TV Watchlist: Vince Vaughn Is Back Onscreen and Awkwafina Goes for the Gold

Week of August 10 – 16 We’re sure this week, wherever you are, has been one of the hottest of the year, and next week doesn’t seem to be cooling off any – which makes the decision to stay inside and soak up all of the amazing streaming shows and movies even easier! We’ve got a new Apple TV+ series from the creator of “Ted Lasso” starring none other than Vince Vaughn (“Bad Monkey”), new movies starring John Cena (“Jackpot”) and Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry (“The Union”), plus a heart-tugging documentary on Netflix (“Daughters”), the return of “Industry” and “Bel-Air.” That's not to mention “Rick and Morty” going anime! What more could you want? Time to crank that AC! On with the television! Bad Monkey Wednesday, Aug. 14, Apple TV+ Source: Apple TV+ Bill Lawrence, the executive producer of Apple TV+ favorites “Ted Lasso” and “Shrinking,” returns to the streaming service for “Bad Monkey,” based on Carl Hiaasen’s 2013 bestseller of the same name. Vince Vaughn plays Andrew Yancy, “who has been bounced from the Miami Police Department and is now a health inspector in the Keys. But after stumbling upon a case that begins with a human arm fished up by tourists, he realizes that if he can prove murder, he’ll be back in. He just needs to get past a trove of Floridian oddballs and one bad monkey” (according to the official synopsis). The supporting cast of “Bad Monkey” includes L. Scott Caldwell, Rob Delaney, Meredith Hagner, Natalie Martinez, Alex Moffat, Michelle Monaghan, Ronald Peet, Jodie Turner-Smith and Scott Glenn, along with special guest stars John Ortiz and Zach Braff. The first two episodes of the 10-episode season premiere Friday, with subsequent episodes released weekly. If you like your mysteries with some wackiness and a lot of observational Florida humor, “Bad Monkey” could be your favorite new series. “Bad” might wind up being very good. [[TRAILER](] The Proof Is Out There Friday, Aug. 16 at 10 p.m., History Source: History Channel Hosted by veteran TV journalist Tony Harris, this “nonfiction series takes an in-depth look at some of the most incredible and thought-provoking videos of unexplained phenomena and mysterious must-see moments. Each one-hour episode explores and analyzes the full story of irregularity in question, from the latest UFO video leak from the Department of Homeland Security to a long-extinct species caught on camera to mysterious stone carvings in Japan and more.” So, yes, this is one of those shows where they just play weird videos that you can find on the internet and dissect their viability. That’s fun! And we love that the show has the prime time Friday slot that birthed “The X-Files,” especially considering the title of the History Channel show is borrowed from that iconic series. Cue the spooky music. [[TRAILER](] Jackpot Thursday, Aug. 15, Prime Video Source: Prime Video Originally known as “Grand Death Lotto,” this comedy is set in the near future, where a national lottery is established. The catch? You have to kill the winner before sundown to legally claim the multi-billion-dollar prize. Awkwafina plays Katie, who accidentally finds herself with the winning ticket. She teams up with an amateur lottery protection agent named Noel (John Cena) and together they work to stay alive until sundown so that they can enjoy their winning prize. Simu Liu, Sean William Scott, “Triangle of Sadness” breakout Dolly de Leon and rapper Machine Gun Kelly costar in “Jackpot.” And perhaps most excitingly of all is the fact that the action comedy was directed by Paul Feig, whose credits include “Spy,” “The Heat” and “Ghostbusters: Answer the Call.” Feig is somebody who knows how to mix the laughs and the thrills. And “Jackpot” looks like a ton of fun. [[TRAILER](] Daughters Wednesday, Aug. 14, Netflix Source: Netflix Are you ready to cry your eyes out? “Daughters,” directed by Natalie Rae and Angela Patton, follows a program called Date With Dad, which “fosters father-daughter bonding for families separated by the carceral system. Fathers in the program take part in therapy sessions before the final event: a daddy-daughter dance in which the men trade their state-issued clothing for semiformal attire and reunite with their daughters for a sweet moment of familial closeness” (according to the official synopsis). If you’re already welling up just reading that, just wait until you watch the documentary. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, where it won the Audience Award in Documentary Competition and was named overall Festival Favorite. Kerry Washington is one of the film’s executive producers. Have the tissues handy. [[TRAILER](] The X-Files Hulu Source: Hulu At the end of the title sequence for “The X-Files,” Chris Carter’s singularly spooky series, a card reads, simply, “The truth is out there.” This phrase was obviously borrowed for the aforementioned History Channel series, with a slight variation – “The Proof Is Out There.” But if you’re really craving fun adventures with vast government conspiracies, alien infiltration and more monsters than you can adequately handle, why not go to the source? “The X-Files” is, incredibly, just as entertaining, atmospheric and engrossing as it was when it debuted in 1993. And even the newer “event series” have some gems, too. If, for some reason, you’ve never watched “The X-Files,” it’s a super fun journey, lasting for more than 200 episodes with two feature films and a brief spin-off project. Become an expert before the inevitable reboot/remake. The truth is out there. [[WATCH](] Source: Adult Swim “Industry” Sunday, Aug. 11 at 9 p.m., HBO Returning from a two-year gap, HBO’s London-set drama, which explores the high stakes financial industry, has been given the prime Sunday night slot, with two Sunday HBO veterans joining the cast – Kit Harington from “Game of Thrones” and Sarah Goldberg from “Barry.” Will this mean more viewers and discussion? You never know with this industry. [[TRAILER](] “Rick and Morty: The Anime” Thursday, Aug. 15 at midnight, Adult Swim on Cartoon Network Beginning in 2020, there were several “Rick and Morty” anime shorts. Now here comes the full-blown series. “Rick and Morty: The Anime” follows the contours of the original series, with Rick and Morty hopping between different planets and universes and getting into comic misadventures, but with a distinct animation style (provided by Japanese studios Studio Deen and Sola, who are also working on the “Lord of the Rings” anime) and new twists and turns galore. Yes please. [[TRAILER](] “Bel-Air” Thursday, Aug. 15, Peacock The first three episodes of the third season of “Bel-Air” stream Friday, a little more than a year after the second season aired. And if you haven’t been watching this dramatic retelling of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” with Jabari Banks as Will Smith, how’s this for incentive: Joseph Marcell, the original show’s Geoffrey, shows up in this new season. It’s all connected! [[TRAILER](] “Emily in Paris” Thursday, Aug. 15, Netflix Thanks to last year’s strikes (SAG-AFTRA and WGA), the Darren Star-created “Emily in Paris” had some production delays, with this season being split into two five-episode chunks. The first five arrive today and the remaining five will debut on Sept. 12. But just think – that will give you even more time to discuss Emily's kooky outfits from the first half of the season (and give you time to speculate what kooky outfits she’ll be wearing in the second half!). [[TRAILER](] “The Union” Friday, Aug. 16, Netflix You’ll never guess that Mark Wahlberg is in a high-concept Netflix action movie, but Mark Wahlberg is in a high-concept Netflix action movie. This time he plays a construction worker who is roped into an espionage plot by a former girlfriend (Halle Berry). Mike Colter, J.K. Simmons, Jackie Earle Haley and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje costar, with direction being handled by one of Wahlberg’s “Entourage” directors, Julian Farino. Could be fun! [[TRAILER](] 2034 Armacost Ave. | Los Angeles, CA 90025 [Unsubscribe](