From new music documentaries about Live Aid and Billy Joel to the return of Star Trek: Brave New Worlds, we round up our top 10 shows to watch this week
1. Live Aid: When Rock ’n’ Roll Took Over the World – Sunday, July 13, CNN | Series Premiere
July 15, 1985 will forever be remembered in the annals of rock history, when the world’s top musicians gathered for an epic benefit concert to raise money for African famine relief. Dubbed Live Aid, the 16-hour show was the brainchild of British musicians Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, with performances taking place at London’s Wembley Stadium and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, broadcast live to a worldwife audience of 2 billion viewers in more than 100 countries.
A who’s who of rock royalty participated, including Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, U2, Sting, Madonna, The Who, Mick Jagger dueting with Tina Turner, Neil Young, Elton John, Phil Collins (who played at both stadiums, jetting on the Concorde) and Queen, with frontman Freddie Mercury delivering the performance of his life. Twenty years later, a 2005 follow-up show — Live 8 — continued the tradition, with the two shows ultimately raising billions of dollars.
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Live Aid, this four-part docuseries — a collaboration between BBC and CNN —examines the concerts’ impact on music, politics and global awareness during the 20-year span between the two shows.
Boasting six-and-a-half hours of extended highlights from the original Live Aid, the series also features a wealth of never-before-seen backstage footage.
“Our team worked tirelessly to bring together rare interviews and behind-the-scenes insights, uncovering the untold stories of an event that reshaped global aid and offering a fresh perspective on its lasting influence on music and politics,” said producer Tanya Shaw. “The series takes the audience on an irresistible and entertaining ride through the 40 years since the biggest live concert ever was shown on TV,” added BBC exec Emma Hindley. Click here to watch trailer.
2. The Institute – Sunday, July 13, MGM+ (via Prime Video) | Series Premiere
One of the most-adapted authors in the history of pop culture, Stephen King has seldom been absent from our shelves or our screens. Since the publication of his very first novel Carrie back in 1974, the “master of horror” has been prolific, to say the least. Yet he’s commendably never gotten stuck in a creative rut — forever evolving, finding new ways to shock and amuse readers even five decades deep in his career.
In fact, one of his most acclaimed tales of terror was just unleashed in 2019. The Institute follows Luke, a kid with a genius-level I.Q. and telekinetic abilities who, after his parents are murdered in a brutal assault, wakes up in a facility alongside similarly gifted and afflicted youngsters. They’re all at the mercy of the Nurse Ratched-esque Mrs. Sigsby and her staff — a group determined to study and extract their powers by any means necessary. Unfortunately, that involves an array of “experiments” . . . more accurately described as torture. Meanwhile, a troubled cop named Tim Jamieson, on the run from unspeakable trauma, unwittingly puts himself on a collision course with this so-called Institute.
Young newcomer Joe Freeman plays Luke, while Weeds alum Mary-Louise Parker is the dastardly Mrs. Sigsby, and The Punisher’s Ben Barnes plays reluctant hero Tim.
Behind the scenes, Justified’s Benjamin Cavell serves as showrunner, alongside director and exec producer Jack Bender, a key creative voice on Lost, Alias and fellow Stephen King adaptation Mr. Mercedes (which, not coincidentally, co-starred the aforementioned Mary-Louise Parker).
The thriller will premiere with two episodes this Sunday on MGM+. If you’re unfamiliar with that particular streamer, note that in Canada it is only available as an add-on service for subscribers of Amazon’s Prime Video. Click here to watch trailer.
3. Kings Court – Sunday, July 13, Bravo | Series Premiere
Nobody does reality TV quite like Bravo, and the deliciously trash-tastic network’s latest stab at the dating genre looks primed to once again break new ground when it comes to true love recorded for posterity.
Kings Court follows along with three Black entertainment icons — former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, supermodel Tyson Beckford and WWE wrestler Titus O’Neil (real name: Thaddeus Bullard) — as they search for romance in a dating pool that’s been muddied by fame, fortune and fandom. In this particular smooch-off, Thaddeus, Tyson and Carlos meet-cute with “21 smart, accomplished and beautiful single ladies ready to risk it all for ‘the one’ . . . In each episode, the Kings take the women on fun, adventurous dates to discover which of them tug at their heartstrings. The ladies pull out all the stops to make a lasting impression, but it comes to a head at the elimination dinner party where the men choose who gets another chance at love and who goes home. After navigating a rollercoaster of emotional highs, dramatic lows and tough eliminations, the Kings must ultimately decide which of these fabulous ladies is their Queen.”
On that note, it’s worth mentioning that this show is a spinoff of fellow reality romp Queens Court, which centred on a trio of Black female celebs. The new iteration will, like the previous one, be hosted by actress Holly Robinson Peete (21 Jump Street) and her husband Rodney. “I will say that I like the twist, because they felt like brothers,” said Holly in an interview with Bravo. “They felt like little brothers to me. They got along really well. They are three completely different men. They’re so open to being vulnerable and talking about love out loud. I just really found that very, very attractive. I love the twist, and I really think, after seeing some episodes, the audience is going to love this version.”
4. The Summer I Turned Pretty – Wednesday, July 16, Prime Video | Season Premiere
The soapy yet sweet teen melodrama based on the bestselling novels of Jenny Han returns for a third and, alas, final season.
The saga of Belly Conklin (Lola Tung) and her evolving relationship with the studly Fisher boys (Gavin Casalegno, Christopher Briney) and her own sense of self will wrap with 11 episodes, two of which debut this Wednesday, followed by one per week through September 17.
