Legendary actress Meryl Streep pops up in two new streaming productions in a span of two days this week playing two very different characters.
In an HBO Max film out Thursday called “Let Them All Talk,” Streep, Dianne Wiest and Candice Bergen play old friends taking the Queen Mary 2 together in a semi-improvised film by Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh. Streep plays a successful, self-absorbed novelist struggling with her latest book and dealing with past tensions with her friends.
The next day, Netflix releases “The Prom,” a Ryan Murphy vehicle starring Streep as a vamping, fading Broadway diva. To amp up her relevance, she finds a story about an Indiana teen girl who is denied entry to her prom because her date is a girl. Streep, along with fellow Broadway actors played by the likes of James Corden and Nicole Kidman, arrive in Indiana to hold their own prom for her. Kerry Washington plays a conservative PTA mom and Keegan-Michael Key the more tolerant principal.
A film that would have otherwise been released in theaters first lands instead at Amazon Prime on Friday: “I’m Your Woman” starring Rachel Brosnahan as a woman in the 1970s on the run after her criminal husband disappears. The streaming service also enters the young adult world with its original series “The Wilds” featuring teenage girls who are stranded on an island.
On Wednesday, NBC airs a Grinch musical shot in London starring Matthew Morrison of “Glee” fame as the Grinch. The same network Monday debuts a new series called “Nurses,” a Canadian medical drama the network picked up to fill space while its regular programming catches up from the pandemic shutdown. HBO on Saturday night takes a close look at the trio of brothers who helped ignite disco into a massive 1970s movement: the Bee Gees. And Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet is hosting the next “Saturday Night Live.”
There is also a reality show of a really rich Vietnamese family on Netflix coming out Thursday called “House of Ho.” (I am not related!)
This covers Monday, Dec. 7 through Sunday, Dec. 13.
MONDAY
“The Neighborhood” 8 p.m. CBS — The arrival of Wyatt, an eco-conscious new neighbor, and his pet rooster disrupts the community, leading a desperate Dave and Calvin to team up on a covert mission to restore order.
“The Voice” 8 p.m. NBC — The top nine perform live.
“His Dark Materials” 9 p.m. HBO — In search of the knife, Will and Lyra try to gain entry into the Torre Degli Angeli. Lee finds Grumman, or Jopari, as he is now known, and they take to the sky in search of the knife bearer.
“Industry” 10 p.m. HBO — Pierpoint is shaken by a former employee’s scathing exposé, Eric goes off-site for the day.
“Nurses” 10:01 a.m. NBC (new series) — After a terrorist van attack leaves the hospital overflowing with stretchers, Grace, Ashley, Keon, Naz and Wolf embark on a tumultuous first shift at St. Mary’s.
TUESDAY
“Mr. Iglesias” 3:01 Netflix (third season debut) — Hilarious high school teacher Gabriel Iglesias tries to make a difference in the lives of some smart but underperforming students at his alma mater.
“NCIS” 8 p.m. CBS — The discovery of two dead bodies in a forest leads the NCIS team into the wild world of modern-day treasure hunting.
“FBI” 9 p.m. CBS — When the leader of a drug cartel and one of the world’s most wanted men, Antonio Vargas, is apprehended by the team, the entire FBI headquarters is put at risk when his henchmen unveil a terroristic threat to free him.
“40 Years a Prisoner” 9 p.m. HBO — A chronicle of the controversial Aug. 8, 1978, raid on the radical, back-to-nature group MOVE by the Philadelphia Police Department features eyewitness accounts and archival footage.
“Big Sky” 10:01 a.m. ABC — Unsatisfied with the investigation now that the girls’ disappearance has made headlines, Cassie and Jenny take things into their own hands, tapping into their individual strengths to make headway in the case.
“Transplant” 10 p.m. NBC (first season finale) — Bash tries to protect Dr. Bishop’s legacy and also save himself by fighting for a patient nearly killed by a medical error.
WEDNESDAY
“The Trial of Christine Keeler” 3:01 a.m. HBO Max (new limited series) — This drama takes a fresh look at one of the most infamous British stories: the chain of events in the 1960s that came to be known as the Profumo Affair.
“The Great Christmas Light Fight” 8 p.m. ABC (eighth season debut) — Four festive families face off in the season premiere.
“Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Musical” 8 p.m. NBC — Matthew Morrison will star as the curmudgeonly Grinch with Denis O’Hare as old Max, Booboo Stewart as young Max and talented, young newcomer Amelia Minto as Cindy-Lou Who.
“The Masked Singer: The Holiday Sing-A-Long” 8 p.m. Fox — The final three singers perform never-before-heard holiday songs, with all-new animated clues, and the already unmasked celebrities join together to perform their favorite holiday jingles.
“Seal Team” 9 p.m. CBS — Bravo Team struggles to adjust to a new team dynamic after several members make life-altering career decisions.
“Alabama Snake” 9 p.m. HBO — A look at events leading up to Oct. 4, 1991, when a violent crime was reported in Scottsboro, Ala.: Darlene Summerford accused her husband, Pentecostal preacher Glenn Summerford, of forcing her hand into a rattlesnake bed in an attempt to kill her.
“S.W.A.T.” 10 p.m. CBS — Hondo is conflicted when the mayor asks him to be the public face of a new outreach campaign meant to improve the LAPD’s stature within the Black community.
