What to Watch This Week: August 14 to 19

From the series finale of an acclaimed spinoff to a documentary on our favourite felines, we round up our top 10 shows to watch this week

 

1. Better Call Saul – Monday, August 15, 6 p.m. & 7:38 p.m., AMC | Series Finale

AMCWhen Breaking Bad took a bow back in September of 2013, it did so as one of the most acclaimed series in the history of TV. That’s quite a shadow for any spinoff to try and outrun. But in telling the origin story of Walter White’s crooked lawyer Saul Goodman, co-creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould have managed to carve out some space in the sun. The show has never enjoyed quite the same buzz as its predecessor, but in the eyes of many, the exploits of Saul, Mike, Kim et al. have been every bit as gripping as those of Walt and Jesse. This final season has given us shocking deaths and heartbreaking choices that have plunged Saul deeper than ever into the Albuquerque underworld and his destiny as the man who puts the “criminal” in criminal attorney. As it all comes to a close, could we see another return to the Breaking Bad-iverse? Well, as Gould told Deadline: “Maybe someday… but personally I’m going to take a little break from that world and try something else.”

 

2. The Bear – streaming on Disney+

Disney+It’s nothing new for a sitcom to be set at a restaurant—whether it’s Alice, Bob’s Burgers or Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place. But as soon as you take such a series and place it within a single-camera format, you’re looking at something a little more serious than your average comedy.

That’s certainly the case with The Bear, which debuted in Disney+’s adult-oriented “Star” section earlier this month. The series revolves around Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Shameless alum Jeremy Allen White), a young chef who leaves the world of fine dining behind in order to help rescue his family’s sandwich shop after the death of his brother. Suffice it to say that the shop in question—The Original Beef of Chicagoland—is a step below the sort of swanky kitchens Carmy has grown accustomed to, and he’s also struggling with an argumentative staff and family members who either don’t like how he’s running the place or want him to sell it. Then of course there are the financial struggles that go along with keeping any restaurant afloat.

To prep for his role, White worked in several eateries, and learned a great deal. “I think every restaurant is a miracle,” he told W Magazine. “It’s constant problem-solving, and nothing’s ever going great. How competitive it is, especially in cities like New York, L.A. and Chicago, for restaurants to be consistent and to be full, seems truly impossible to me. In places like Balthazar in New York, it doesn’t make sense that it’s been decades and they’re doing the same thing all this time, but it’s still so consistent. People always come back for the environment. And that’s what makes, is, in my opinion, a place so special.”

 

3. Leonardo – Tuesday, August 16, 8 p.m., The CW | Series Premiere

The CWSet against the backdrop of Renaissance-era Italy, this historical drama explores the life of famed artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci (Poldark’s Aidan Turner), who finds himself investigated by police detective Stefano Giraldi (The Good Doctor’s Freddie Highmore) after being accused of murder.

 

4. Look Both Ways – Wednesday, August 17, Netflix

NetflixRemember Sliding Doors, the Gwyneth Paltrow movie which considered how much different someone’s life could’ve been if they’d just done one tiny thing differently? Well, if you liked that, then you’ll almost certainly want to give the new film from director Wanuri Kahiu a whirl. In this case, the difference between the two possibilities lies with a pregnancy: in one world, Natalie—played by Riverdale’s Lili Reinhart—gets a baby bump and stays in her hometown after graduating from college; in the other world, she experiences the love of a lifetime, follows her dream to become an artist and rediscovers herself.

Based on the trailer, one might reasonably presume that the life of a parent is a dreary affair which can’t compete with that of a free-spirited artist, but we suspect that both Natalies will find their way to some form of fulfilment in the end.

 

5. Inside the Mind of a Cat, Thursday, Netflix

NetflixThe late Christopher Hitchens once wrote the following about the key difference that he’d observed between cats and dogs: “Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are God. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods.” Viewers may want to keep that in mind when watching this fascinating documentary in which an array of cat experts share their insights into the feline mind, revealing the true capabilities of these purring, pouncing pets.

