From a new documentary on Eddie Murphy to a new Claire Danes drama reuniting her with the creator of Homeland, we round up our top 10 shows to watch this week
1. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Saturday, November 8, Disney+
The 40th edition of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s annual induction ceremony streams live on Disney+, and once again the roster of inductees is an eclectic one. This year’s inductees are: British rockers Bad Company; the singer who popularized “The Twist,” Chubby Checker; British blues belter Joe Cocker; 1980s pop phenom Cyndi Lauper; hip-hop duo Outkast; Seattle grunge rockers Soundgarden; and Jack White’s first band, The White Stripes. Female rappers Salt-N-Pepa and singer-songwriter Warren Zevon will receive this year’s Musical Influence Award, while producer Thom Bell, piano player Nicky Hopkins and studio bassist Carol Kaye of the legendary Wrecking Crew will be honoured with the Musical Excellence Award.
Meanwhile, presenters and performers include Beck, Brandi Carlile, David Letterman, Doja Cat, Elton John, Flea, Iggy Pop, Jerry Cantrell, Questlove and more.
2. Bat-Fam – Monday, November 10, Prime Video | Series Premiere
This spinoff of the animated special Merry Little Batman follows Batman, butler Alfred and youngster Damian Wayne (who’s officially taken on the mantle of Little Batman) as they navigate various domestic issues in Wayne Manor while keeping the mean streets of Gotham free of supervillain-fuelled crime. Click here to watch trailer.
3. Being Eddie – Wednesday, November 12, Netflix
Eddie Murphy was 19 when he exploded on Saturday Night Live, single-handedly rescuing the show during its worst season. Since then, he’s become one of Hollywood’s biggest comedy stars, his films generating $6.7 billion at the box office.
Of course, that doesn’t count his other pursuits, such as standup comedy (his 1983 special Delirious remains a classic) and his unexpected success on the pop charts (his 1985 single “Party All the Time” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard charts).
Yet despite four-plus decades of public visibility, Murphy has remained a somewhat elusive figure, keeping a tight lid on his personal life — until now, with the release of Being Eddie, a candid documentary from director Angus Wall.
“Eddie’s somebody that he feels he’s known who he is from the beginning. He’s been on a path of destiny since he was a kid. He is an artist where he can express himself through many different ways, not just through comedy or acting, but through music and all these different things.” Wall told USA Today. “He’s just got an incredibly flexible mind and spirit. His openness was really refreshing and kind of surprising.”
Wall began working on the film in 2019, and was granted “unprecedented access” when Murphy returned to SNL as host that year. “We filmed in [Lorne Michaels’] office, which nobody’s ever done and nobody may ever do again,” Wall recalled.
Interestingly, the pandemic the following year presented Wall with a rare opportunity to have numerous “open and vulnerable” conversations with Murphy at his home, each lasting four hours. “To me, the movie feels like those conversations; it feels like hanging out with him,” Wall added. “Eddie is such an icon and he’s such a legend, but he’s also one of the world’s most interesting people. He’s just such a unicorn of a human being.” Click here to watch trailer.
4. A Merry Little Ex-Mas – Wednesday, November 12, Netflix
Despite still being over a month out from Christmas, the traditional onslaught of sweet ’n’ snowy rom-com flicks is well underway.
The latest stars Clueless’ Alicia Silverstone, who has experienced a career renaissance lately thanks to Irish Blood (Acorn TV’s most-streamed series ever), and catching the eye of Oscar-nominated filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, who’s cast her in such buzzy films as The Killing of a Sacred Deer and the now-in-theatres Bugonia.
Here, she plays Kate — a Christmas-lovin’ lady who, though recently divorced, still plans to spend the holidays with her ex, Everett (Oliver Hudson) and their kids at the family home. Little does she know, Everett has invited his much younger, wildly successful new girlfriend (The Good Place’s Jameela Jamil) to join them. What at first seems like utter hell for the holidays proves to be exactly what Kate needs to embrace her new reality . . . and perhaps even find new love with a young stud of her own (Pierson Fodé).
Said director Steve Carr in a chat with Tudum: “Like George in It’s a Wonderful Life, [when] something big happens to shake up your life, it changes your point of view, and you realize the life you have is the one you’re meant to have.”
Rounding out the cast is made-for-TV romance vet and Silverstone’s fellow 1990s icon, Sabrina the Teenage Witch herself: Melissa Joan Hart. Click here to watch trailer.
5. Playdate – Wednesday, November 12, Prime Video
He rocketed to fame in 2022 as grizzled drifter detective Reacher on the Prime series of the same name. Yet, as hulking action hero Alan Ritchson has shown on more than one occasion, he’s got an impressive set of comedy muscles to flex as well — evidenced by standout guest spots on New Girl and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Ritchson gets another chance at the silly stuff in this new film, which pairs him with Kevin James as two mismatched dads who plan a get-together for their kids, only to inexplicably wind up on the run from mercenaries. Directed by The Girl Next Door’s Luke Greenfield, Prime Video bills this pic as a genre-bender that “hilariously collides suburban dad life with high-stakes thrills, transforming an ordinary afternoon into an absurd action-packed adventure where minivan mayhem meets professional hitmen.” Click here to watch trailer.
6. Palm Royale – Wednesday, November 12, Apple TV | Season Premiere
After wining, dining, scratching and clawing her way to the peak of high society, shameless striver Maxine Dellacorte-Simmons (Kristen Wiig) is once again fighting for the approval of the ladies who lord over 1960s Palm Beach — forced to pick up the shattered remains of her reputation after a show-stopping, tea-spilling musical performance at the Palm Royale country club in season one’s cliffhanger-heavy finale.