THURSDAY
“Alice in Borderland” 3:01 a.m. Netflix — With his two friends, a video-game-obsessed young man finds himself in a strange version of Tokyo where they must compete in dangerous games to survive.
“The Flight Attendant” 3:01 a.m. HBO Max (episodes 6 and 7) — Her friendship with Annie is falling apart and there’s danger everywhere, so Cassie runs from anything related to Alex and spirals into an alcohol-fueled escapade with Buckley that ends in a jail cell meltdown
“Let Them All Talk” 3:01 a.m. HBO Max — A young man finds romance with a literary agent while taking a trip with the woman’s famous aunt and her friends. It’s a semi-improvised comedic drama shot aboard the Queen Mary 2 as the cruise ship crossed from New York to England with more than 2,600 paying customers aboard and stars Meryl Streep as a haughty novelist. She is joined by Dianne Wiest and Candice Bergen.
“House of Ho” HBO Max (new series) — Follow the lives, loves, and conflicts of the Hos, a wealthy Vietnamese-American family in Houston who’ve built a multimillion-dollar empire.
“Silent Night: Song for the World” 8 p.m. the CW — A musical film documentary about the creation and cultural impact of the the world-famous Christmas carol.
“Station 19” 8 p.m. ABC — The team responds to a difficult domestic dispute involving a pregnant woman.
“Grey’s Anatomy” 9 p.m. ABC — Bailey panics as she hears there has been a surge of COVID-19 cases, knowing she has loved ones in an assisted living facility.
“Time Person of the Year” 10 p.m. NBC — The annual “big reveal.” Candidates include Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Anthony Fauci and Stacey Abrams.
“A Million Little Things” 10:01 p.m. ABC — Katherine discovers a possible connection between Eddie’s accident and Alex’s mysterious death.
FRIDAY
“I’m Your Woman” 12:01 a.m. Amazon Prime — Suburban housewife Jean (Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) lives a seemingly easy life, supported by husband Eddie’s career as a thief. But when Eddie betrays his partners, Jean and her baby are forced to go on the run,
“The Wilds” 12:01 a.m. Amazon Prime (new series) — A group of young girls crash land on a deserted island.
“Wolfwalkers” 12:01 a.m. Apple TV+ — A young apprentice hunter and her father journey to Ireland to help wipe out the last wolf pack. But everything changes when she befriends a free-spirited girl.
“Madagascar: A Little Wild” 3:01 a.m. Hulu, Peacock (second season debut) — Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria continue their big adventures in New York City. The foursome become babysitters for a new litter of tiny hedgehogs, Melman gets stuck in a firetruck, and Alex is accidentally mistaken for a large house cat.
“Adult Material” 3:01 a.m. HBO Max (new series) — Set in modern Britain, the drama delves inside the porn industry from the perspective of a woman who has been working in it her entire adult life and has seen it grow from an illegitimate backroom enterprise to a mainstream and highly profitable arm of the telecommunications industry.
“Safety” 3:01 a.m. Disney+ — An 18-year-old student puts his football scholarship on the line when he steps up to take custody of his 11-year-old little brother after their mother enters an extended stay at a drug rehab facility.
“Giving Voice” 3:01 a.m. Netflix — Six ambitious student actors audition for the prestigious August Wilson Monologue Competition.
“The Prom” 3:01 a.m. Netflix — Meryl Streep, James Corden and Nicole Kidman head the cast of Ryan Murphy’s Netflix version of the musical about Broadway narcissists championing the right of an Indiana lesbian to take her girlfriend to the school dance.
“The Mess You Leave Behind” 3:01 a.m. Netflix (new series) — A teacher starts her job at a high school but is haunted by a suspicious death that occurred there weeks before... and begins fearing for her own life.
“MacGyver” 8 p.m. CBS —Taylor’s former protégé is killed while preventing a bio-weapon from falling into the wrong hands, Mac and the team must find the weapon so Desi can pull off the ultimate heist before it’s sold to a terrorist cell.
“Shark Tank” 8 p.m. ABC — An entrepreneur from Surfside, Florida, presents a classic dessert with a healthy twist to children.
“Magnum P.I.” 9 p.m. CBS— Higgins job to repo a plane goes south when she and Magnum discover that it was being used by a drug cartel who opens fire at the plane, forcing them to crash land in the jungle, where they find a stowaway on board with a target on his back.
WEEKEND
“The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” 8 p.m. Saturday HBO — This film follows the group’s meteoric rise as they navigate the complexities of working so intimately alongside family.
“Saturday Night Live” 11:29 p.m. Saturday NBC —Timothée Chalamet hosts.
“Power Book II: Ghost” 8 p.m. Sunday Starz — The title of this episode is “sex week.”
“The Real Housewives of Atlanta” 8 p.m. Sunday Bravo — Drew Sidora shows up for the first time in this special 75-minute episode.
“Shameless” 9 p.m. Showtime — Debbie prepares a princess party for Franny. Mickey gets a real job. Frank helps Kev and V with their pot business.
“Who Wants to be a Millionaire” 9 p.m. ABC — Cedric the Entertainer is in the hot seat.
“NCIS: Los Angeles” 9:01 p.m. CBS — Hetty assigns Callen the case of his past foster brother and his wife who are framed for smuggling.
“Your Honor” 10 p.m. Showtime — On the anniversary of his wife’s death, Michael Desiato and his son create an alibi for the day of the accident.
About the Author