 

6. Inmate to Roommate – Thursday, August 18, 7:02 p.m. & 11:05 p.m. A&E | Series Premiere

A&EThis groundbreaking reality series follows recently released inmates as they rejoin society and move in with everyday people who welcome them into their homes—with the inmates and their new roommates all entering this new living arrangement with their own personal baggage.

 

7. Bad Sisters – Friday, August 19, Apple TV+ | Series Premiere

Apple TV+Between her work on Catastrophe and Motherland, it’s hard not to get excited about a new project by Sharon Horgan, which is why there’s already such a buzz around Bad Sisters.

Based on the Belgian series Clan, the pitch-black comedy follows the Garvey sisters, a set of siblings who are tied together by two very important things: the early death of their parents and their vow to always protect each other. As we open, one of their husbands has passed away, and life insurance investigators are in attendance at his funeral, digging into their fraught family dynamics and looking for evidence that one of the Garvey gals was involved in the death.

“It’s the most brilliantly fun thing I’ve ever done and completely different from what I’ve done before,” Horgan told New Musical Express. “It felt much bigger than anything I’ve taken on before. You don’t want to keep treading water—as warm and lovely as that water might be—so it felt good to push myself. And you get to have all the big boy toys on the streamer.”

 

8. Making the Cut – Friday, August 19, Prime Video | Season Premiere

Prime VideoBreak out the sewing machines and start plotting out your favourite fall fashions, because this high-stakes design series is back for a third season this week. The streaming service unrolls the first two episodes Friday, with two instalments dropping each subsequent week until the September 9th finale.

Throughout that period, a new crop of competitors will face timed challenges in which they put their best fashions forward. It all takes place in Los Angeles, with runway locations to include the iconic Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, the unique desert landscape of Vasquez Rocks, and a rooftop of one of Downtown L.A.’s many skyscrapers with sweeping views of the city skyline.

This year, the 10 challengers represent countries from around the globe, including Brazil, Switzerland and England. Montreal’s Markantoine Lynch-Boisvert is also representing Canada. For those who are unfamiliar with the creative director’s work, he’s the eclectic mind behind the conceptual skate-wear brand MRKNTN. Like in previous years, limited editions of all the winning looks will be available for purchase in Amazon Fashion’s Making the Cut store, so if you see something you like, snatch it up asap.

In the meantime, this season welcomes back hosts and executive producers Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn. Judges Nicole Richie and Moschino creative director Jeremy Scott are also back for this run. They’ll be joined by Chloe x Halle, stylist Jason Bolden and fashion TikToker and model Wisdom Kaye, who appear as guest judges. Together these fashion powerhouses will determine which contestant captures the million-dollar prize, along with a mentorship at Amazon Fashion in which they’ll have an opportunity to create an exclusive co-brand and launch their existing brands in the Amazon Fashion store.

 

9. Maggie – streaming on Disney+

Disney+Dating in the 2020s can be fraught with embarrassment and awkwardness, but imagine being a professional psychic who sees the futures of others for a living. That’s the dilemma faced by Maggie (Rebecca Rittenhouse), whose rare gift allows her to glimpse the fates of her friends, parents, clients and even random people she encounters on the street. Maggie’s entire world is rocked when she performs a reading for a handsome stranger named Ben (David Del Rio), and envisions him falling in love, telling him it will be “unlike anything you’ve ever experienced.” She then sees his wedding, and the birth of his first child—and then, shockingly, herself as his wife. Suddenly, her romantic life becomes far more complicated than she ever imagined when Ben unexpectedly moves in next door to her—with his live-in girlfriend. Now that she’s glimpsed her future with Ben unfold, Maggie must navigate uncharted waters as she finds herself in a situation her friend describes as “a nightmare” that she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy.

 

10. Echoes – Friday, August 19, Netflix | Series Premiere

NetflixMichelle Monaghan (Gone Baby Gone) plays identical twins Leni and Gina, who have spent years impersonating each other, stepping in and out of one another’s lives—until the mysterious disappearance of one twin threatens to expose the deception they’ve been carrying out on their loved ones for years.