Friday, April 16, 2021

Watching: What to Watch This Weekend

"Couples Therapy" is back.
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By Margaret Lyons

Television Critic

Dear Watchers,

HBO Max announced this week that it ordered a third season of the period crime drama "Warrior," whose first two seasons aired on its corporate sibling Cinemax.

Have a great weekend.

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This weekend I have … an hour, and I love love

Orna Guralnik in a scene from "Couples Therapy."Showtime

'Couples Therapy'

When to watch: Sunday at 10 p.m., on Showtime.

The new season of this documentary series about, yep, couples therapy follows the therapist from Season 1 (Orna Guralnik) but a new batch of struggling couples; no need to have seen the first installment. The show remains riveting — intimate and sometimes frustrating, about as rich a snapshot of human behavior as you are going to find. I'm not sure what's more rare: real honesty or real change. But "Couples Therapy" depicts both onscreen and might even elicit flickers of both in viewers. If you like Rumpelstiltskinning your own judgment into empathy, watch this.

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… a few hours, and I love ensembles

A scene from "Srugim."Eva Gez/Yes Studios

'Srugim'

When to watch: Now, on Amazon.

"Srugim," an Israeli series that started in 2008 (in Hebrew, with subtitles), comes and goes from streaming platforms, but all three seasons are available again. The show follows a group of Modern Orthodox pals who all want to get married but until then are happy to spend a lot of time minding one another's business. Nothing so extraordinary happens on "Srugim," nothing wild — it's just so carefully observed, so good at its character details that it feels more alive than a lot of other shows. If you already watched "Shtisel" and want something way less intense but just as compelling, watch this.

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… a few hours, and I like top shelf

Kieran Culkin in a scene from "Succession."Peter Kramer/HBO

'Succession'

When to watch: Now, on HBO Max.

I will warn you: Watching or rewatching "Succession" will make other shows seem amateurish and low-budget, and part of you will scoff at the simple peasant characters elsewhere who want things like healthy love or a sense of purpose. Characters on "Succession" just want to win — or, even better, they want other people to lose. Their frigid nastiness is a depraved thrill, and fantastic performances give the show a potent depth, especially in later episodes. Few shows are this good at both textured, poetic drama and feral vulgarity, and Season 3 cannot arrive soon enough.

Your newly available movies

Bob Odenkirk in "Nobody."Allen Fraser/Universal

Having already showcased his chameleonic brilliance as a sketch comic on "Mr. Show" and as a dramatic actor on "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul," Bob Odenkirk makes a surprisingly credible bid as a middle-aged action star in "Nobody." But the documentary "Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts," about an Alabama artist born into slavery, is our lone Critic's Pick this week.

Some independent films are available via "virtual cinemas," which share the rental fees between distributors and theaters. Unless otherwise noted, other titles can generally be rented on the usual platforms, including Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu and YouTube. SCOTT TOBIAS

'Arlo the Alligator Boy' (Netflix only)

Several gags pay off: wearable puppies; random lederhosen; rhyming references to the Jason Statham action movie "The Meg"; and, for the rare aficionado of both of kiddie cartoons about self-acceptance and the once X-rated classic "Midnight Cowboy," a running bit where every New Yorker howls, "I'm walkin' here!" — Amy Nicholson (Read the full review here.)

'Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts' (A Critic's Pick, via Kino Marquee virtual cinema)

This documentary, directed by Jeffrey Wolf, is a plain, sincere, nourishing account of the artist. Wolf makes excellent use of photo and film archives, laying out the territory that fed Traylor's vision: dirt roads, railroad tracks, backwoods. — Glenn Kenny (Read the full review here.)

The film sometimes flags in energy as it cuts between these different strands, but its pace feels faithful to just how halting the fight for justice can be when democracy becomes impenetrable to those it serves. — Devika Girish (Read the full review here.)

'Monday'

While 'Monday' is not quite as bracing as [the director Argyris Papadimitropoulos's] prior feature, "Suntan," it's a sharply observed, well-acted picture with a lot of tart detail and a few real stings in its tail. — Glenn Kenny (Read the full review here.)

'Nobody'

Flashy and cocksure, "Nobody," written by Derek Kolstad (the narrative engine of the "John Wick" franchise), sprints from one dust up to the next with winking efficiency. However disreputable its hoary thesis — that real masculinity resides in the fists — its director, Ilya Naishuller, knows how to make a film move. — Jeannette Catsoulis (Read the full review here.)

Also newly available:

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EXTRA-CREDIT READING

Feeling a Bit Cramped? 'Couples Therapy' May Look Familiar

The Showtime docu-series lets viewers eavesdrop on real-life counseling sessions. The new season looks at relationships struggling under quarantine.

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