Dragon Ball Figures: Watching: If You Want a Meaty Drama

February 22, 2021

By Margaret Lyons

Television Critic

The Golden Globes are Sunday, and if you'd like to know more about why so many people hold this awards show in such low regard, this Los Angeles Times piece about the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is a good starting place.

Have a safe and easy week.

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I like shows where people spit blood

Clive Owen in a relatively non-gruesome scene from "The Knick."Mary Cybulski/HBO

'The Knick'

When to watch: Now, on HBO Max.

There are only two seasons of this historical medical drama, but it crams plenty of sorrow and resentment into its 20 episodes. Clive Owen stars as John Thackery, a pioneering surgeon in 1900 who, in the great tradition of TV doctors, could himself use some healing. Instead, he's really into using cocaine. A lot of "The Knick" has familiar hospital-show ideas — some folks are too cocky for their own dang good, and man, a lot sure happens right here in the building — but its rhythms are more those of an antihero drama.

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Steven Soderbergh directed all of "The Knick," and that's a huge part of its draw; it's as if the show itself were concentrating. There's a lot of blood and guts, so it's not for the squeamish, and it's pretty horny, so it's not for prudish. But if you like period shows, are considering getting ankle boots or are just craving a meaty drama, watch this.

Uh, wow, no, I want the opposite of that

Matt McCooey, left, and Ashley Jensen in "Agatha Raisin."Acorn TV

'Agatha Raisin'

When to watch: Now, on Acorn TV.

If bleak drama is not your vibe at the moment, try this quirky mystery series that's light and fun and has punchy costumes. Ashley Jensen stars as Agatha, a publicist in London who becomes an amateur detective. Think "Psych" in terms of easy-breeziness and not "gimme a whiskey and hear my tale of woe" like a lot of crime-solving shows. There are only 16 episodes, so watch slowly.

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Also this week

A scene from "Superman & Lois."Dean Buscher/The CW

For people whose superhero needs are not currently being met, "Superman & Lois" premieres Tuesday at 8 p.m. on the CW.
In the vein of "The Dog Whisperer" and "My Cat From Hell" comes "Canine Intervention," about badly trained dogs, which arrives on Netflix Wednesday.
The revival of "Design Star," "Design Star: Next Gen," starts Wednesday on Discovery+ and airs at 9 p.m. on HGTV.
Season 4 of "Snowfall" premieres Wednesday at 10 p.m. on FX.

EXTRA-CREDIT READING

Critic's Notebook

'Batman: The Animated Series' Predicted the Bat-Future

This Saturday morning cartoon, now streaming on HBO Max, redefined the caped crusader years before he became one of the world's most popular and endlessly recycled characters.

By Maya Phillips

Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Soon-Yi Previn, Dylan Farrow: A Timeline

A look at major events in the complicated history of the director, his children and the Farrow family as a new documentary revisits the case.

By Sopan Deb, Deborah Leiderman and Sarah Bahr

Talk

Amy Poehler Is Into What Gen Z Is Selling

''Like when someone says, 'Hey, white women, stop centering yourself in a story,' I think that's interesting.''

By David Marchese

Settlement Reached in Suit Accusing James Franco of Sexual Misconduct

Two former students of Mr. Franco's have agreed to drop their claims that he had intimidated them into performing explicit sex scenes. Mr. Franco has denied the allegations.

By Sarah Bahr

Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen: The Latest Podcast Duo

Their new show, "Renegades: Born in the USA," features the 44th president and the musician speaking intimately and expansively on topics like race, fatherhood and the country's painful divisions.

By Ben Sisario

Art Mystery Solved: Who Wrote on Edvard Munch's 'The Scream'?

The authorship of the tiny inscription, "Could only have been painted by a madman," was disputed. Curators in Oslo say the artist definitely wrote it himself. (But why?)

By Nina Siegal

Those We've Lost

Fernando Hidalgo, Cuban-Born TV Host, Dies at 78

For 14 years, "El Show de Fernando Hidalgo," a racy variety show with a Cuban flair, was appointment viewing in Latino households across the United States.

By Christina Morales

The World Through a Lens

On Horseback Among the Eagle Hunters and Herders of the Mongolian Altai

Deep in the Altai Mountains, where Russia, China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia meet, Kazakh people have for centuries developed and nurtured a special bond with golden eagles.

By Claire Thomas

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