What to Watch This Week: November 10 to 15

From the queens of country to a morning show battle, we round up the top 10 shows to watch this week

1. The Morning Show – Apple TV+

A popular morning news program is shaken to its core when, after 15 years as the most trusted man on television, the male host (played by perpetual “good guy” Steve Carell) is abruptly fired for sexual misconduct, leaving its longtime co-host Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston) to deal with the aftermath on live television, as she simultaneously scrambles for professional survival behind the scenes. Sound familiar? Well, it’s meant to. While not directly based on the events that took place at the Today show in recent years, The Morning Show is without doubt your bird’s eye view into a shifting entertainment landscape. Apple’s first major foray into television is a close look at that landscape, through the eyes of two women (Aniston and co-star Reese Witherspoon) who are constantly under the scrutiny of not just a national audience but the people who depend on them when the camera is not rolling.

2. Seth Meyers: Lobby Baby – Netflix

Given how much viral mileage our man Seth has been getting out of his recurring “A Closer Look” segment on Late Night With Seth Meyers, it’s not like he needs an additional bump in profile, but seeing as he spends his rare downtime from the weeknight talk show doing standup around the country, it was probably inevitable that he’d end up with a Netflix special.

Filmed at Minneapolis’s Pantages Theater, the program—entitled Lobby Baby—takes its title from a story that avid Late Night watchers will already know quite well, though it’s one that never gets old: his wife went into labour in the lobby of their apartment and… well, you can probably work out the rest.

3. The 2019 E! People’s Choices Awards – Sunday, November 10, 6 p.m. & 8 p.m., E!

Make the most of your cable provider’s free E! preview and settle in for a night of big stars picking up fan-voted awards. The 45th running of this Hollywood gala returns with glitz, glamour and the sophomore edition of the only category we really care about: Most Hypeworthy Canadian. This year, there are a slew of popular Canucks up for the crown, including Shawn Mendes and Drake, Killing Eve star Sandra Oh, Toronto Raptors super-fan Nav Bhatia and the one and only Keanu Reeves, whose career has gone through a bit of a renaissance lately.

4. Family Guy – Sunday, November 10, 9:30 p.m., City & Fox

When the Griffin family unexpectedly finds itself without Wi-Fi, Peter and Lois opt to fill the entertainment void by spinning the story of how they fell in love back in the ’90s. Playing some kind of role in this timeless romance is former MTV VJ Daisy Fuentes, who guest stars as herself.

5. Dancing With the Stars – Monday, November 11, 8 p.m., City & ABC

Dancing is always more fun with some catchy music, and what’s catchier than earworm hits from the boy bands and girl groups of yore? This competition is fully embracing that wisdom this week with a cheese-laden edition that speaks to our nostalgic Backstreet Boys- and Spice Girls-loving hearts.

6. Catherine the Great – Monday, November 11, 9 p.m. & Midnight, HBO Canada | Series Finale

When you picture the face of a woman who managed to hold onto her power as empress of Russia for more than three decades, you’re going to envision someone quite regal. Someone even dame-worthy, perhaps. So it’s no wonder that over the short course of this historical drama, Helen Mirren has won us all over with her portrayal of Catherine the Great.

This week, HBO’s four-part miniseries winds down, as pressure from foreign powers culminates in an argument between Catherine and her lover/military leader Grigory Potemkin (Jason Clarke), while Catherine works to change the line of succession before leaving the throne. But even though her reign and this series are at an end, Catherine’s story won’t be fading back into the annals of history anytime soon—not with awards season on the horizon.

7. The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash – Monday, November 11, YouTube

This YouTube documentary presents a searing portrait of country music great Johnny Cash, whose personal character and iconoclastic artistry were inexorably molded by both his deep faith and the personal tragedy he experienced. The 90-minute film features recently discovered archival materials and new interviews with family members and Cash’s musical collaborators.

8. The Mandalorian – Tuesday, November 12, Disney+ | Series Premiere

With Tuesday marking the launch of Disney’s new streaming service, Disney+, one of its most anticipated new series is The Mandalorian, a “space western” set within Star Wars‘ galaxy far, far away. Pedro Pascal (Narcos) is the titular Mandalorian, a bounty hunter described as “a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy, far from the authority of the New Republic.” Created by Jon Favreau (director of such films as Iron Man and the recent remake of The Lion King), the series is set five years after the events of Return of the Jedi and about 25 years before The Force Awakens, and boasts a cast including Nick Nolte, Giancarlo Esposito, Carl Weathers, Gina Carano, Bill Burr, Taika Waititi and Werner Herzog.

9. Very Ralph – Tuesday, November 12, 8 p.m. & 11:50 p.m., HBO Canada

This documentary explores the life and career of iconic fashion designer Ralph Lauren, who reflects on his journey from the streets of the Bronx to becoming an emblem of American style. Among the interviewees are Anna Wintour, Karl Lagerfeld, Hillary Clinton, Naomi Campbell, Martha Stewart, Calvin Klein and more.

10. The 53rd Annual CMA Awards – Wednesday, November 13, 8 p.m., CTV2 & ABC

It won’t take very long for viewers to notice one big difference in this year’s CMA Awards.

Carrie Underwood has been teamed with Brad Paisley to host the previous 11 editions of the event… and though she’ll be back this time, he won’t. However, she’s getting not just one stellar co-hosting successor but two, as Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton join Underwood as “special guest hosts” when ABC broadcasts the Country Music Association’s 53rd annual ceremony from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday.

The occasion is being billed as “celebrating the legendary women of country music,” and McEntire and Parton—past CMA Entertainer of the Year winners both—have proven in their other hosting gigs that they can be quite humorous and topical.