TV Watchlist: Gaga Hits HBO, Jim Henson Gets a Doc and Benedict Cumberbatch Goes Dark

Plus the series finale of "Star Trek: Discovery" and streaming premiere of "The First Omen" Week of May 25– 31 The holiday weekend is here! But even after the long weekend is over, there's plenty to keep us distracted and entertained this week, including a new Netflix series starring Benedict Cumberbatch (“Eric”), a terrific scary movie (“The First Omen” on Hulu) and a deeply moving doc on the life and career of Jim Henson (“Jim Henson: Idea Man” on Disney+). Plus a Lady Gaga concert movie (“Gaga Chromatica Ball” on HBO), a documentary on MoviePass (“MoviePass MovieCrash” on HBO) and a music documentary on an influential British neighborhood (“Camden” on Hulu). Even if we’re back to work, at least we have stuff to watch. On with the television! Eric Thursday, May 30, Netflix Source: Netflix Benedict Cumberbatch, besides being an A-list movie star, often flits back to television; recently he’s been the voice of Satan on “Good Omens” and appeared as the animated version of Doctor Strange in the MCU series “What If?” His latest small screen endeavor is “Eric,” created by Abi Morgan, writer of “The Iron Lady,” “Shame” and “Suffragette.” The six-part limited series follows Cumberbatch’s Vincent, a puppeteer in 1980s New York that is working on a “Sesame Street”-style children’s program. He’s a bit of a jerk – he drinks, fights with his wife (Gaby Hoffmann) and ignores his young son Edgar (Ivan Morris Howe). Of course, one day, when he should be walking his son to school, the son goes alone. And disappears. Is this connected to a string of mysterious crimes? Can Vincent solve the case himself? And what about the title character, Eric, a creature that Edgar devised, who is now attempting to help Vincent? (Cumberbatch also voices Eric.) Morgan uses the setting of grungy 1980s Manhattan to also investigate the sexism and bigotry of the time, along with more specific social issues like the mounting AIDS crisis. And don’t worry, despite some aesthetic similarities between Jim Henson and Cumberbatch’s Vincent, they aren’t taking a hit at the beloved Muppets creator. (More on him in a minute!) If you like your crime stories hardboiled and pitch black, then “Eric” is for you. [[TRAILER](] Star Trek: Discovery Thursday, May 30, Paramount+ Source: Paramount+ It used to be that “Star Trek” series, starting with “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” would all run for seven seasons – “The Next Generation,” “Deep Space Nine” and “Voyager” weathered ratings ups and downs and all survived for seven seasons. But “Star Trek: Enterprise” had only four seasons, and its premature cancelation meant that it was the first time in nearly 20 years without a live action “Star Trek” show on the air. That drought would finally come to an end when “Star Trek: Discovery” premiered in 2017. And now “Star Trek: Discovery” is coming to a close after five seasons. It crossed over two streaming services CBS All Access and Paramount+ and successfully jump-started a new age of TV “Trek,” which now includes things like “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” “Picard” and the upcoming “Starfleet Academy.” Let us say adieu to “Star Trek: Discovery,” the only show with the guts to send Tig Notaro to space. [[TRAILER](] The First Omen Thursday, May 30, Hulu Source: 20th Century One of the year’s best films – yes, seriously – “The First Omen” is a prequel to the Gregory Peck-led original (released back in 1976) and is the sixth film in the franchise. Part of what made the “Omen” franchise so fun was its elasticity – it is part demonic, Argento-adjacent Euro-horror, part “Final Destination” freakshow (remember the guy getting cut in half by the elevator cable in “Damine – Omen II?”), part treatise on fate and religion. All sides of the franchise are exhibited in “The First Omen,” which sees novitiate Margaret Daino (a compelling Nell Tiger Free) travel to Italy in the early 1970s amidst political upheaval. There she befriends a young girl at her orphanage (Nicole Sorace) that she thinks the church might be trying to manipulate for nefarious purposes. If you’re familiar with “The Omen,” you know that some touchstones will be resurrected. But there’s a fresh, modern spin that “The First Omen” inhabits, thanks largely to its co-writer/director Arkasha Stevenson, who is unafraid to graft contemporary concerns onto a storied franchise. Also: it's really scary. This is the movie that brings necessary fresh blood to the series, to the point that you’ll gladly take more installments. Let us pray for sequels. [[TRAILER](] Jim Henson: Idea Man Friday, May 31, Disney+ Source: Disney+ Incredibly, this is the first feature-length documentary about Jim Henson, the tireless innovator and creator of the Muppets, who died tragically at the age of 53 after a brief bacterial infection. As directed by Ron Howard, who never worked with Henson but did collaborate with his “Labyrinth” producer George Lucas on “Willow,” the movie combines archival footage of Henson and his accomplishments, with new talking head interviews, mostly with the Henson