Per Prime Video’s synopsis of this farewell chapter: “It’s the end of her junior year of college, and Belly’s looking forward to another summer in Cousins with her soulmate, Jeremiah. Her future seems set, until some core-shaking events bring her first love Conrad back into her life. Now on the brink of adulthood, Belly finds herself at a crossroads and must decide which brother has her heart. Summer will never be the same . . .” Click here to watch trailer.
5. A Stitch in Time – Monday, July 14, Acorn TV | Series Premiere
This docuseries fuses biography, art and the annals of fashion to explore the lives of historical figures through the clothes they wore. Fashion historian Amber Butchart takes viewers on a journey to the past to explore the clothing choices of such figures as Marie Antoinette, King Charles II, Edward the Black Prince, and the fashion displayed in Dutch painter Jan van Eyck’s famed Arnolfini Portrait.
6. Digital Tsunami: Big Tech, Big AI, Big Brother – Thursday, July 17, Super Channel Quest | Season Premiere
The darker side of our digital lives is explored in this doc focusing on how social media, surveillance capitalism and the rise of AI are reshaping society — and how we can reclaim our future.
7. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Thursday, July 17, Paramount+ | Season Premiere
Captain Christopher Pike and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise enter year three of their five-year mission to seek out new life and new civilizations, blasting off with two new episodes on Thursday.
When the intergalactic derring-do resumes, our heroes are still reeling from their encounter with the villainous Gorn at the end of last season. Those brutal reptiles will continue to be a major threat this year, even as Pike et al. encounter a foe that will test their “grit and resolve” like never before. But it’s not all doom and gloom on the horizon. Per the press release, season three “takes characters both new and beloved to new heights, and dives into thrilling adventures of faith, duty, romance, comedy and mystery, with varying genres never before seen on any other Star Trek.”
Speaking of those “beloved characters,” after debuting in the season-two finale, Martin Quinn joins the cast full-time as iconic chief engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott. And, after popping up intermittently during seasons one and two, The Vampire Diaries’ Paul Wesley will return in what’s expected to be an expanded role as Pike’s heir apparent, James T. Kirk. Click here to watch trailer.
8. Zarna Garg: Practical People Win – Friday, July 18 | Disney+
A friend and collaborator of such comedy magnates as Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, Zarna Garg continues her rise up the standup ranks with a new special. Filmed at Bimbo’s 365 Club in San Francisco, this hour of absurdity finds Garg riffing on “husbands, kids, in-laws . . . and anyone who dares question an Indian mom’s wisdom.”
The latter topic is a bit ironic, given that before she was selling out theatres, Garg was a stay-at-home mother-of-three who was starting to feel a little lost . . . until one of her precocious kids noticed her razor-sharp wit and made a suggestion. “On a whim, my daughter’s like, ‘Mom, just do your standup comedy,’ the funnywoman reflected in a 2023 interview with CBC. “And I was like, ‘That’s not a job.’ And she’s like, ‘No, people get paid to tell jokes!’ I’m like, ‘What do you know?’ That’s a mother’s predisposition. Any time a kid says something, you’re like, ‘You don’t know anything! Please go back to your Kumon workbooks.’”
But she took the advice and the rest, as they say, is hilarity. “It doesn’t matter when you find your calling,” Garg told CBC. “If you find your calling two days before you die, it’s still a victory — you still found it. Like, when you see a rose, you don’t look at it and think, ‘Oh, it’s so beautiful, but it bloomed late in life.’ No one cares. You found it. And that’s what matters.” Click here to watch trailer.
9. Billy Joel: And So It Goes – Friday, July 18, HBO Canada | Series Premiere
Rock icon Billy Joel is the subject of this two-part documentary (concluding on Friday, July 25) that delves into his creative process and chronicles his monumental successes, while also exploring the hidden complexities of his life. In the first part, Joel admits he’s still “a work in progress” as he faces his 80s, and looks back on a childhood as the son of working-class parents on Long Island, the loss he felt at the age of eight when his father left the home, and his entry into the business of music. Joel recounts his journey from keyboard player in local bands to striking out on his own, and reflects on his first marriage. After signing with Columbia Records, Joel’s career took off and years of hits and record-breaking tours followed — until a near-fatal motorcycle accident impacted his ability to play piano and left him facing an uncertain future. Interviewees include his ex-wives and current spouse, Alexis Roderick Joel, fellow musicians Bruce Springsteen, Sting, John Mellencamp, Nas, Pink, Garth Brooks, Paul McCartney and more.
10. The Fixer – Friday, July 18, CTV & Fox | Series Premiere
You’ve already spent many a season watching this business magnate dispense invaluable advice to entrepreneurs on CNBC’s The Profit. Now, Marcus Lemonis takes his talents from cable news to broadcast television.
The Fixer finds the Lebanon-born CEO of Camping World connecting with “business owners from across the country whose companies are at a crossroad and need to make impactful changes. Struggling with tough decisions and looking for direction, he’ll assess their prospects and pick one business in the hope that they will all make a profit. As they address extraordinary challenges together in a revealing behind-the-scenes journey to success, they will benefit from Marcus’ candid instruction and business know-how in an effort to seek an investment.”
During a chat with Richtopia a few years ago, Lemonis opened up about his general philosophy for wheeling and dealing — what he looks for in a partner, and perhaps more crucially what he looks to avoid: “I don’t like businesses that purely and simply are in it just for the economics. I don’t like entrepreneurs who do what they do just for the money. I think there’s got to be more to life than that, and when I meet people like that, I don’t judge them; I don’t criticize them; I just don’t do business with them.”