Between streaming and cable, there is a seemingly endless variety of things to watch. Here is a selection of TV shows and specials that are airing or streaming this week, May 19-25. Details and times are subject to change.
Something here isn’t right …
If we know one thing about Meghann Fahy, it’s that she’s good at playing characters who go to stunning locations where the interpersonal vibes are … bad (see: “The Perfect Couple” and “The White Lotus”). And that is exactly the setup of the new mini-series “Sirens.” Fahy plays Devon, whose billionaire boss is developing a too-close relationship with her sister, and she heads to a seaside estate where to suss out the situation. Off-putting energy and gorgeous locations, what could be better? Streaming Thursday on Netflix.
And if we know anything about Nicole Kidman, it’s that she loves to put on a chic wig and act as a cold, slightly unagreeable but somehow charming matriarch or leader (see: “The Undoing,” “Big Little Lies,” and also “The Perfect Couple”). And that is the setting for “Nine Perfect Strangers,” which is coming back for its second season. Masha (Kidman), the director of a resort in the Austrian Alps, hosts a 10-day retreat where things go, well, not exactly as planned because participants are actually signing up for psychedelic therapy. Henry Golding, Annie Murphy and Christine Baranski are joining the cast this season. Streaming Tuesday on Hulu.
Nathan Fielder’s expertise is making viewers uncomfortable. And in Season 2 of his series “The Rehearsal,” he has continued to succeed in doing just that. In the show, Fielder directs staged scenarios with the help of construction crews and willing talent. If you’ve seen “The Office” episode “Scott’s Tots,” this show tends to elicit that same type of pearl-clutching cringe. And sometimes Fielder’s bits seemingly goes too far — the musician Lana Love told Variety she spent $10,000 (travel, lodging, hair and makeup) to audition for a new singing competition show “Wings of Voice,” which ended up being just a part of Fielder’s ruse. (Neither representatives HBO or Fielder responded to Variety’s request for comment.) The second season is wrapping up this week. Sunday at 10:30 p.m. on HBO and streaming on Max.
Traveling for food or politics?
Stanley Tucci is taking foodies on the road with him in his new documentary series “Tucci in Italy.” Through out five regions, Tucci eats his way through Tuscany, Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Abruzzo and Lazio. But that’s not it, of course: He also interacts with fisherman, cheese purveyors, Italian cowboys and barbecue experts along the way. Streaming on Monday on Hulu and Disney+.
During the 2024 election, President Donald J. Trump drew votes from a larger portion of men and women under 30 than any Republican candidate since 2008. And luckily, we have Jordan Klepper on the case to ask the important questions like: Do they like Trump’s “YMCA” dance moves? In “The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers The Pulse: MAGA: The Next Generation,” he heads to college campuses to talk to young voters. Monday at 11:30 p.m. on Comedy Central and streaming the next day on Paramount+.
The struggles of relationships.
I’m making an educated guess that very few people have wondered if a former late-night hookup could now become a proper relationship, but Netflix is putting that theory to the test with its new reality dating show “Sneaky Links: Dating After Dark.” In the vein of their typical dating experiments, the show sends six singles to a motel — only for them to find out that their former situationships are also there. Streaming Tuesday on Netflix.
Dr. Orna Guralnik, a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst, is back on our television screens and in counseling with couples on the second half of the fourth season of “Couples Therapy.” Each season features a handful of couples, and viewers watch their journeys as they work on communication, break down their issues and sometimes, ultimately, decide it’s better to be apart. It’s hard not to be completely enraptured in how Guralnik so successfully meets the couples where they are, and if nothing else, the show acts as a P.S.A. about how important therapy can be. Friday at 9 p.m. on Showtime.