family and collaborators like Frank Oz and Dave Goelz. When the documentary was announced it stated that it was produced “with the full participation and cooperation of the Henson family,” which usually implies that the harder edges are rounded off and the fact that it is premiering on Disney+ certainly doesn’t make these fears any less prominent, but “Jim Henson: Idea Man” does its due diligence. It investigates Henson as both a creator and as a father, a husband and a friend. And sometimes those sides of him are at odds. Geniuses are like that. (Brian Henson, his son who now runs the company, admits that he did let down the family occasionally.) It would have been nice if the movie were a bit longer to cover the true breadth of his accomplishments (major works like “Fraggle Rock” and the “Jim Henson Hour” are hastily lumped together in a brief montage) and had more collaborators speak to their involvement with his life and his work (why didn’t Howard talk to Paul Williams?) But it’s still a lovely documentary that will make you cry almost from the very beginning to the final frame. You’ve been warned. [[TRAILER](] The StoryTeller Peacock Source: Jim Henson Productions “When people told themselves their past with stories, explained their present with stories, foretold the future with stories, the best place by the fire was kept for The Storyteller,” thus began “The StoryTeller,” the envelope-pushing primetime series from Jim Henson that began as a standalone series of specials in 1987 before inhabiting the second half-hour of “The Jim Henson Hour.” There are a few reasons why “The StoryTeller” remains an essential Henson text. For one, it was one of the last projects that he completed before his untimely death in 1990. (One installment, “The Three Ravens,” didn’t air until many years after his death, following the cancellation of “The Jim Henson Hour.”) Secondly, it advanced the dark fantasy that originated with Henson’s films “The Dark Crystal” and “Labyrinth,” but did it in a much more palpable way. The episodes were written by future Oscar-winning filmmaker Anthony Minghella, who we also lost way too young (he died in 2008 at the age of 53), and feature some of the most beautiful music ever composed for television, courtesy of British composer Rachel Portman. There’s something melancholic and cozy about these episodes, populated by cutting-edge characters from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop and full of fine performances, led by John Hurt’s expert narration as the StoryTeller. Many of these stories really will break your heart. But in the best way possible. The series was a profound work of art and Henson would be proud knowing it’s still watched today. More power to “The StoryTeller.” [[WATCH](] Source: HBO “Gaga Chromatica Ball” Saturday, May 25 at 8 p.m., HBO Concert specials are all the rage these days; Lady Gaga should rightfully get in on the action. This special captures the spectacle of her “Chromatica Ball” tour, which kicked off after the release of her sixth studio album “Chromatica.” The special was filmed during a 2022 show at Los Angeles’ Dodgers Stadium. Makes you wonder what else is in the Gaga Vaults... [[TRAILER](] “MoviePass, MovieCrash” Wednesday, May 29 at 9 p.m., HBO This feature-length documentary charts the infamous MoviePass company, which promised all-you-can-watch theatrical movies for the unbelievably low price of $9.99 a month. Something clearly wasn’t right, which this documentary digs into. It also asks the question: how much did the movie business need MoviePass? And how much does the industry miss MoviePass, now that it’s gone? [[TRAILER](] “Camden” Wednesday, May 29, Hulu This four-part music documentary (lots of those this week!) “reveals the untold stories of how the lives and careers of some of the world’s most iconic artists were influenced by this corner of the city,” according to the official synopsis. It features artists like Dua Lipa, Nile Rodgers, Noel Gallagher, Boy George, Chris Martin, Mark Ronson, Little Simz and The Libertines, who got their start in Camden. This looks like a ton of fun. Turn it up loud. [[TRAILER](] “The Famous Five” Friday, May 31, Hulu A British series, based on a series of beloved books by Enid Blyton and created by Nicolas Winding Refn, the director of blood-soaked movies like “Drive” and “The Neon Demon,” well, this has to be seen to be believed. (It aired in the UK late last year.) All six episodes stream Friday. [[TRAILER](] “The Great Lillian Hall” Friday, May 31 at 8 p.m., HBO Well this looks great. The movie went from a theatrical release, starring Meryl Streep (and later Glenn Close), to an HBO-exclusive, with Jessica Lange in the title role and a supporting cast that includes her “American Horror Story” castmates Lily Rabe and Kathy Bates, along with Pierce Brosnan and Jesse Williams. Lange plays a Broadway star who is preparing for her latest starring role but starting to combat the early signs of dementia. Heavy, sure, but full of the kind of powerhouse acting that makes even the bleakest subject matter positively electric. [[TRAILER](] 2034 Armacost Ave. | Los Angeles, CA 90025 [Unsubscribe](