance school attended by his daughter (Sandler offspring Sunny).
“Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time,” Friday on National Geographic: With raging storms and flash floods in Texas, North Carolina, and New Jersey, the lessons of Louisiana’s 2005 Hurricane Katrina still resonate. Armed with two decades of hindsight, the docuseries, directed by Oscar nominee Traci A. Curry, delivers a play-by-play of that catastrophic event, debunking myths, examining political and social repercussions, and offering insights to fuel future preparedness.
Thelma Adams is a cultural critic and the author of the best-selling historical novel “The Last Woman Standing,” about Josephine Marcus, the Jewish wife of Wyatt Earp.
This piece has been updated to correct the day “Match Game” airs.
