The Week 07Feb2020

(Grace) #1
McMillions
Jerry Jacobson was a real-life Hamburglar. For
more than a decade, the former Florida cop stole
the jackpot tickets in a McDonald’s prize contest
he was paid to oversee, defrauding the fast-food
giant of more than $24 million. This six-part
documentary recounts how he assembled a broad
network of accomplices willing to risk claiming
cash prizes of up to $1 million. Even the FBI
couldn’t believe how widely the fraud spread.
Monday, Feb. 3, at 10 p.m., HBO
Lego Masters
The competitors in this new reality series would
scoff at that Lego Millennium Falcon you built
from a kit in fifth grade. Spun off from a popular
British version, the American show will feature
teams of builders competing for prize money as
they assemble thousands of tiny colored bricks
into impossibly detailed feats of sculpture. Will
Arnett, the voice of Lego Batman in the Lego
movies, serves as host. Wednesday, Feb. 5, at
9 p.m., Fox
Interrogation
A California woman is murdered in her home,
and her son is arrested for the brutal crime. But
there are many leads to follow, and this stream-
ing drama series based on a true story lets the
viewer decide the order in which suspects and
potential accomplices are questioned. Peter
Sarsgaard leads the impressive cast, playing a
cold-case detective who picks up the pursuit of
truth years after the killing. Available for stream-
ing Thursday, Feb. 6, CBS All Access
Briarpatch
Sam Esmail, the creator of Mr. Robot, is mining
Texas for his new series. Rosario Dawson stars
as a cool-headed Washington political aide who
returns to her forsaken hometown to find out
who murdered her police-officer sister in a car
bombing. But don’t expect a straight police proce-
dural. The zoo animals wandering the streets are
the first evidence that Briarpatch is reaching for a
Fargo meets Twin Peaks vibe. With Kim Dickens,
Alan Cumming, and Mad Men’s Jay R. Ferguson.
Thursday, Feb. 6, at 10 p.m., USA Network

28 ARTS Television


The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching


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Monday, Feb. 3
Maiden
A thrilling documentary
sails back to 1989 to chart
the adventures of the first
all-woman crew to com-
pete in a storied yacht race
around the world. (2019)
8 p.m., Starz
Tuesday, Feb. 4
The Falcon and the
Snowman
A defense contractor and
a drug smuggler hatch a
plan to sell U.S. secrets to
the USSR. Sean Penn and
Timothy Hutton co-star.
(1985) 8 p.m., Flix
Wednesday, Feb. 5
The Wind
Horror meets the Western
in a superb indie drama
about two pioneer women
who sense a haunting pres-
ence on the prairie. (2019)
9 p.m., Showtime
Thursday, Feb. 6
A Star Is Born
Lady Gaga and Bradley
Cooper trade singing duties
in an electrifying update of
a classic screen romance
between two entertainers
heading in opposite direc-
tions. (2018) 4:40 p.m., HBO
Friday, Feb. 7
Annie Hall
Diane Keaton plays the one
who got away in Woody
Allen’s Oscar-winning
romantic comedy about a
modern New York City love
story that resists a fairy-
tale ending. (1977) 10 p.m.,
TCM
Saturday, Feb. 8
The Royal Tenenbaums
Wes Anderson’s story-
book style hit a peak with
this star-studded comedy
about a family of eccentric
geniuses reunited with
their deadbeat patriarch.
With Gene Hackman and
Anjelica Huston. (2002)
6 p.m., Flix
Sunday, Feb. 9
National Velvet
A 12-year-old Elizabeth
Taylor enlists the help of
Mickey Rooney to train a
spirited horse for competi-
tion. (1945) 5:45 p.m., TCM

Movies on TV


More than ever, Hollywood’s big night throws its
spotlight on an industry battling for relev ancy.
Five years after #OscarsSoWhite and two since
the #MeToo moment, the ostensibly reformed
Motion Picture Academy is again caught defend-
ing an almost blanket snub of female directors
and actors of color. Sure, Bong Joon-ho is a Best
Director contender, and his Korean- language
film Parasite could win Best Picture. But the
odds might be even better that being white,
male, and allergic to streaming services will
wind up looking like prerequisites for Oscar’s
highest honors. Sunday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m., ABC

Show of the week


A preview? Bong (center) at the Jan. 19 SAG awards

The 2020 Academy Awards

Locke & Key
A popular horror comic-book series finally
arrives on screen, almost a decade after the first
attempt at adaptation. In a story created by Joe
Hill, Stephen King’s novelist son, a family named
Locke moves into an inherited New England
mansion and begins discovering magic keys
that open portals into other dimensions. The
youngest boy’s curiosity leads to the release of
a demon. But it’s not easy for the Locke kids to
turn back when the keys might also solve their
father’s murder. Available for streaming Friday,
Feb. 7, Netflix
Other highlights
Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet
A new half-hour comedy series casts Rob
McElhenney of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
as the impossibly narcissistic leader of a team of
video game developers. Available for streaming
Friday, Feb. 7, Apple TV+
2020 Democratic Presidential Debate
The remaining contenders move to New Hamp-
shire ahead of the state’s Feb. 11 first-in-the-
nation primary. Friday, Feb. 7, at 8 p.m., ABC
Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made
A fifth-grader who imagines himself a just-the-
facts detective with a polar bear sidekick tackles
his first big case in a promising new live-action
series based on a popular book series. Available
for streaming Friday, Feb. 7, Disney+


  • All listings are Eastern Time.


Briarpatch: Dawson makes nice with a local giraffe.

THE WEEK February 7, 2020

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