A second "Downton Abbey" movie is in the works and will be in theaters Dec. 22 of this year. Festive! |
Have a safe and dazzling week. |
 | | Ed Helms, left, and Jana Schmieding in the pilot for "Rutherford Falls."Colleen Hayes/Peacock |
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When to watch: Arrives Thursday, on Peacock. |
The newest addition to the Mike Schur comedy family is this series set in a small town beginning to confront its own racism. Ed Helms and Jana Schmieding star as Nathan and Reagan, he the white poster boy for the town's colonial past and she the Native American woman pushing to preserve and honor her community's history. They are also B.F.F.s and, in a Schur taxonomy, are both Leslie Knopes: not outsiders, really, but people whose extreme enthusiasm and focus leave them vulnerable to alienation and minor ridicule. |
The show is a comfortable fit in the whimsical-dork space alongside Schur creations like "Parks," "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" and "The Good Place." It's tender toward its characters and wants them to grow and succeed. Its story is more serialized than that of many other comedies, and that narrative momentum brings a necessary brightness and energy to a show whose protagonists struggle with personal inertia. |
"Rutherford" is also a rare and welcome instance of Native representation in comedy. Sierra Teller Ornelas, who is Navajo and Mexican-American, created the show with Schur and Helms. And Michael Greyeyes, who is Nehiyaw from the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, is a knockout as an entrepreneurial casino boss. If you've watched "Schitt's Creek" more than once, watch this. |
Wait, how does spelling work? |
 | | Chris Sullivan in a scene from "The Electric Company." (He's "butchering" the English language.)Sesame Workshop |
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When to watch: Now, on Hulu. |
All three seasons of the 2006 revival of "The Electric Company" are streaming, and in addition to being an absolute ear worm factory, it's also perfect for viewers who are a little too young for "Hamilton" but still want something starring that show's cast and creative team. Even though "The Electric Company" has some of that exaggerated assistant principal-style delivery endemic to children's shows, it's still pretty watchable for adults, and its literacy guidance is specific and helpful. If you're wondering what comes after "Sesame Street," it's this. |
 | | A shot from "Life in Color With David Attenborough."Netflix |
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- Season 2 of the charming kids' show "Izzy's Koala World" arrives Tuesday, on Netflix.
- "Sasquatch," a three-part documentary about murders in Northern California that some locals attributed to a Sasquatch attack, arrives Tuesday, on Hulu. Despite the seemingly jokey setup, this is actually quite dark and intense.
- I want desperately for an exciting furniture-design skill-based reality contest show to exist. "Ellen's Next Great Designer," coming to HBO Max Thursday, is not it! It's slow and strained, and even though Ellen DeGeneres is ostensibly the celebrity anchor, she's barely present. Instead, it's the actor Scott Foley who serves as an invested-enough host and judge. What's extra strange about this show, in addition to its not being very good, is that DeGeneres has already had a show exactly like this: "Ellen's Design Challenge" premiered in 2015 on HGTV. (Season 1 ended in a plagiarism scandal.) Anyway, here's hoping "The Great British Sewing Bee" makes it to HBO Max soon, because "Designer" is not scratching that "people make things; it's fun" itch.
- "Life in Color With David Attenborough" arrives Thursday, on Netflix.
- The 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards, which usually air the day before the Oscars, are instead airing Thursday at 10 p.m. on IFC.
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