Per Apple’s season-two summary: “Maxine is left a social pariah after a scandalous public breakdown. She’ll have to draw on her deep well of cleverness and cunning to prove, once and for all, that not only does she belong, but she just might have what it takes to rule this town. Along the way, she will uncover untold truths and finally understand what this town is truly built on . . . secrets, lies and the occasional felony.”
Max’s returning frenemies include Allison Janney as Evelyn Rollins, the sting-happy queen bee of Palm Beach; Laura Dern (also a producer on the show) as hard-charging feminist Linda Shaw; and the great Carol Burnett as Max’s wealthy, not-quite-what-she-seems aunt-in-law, Norma. Meanwhile, joining the fray this year are Broadway great Patti LuPone, Full House alum John Stamos and, in the season’s true casting coup, Burnett’s old sketch partner Vicki Lawrence.
Amidst all the betrayals, affairs and faux pas to come, expect the Emmy-nominated Wiig to continue anchoring the soapy intrigue with a selfish, cringe-inducing antihero who can’t help but capture your heart. As the actress told The Hollywood Reporter in reflecting on season one: “It was trying to find that balance for her of, on paper, being a little unlikable for what she’s wanting and what she goes through to get what she wants. But at the same time, you want to root for her . . . you see that she’s lacking in other areas and just wanting that acceptance.” Click here to watch trailer.
7. The Beast in Me – Thursday, November 13, Netflix | Series Premiere
Emmy winners Claire Danes (Homeland) and Matthew Rhys (The Americans) have both been at the vanguard of this current golden age of TV. Now, they unite for another prestige thriller, and it’s fitting that both actors landed their Emmys for shows set in the world of espionage, because even though The Beast in Me isn’t a spy drama, it does centre on two people engaged in an unpredictable psychological chess match.
Danes plays Aggie Wiggs, a celebrated author who was left haunted, angry and altogether stuck in life, after the death of her son at the hands of an unpunished drunk driver years ago. It’s a tragedy that destroyed her marriage and paralyzed her writing career. But that starts to change when the notorious Nile Jarvis (Rhys) moves into her sleepy little town. Nile is a real estate mogul who’s been branded a wife killer, even though his late spouse’s passing was ruled a suicide.
At first, Aggie despises her new neighbour. He’s arrogant, aggressive and tactless . . . yet also undeniably engaging. Against the odds, they forge an uneasy bond — which leads our heroine to believe she may have found the subject of her next bestseller. As she grows closer to the man — and waffles on whether he’s a monster or just misunderstood — Aggie can’t help but wonder if she’ll finish her book before Nile finishes her. What’s more, she’ll have to stare down some dark truths about her own inner animal.
The rest of the players in this game of cat-and-mouse include Better Call Saul’s Jonathan Banks as Nile’s tyrannical father/boss; Tim Guinee (The Good Wife) as his ex-con uncle, the family enforcer; David Lyons (ER) as a bottoming-out FBI agent whose mission to bring Nile to justice has curdled into a vendetta; and The Hunting Wives’ Brittany Snow as Nile’s sunny yet sly second wife. Meanwhile, in charge behind the camera is Danes’ old Homeland creator Howard Gordon. Click here to watch trailer.
8. Malice – Friday, November 14, Prime Video | Series Premiere
Taking the baton from The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, this new series stars David Duchovny and Game of Thrones “Red Witch” Carice van Houten as Jamie and Nat Tanner, a London couple who, on holiday in Greece with their family, cross paths with a lovely young tutor named Adam (played by comedian Jack Whitehall). When the time comes for the Tanners to head home, Adam gets himself a job as the full-time nanny for their kids. Little do the Tanners know, beneath their new friend’s charming disposition lies a black heart — one that beats only for revenge. As Whitehall teased in a release: “Moving from comedy to playing a character so deliciously dark and complex was exhilarating; Adam is the kind of character who makes you question everything — he’s charming and funny one moment and absolutely chilling the next.” Click here to watch trailer.
9. A Very Jonas Christmas Movie – Friday, November 14, Netflix
With a tagline of “Let it bro, let it bro, let it bro,” this holiday comedy finds Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas facing a series of ever-escalating obstacles as they make a chaotic journey from London to New York in order to make it home in time for Christmas. In addition to the JoBros, the cast also includes Chloe Bennet, Billie Lourd, Laverne Cox, KJ Apa, Andrea Martin, Kenny G, Priyanka Chopra-Jonas, Danielle Jonas, Randall Park and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Click here to watch trailer.
10. Project Runway Canada – Friday, November 14, Crave (Stream) | Series Premiere
Canada’s first take on TV’s most iconic fashion competition only aired for two seasons (2007-2009), on two different networks (Slice and Global). But now a third, Crave, is pulling Project Runway out of mothballs for a 10-episode gauntlet that will challenge 12 of our country’s most promising designers to leave it all on the catwalk for a shot at $100,000 and a life-changing showcase of their couture via a spread in Elle Canada magazine.
Shot at Toronto Metropolitan University, the new-look version of the show is hosted by Canadian supermodel Coco Rocha, who also serves as a judge alongside homegrown designer Spencer Badu and former Fashion Television host Jeanne Beker. Meanwhile, Guelph-born mogul Aurora James, founder of luxe brand Brother Vellies, will mentor the contestants.
Popping in as guest judges, we have model Lauren Chan; makeup artist Patrick Ta; the National Football League’s first-ever fashion editor, Kyle Smith; and U.S. Project Runway winner turned mentor Christian Siriano.
Teasing the show in a chat with Elle Canada, Rocha beamed: “After 20 years, [your career can] become . . . I don’t know if you’d call it ‘mundane,’ but then you get a project like this and you’re like, ‘Now this [is] something new and exciting!’ ” Click here to watch trailer.