Here are our picks for what you should watch this week.
Extant
It’s important to go into Extant with an understanding of what the show is, because it’s entirely ridiculous. It stars Halle Berry, who is watchable in just about anything she’s in, which is good, because this show is not like anything else you’ve ever seen. Berry plays Molly Woods, an astronaut on a solo mission in space who inexplicably returns from her 13-month mission bearing a child. That’s right, she gets pregnant in space, and now she has to deal with family life on Earth with an inexplicable child.
Extant is packed full of the cheesiest, most absurd sci-fi tropes imaginable, tagged with corny dialogue, and laced with insane premises that you just have to accept without much explanation. It’s a guilty pleasure watch in the sense that there’s almost nothing redeeming about it, except for the entertainment its off-the-wall plot provides. Woods and her husband have an android child, she’s pregnant with an alien baby, and it’s all played like serious drama. Just watch it and revel in the madness.
Chris Tucker: Live
Chris Tucker was a staple of the comedy scene in the ’90s and 2000s, primarily as a comedic actor. He blew up on the scene as Ruby Rhod in the Fifth Element, then cemented himself with the Rush Hour series. Although he’s no stranger to the big screen, Tucker has never had a stand up special to showcase his skills in the art of comedy. That’s been rectified, thanks to Chris Tucker: Live, the Netflix-produced showcase for his work on the stand-up stage, which was filmed in his home town of Atlanta.
The Expendables 3
With every installment in the Expendables series, the cast list gets longer, the explosions and special effects get bigger, and the plot becomes less important. You’re probably not too concerned with catching up on the life story of the characters in these films. You’re here to watch your favorite action stars get together and do what they do best. As long as you’re on board for a film full of fun moments that’s short on substance, you’ll enjoy the absurdity of this flick.
Two Men in Town
It’s hard to find a more capable cast than the one put together for Two Men in Town. Starring Forrest Whitaker, Harvey Keitel, and Brenda Blethyn, this film does its best to embrace an old western style, as it tells the story of a former troubled youth who’s trying to find his footing after 18 years behind bars. The sheriff of the town he’s released in sees him as a threat, while his parole agent believes he’s worth the second chance. It’s up to him to prove one of them right.
Witches of East End Season Two
Lifetime series Witches of East End met an untimely end after the second season of the series, which appears to be its last. Since its cancellation, there has been a groundswell of demand to bring the series back to air, and the release of season two on Netflix has only further encouraged the hopes of its fans. If you want to see what all the fuss is about, now you can stream the story of the multi-generational family of witches living in the seaside town of East End.
