What to Watch This Week: May 29 to June 3

From revelery on an island resort to iconic rap masters, we round up our top 10 shows to watch this week

1. My Next Guest Needs No Introduction – Netflix

NetflixDavid Letterman is back with a third season of his Netflix interview show, in which each episode allows him to have a lengthy, deep and introspective conversation with one of the biggest celebrities on the planet. The new season will find the former Late Show host sitting down with six stars: rap sensation Cardi B, NBA great Kevin Durant, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Billie Eilish, Veep and Seinfeld vet Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Vancouver’s own Ryan Reynolds and Will Smith; sadly, the latter interview was conducted before Smith managed to win an Oscar and crater his career on the same night.

2. Origins of Hip Hop – Monday, May 30, 7:01 p.m. & 10:03 p.m., A&E | Series Premiere

A&ENarrated by Nas, this eight-hour series explores the life stories of pioneering rap artists Busta Rhymes, Eve, Fat Joe, Grandmaster Flash, Ice-T, Ja Rule, Lil Jon and Uncle Luke as they reflect on their personal journeys and the evolutions of their artistic points of view, through their own eyes.

3. Killing It – Tuesday, May 31, 6:30 p.m., Showcase | Series Premiere

ShowcaseCraig Robinson (The Office) stars in this comedy as a down-on-his-luck single father who’s recently been denied a loan to start a new business when a chance encounter with an Uber driver (Claudia O’Doherty) sends him on a crazy new direction: to the Florida Everglades, where he plans to win a state-sponsored contest that will award him $20,000 if he and his trusty nail gun can kill enough snakes to win the prize.

4. America’s Got Talent – Tuesday, May 31, 8 p.m., City & NBC | Season Premiere

CitytvNow that the Extreme season of this oddball talent show (let’s all applaud winner Alfredo Silva and his Cage Riders) is over with only one near-casualty (Jonathan Goodwin was seriously injured following a failed on-set stunt last October), it’s time to bring this competition back to the original format.  

Terry Crews returns to emcee season 17 with his signature dad humour. Meanwhile, another daredevil, Simon Cowell, who broke his back in an e-scooter accident in 2020 and his arm in another e-scooter accident this past January, also returns as a judge. On that front, he’s joined by panel mainstays Heidi Klum, Sofía Vergara and Canadian Howie Mandel.  

The stakes may not be quite so “extreme,” but the absurdity levels are off-the-charts, as ever.

5. Tom Swift – Tuesday, May 31, 9 p.m., The CW | Series Premiere

The CWSince the character’s introduction in 1910, the adventures of science-obsessed teenager Tom Swift have filled more than 100 novels. 

Over a century later, the character is finally coming to the screen in The CW’s Tom Swift. First introduced in a “backdoor pilot” episode of Nancy Drew, this iteration of the iconic character is a far cry from the original. Played by Tian Richards, Tom Swift is a “devilishly charming” gay African-American tech genius who boasts “unlimited resources and unimaginable wealth” and holds “the world in the palm of his hand” (per The CW’s press release). 

But that world is shaken to its core when his father mysteriously vanishes, leading Tom to launch an investigation that places him one step ahead of an Illuminati-scale secret cabal that will stop at nothing to prevent our hero from uncovering the truth. 

Unsure of who he can trust, Tom relies on a close-knit group consisting of best friend Zenzi (Ashleigh Murray), loyal bodyguard Isaac (Marquise Vilsón) and his A.I. Barclay (voiced by LeVar Burton), whose keen insights and tough love have been a constant throughout Tom’s life. 

Meanwhile, Tom’s relationship with his mother Lorraine (April Parker Jones) becomes complicated as she urges him to take his father’s place in elite Black society, not knowing that his mom’s desire is driven by some deep, dark secrets of her own. 

Then there’s the mysterious and dangerous Rowan (Albert Mwangi), who enters Tom’s orbit with hidden motives and undeniable mutual chemistry.  

“While Tom navigates these emotionally charged dynamics,” the show’s release adds, “his missions will require his genius and his flair for innovation guided by romance, friendship and the mysteries of the universe yet unsolved.”

6. The Real Housewives of Dubai – Wednesday, June 1, 7 p.m. & 10 p.m., Slice | Series Premiere

SliceOver the years, this franchise has expanded across the globe with a McDonald’s-esque entrepreneurial glee, planting its flag in nine U.S. states (plus D.C.) and 12 other countries. Well, brace yourself, because here comes lucky No. 13! The city of Dubai is known for its beautiful landscapes and extravagant lifestyles, so expect the mansions, parties, sports cars and hors d’oeuvres to be next-level. Ditto for the feuding and table-flipping.  

When the series kicks off this week, it introduces a new group of women navigating their chaotic personal and professional lives in the United Arab Emirates. The inaugural “City of Gold” players include Nina Ali, who was born in Lebanon and raised in Texas; Chanel Ayan, Dubai’s first supermodel and a glamorous socialite; Caroline Brooks, a first-generation American and Afro-Latina who has made a name for herself in the world of real estate; Dr. Sara Al Madani, a public speaker who was born and raised in the UAE; Lesa Milan, a fashion designer and former Miss Jamaica who also has her own luxe maternity line; and Caroline Stanbury, a stylist some may recognize from the similarly themed reality series Ladies of London.  

Despite the fact that the Housewives format has, as mentioned, been sold to TV studios in many other countries, Dubai is actually yet another spinoff of the original American version of the show, marking the first time the O.G. franchise has ventured outside the U.S. Which means that exec producer/reunion host extraordinaire Andy Cohen will be in the mix!  

“Everything’s bigger in Dubai,” said Cohen in a release, “and I couldn’t be more excited to launch Bravo’s first international Housewives series in a city I’ve been fascinated by for years, with an outstanding group of friends as our guides.” 

7. Fire Island – Friday, June 3, Disney+

Disney+There was a time when it looked like we’d never actually get to see Joel Kim Booster’s new film, Fire Island. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, mind you; the project just had the profound misfortune of being picked up by the ill-fated, shortlived streaming service known as Quibi. 

You see, Booster took an essay he wrote about his connections to Jane Austen as a gay man and turned it into a TV series. He wrote a pilot called Trip, which was picked up by Quibi (intended to be released, like all Quibi shows, in weekly 10-minute instalments). When the streamer shut down after only seven months in operation, however, Booster pivoted. He transformed what had been an idea for a series into a film script, one inspired by Austen—and specifically writer-director Amy Heckerling’s 1995 Emma adaptation Clueless—exploring the bond between a group of queer best friends. Starring Booster himself along with Margaret Cho and SNL’s Bowen Yang, it finds a bunch of pals heading to the titular New York isle for their “annual week of love and laughter,” where the bonds of their friendship are unexpectedly tested. 

“We made something really, really special and unique and gay,” Booster told Vanity Fair. “The fact that we did that feels miraculous, considering what we were up against.” 

8. Hollywood Stargirl – Friday, June 3, Disney+

Disney+Grace VanderWaal is back as Stargirl Caraway, a silver-voiced teenager whose simple acts of kindness work magic in the lives of others. In this sequel to 2020’s Stargirl, when her mom (Judy Greer) is hired as the costume designer on a movie, they relocate to L.A. There, Stargirl meets an eclectic assortment of characters, including elderly neighbour  
Mr. Mitchell (Judd Hirsch) and Roxanne Martel (Uma Thurman), a musician she has long admired. 

9. Physical – Friday, June 3, Apple TV+ | Season Premiere

Apple TV+Here’s hoping you weren’t too exhausted by the first season of Physical, because the 1980s-set series is back for a second season of fitness funniness with more than a little drama mixed in.  

Season two picks up with aspiring aerobics guru Sheila (Rose Byrne) having successfully launched her first video; but now that she’s kind of a big deal, Sheila finds that success isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. For one thing, she’s still in love with her husband (Rory Scovel), but is also attracted to someone else. Worse, her burgeoning stardom means that she’s suddenly at odds with some other fitness personalities.  

Speaking of which, The White Lotus’s Murray Bartlett joins the show this year as Vinnie Green, a rival instructor who’s discovered the value of late-night infomercials. 

10. Shining Girls – Friday, June 3, Apple TV+ | Season Finale

Apple TV+Kirby’s quest to take down the time-travelling serial killer who’s been haunting her since childhood wraps season one. Given star Elisabeth Moss’s exceptionally busy schedule, it’s unclear if we’ll see a part two. Either way, here’s hoping Harper Curtis (Jamie Bell) gets his comeuppance.