From Lady Gaga in concert to this year’s Canadian Screen Awards, we round up our top 10 shows to watch this week
1. Gaga Chromatica Ball – Saturday, May 25, HBO Canada
Filmed at Dodger Stadium in L.A. during her 2022 Chromatica Ball Tour, this concert special features Lady Gaga performing her biggest hits, including “Bad Romance,” “Poker Face,” “Shallow” and more. Expect big, show-stopping moments, intimate piano numbers, pulse-pounding choreography and intense pyrotechnics. “Lady Gaga is a complete powerhouse,” said HBO’s executive VP of programming Nina Rosenstein in a statement. “She’s a once-in-a-lifetime artist who never holds back, and Gaga Chromatica Ball puts her endless list of talents on full display. We’re thrilled to partner with her once again for this breathtaking concert special.”
2. Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult – Tuesday, May 28, Netflix | Series Premiere
Get ready to be shocked by the unbelievable true story of how a group of prominent dancers who became famous via TikTok wound up trapped in a religious cult that masqueraded as a management company called 7M. Falsely believing they’d signed on with a legitimate firm, the dancers alleged they were instead coercively controlled, and isolated from friends and family.
3. Moviepass, Moviecrash – Tuesday, May 28, HBO Canada
Launched in 2011 by Black entrepreneurs Stacy Spikes and Hamet Watt, MoviePass offered film fans a new way to go to the movies, with users paying a monthly subscription fee for credits that could be used in participating theatres. The company was an instant hit, becoming the fastest-growing subscription service since Spotify.
Eager to expand, MoviePass enlisted Mitch Lowe as an adviser, and then as CEO in 2016. The following year, Ted Farnsworth of Helios & Matheson Analytics swooped in to purchase a large stake in the company. Having taken control, Lowe and Farnsworth changed the business model, with subscribers paying just $10 per month for the chance to watch one film per day. The new pricing model was great for customers but disastrous for profits, causing the company to lose $150 million in 2017 alone, before shutting down in 2019. In 2022, the two were hit with federal fraud charges for allegedly lying to investors in order to boost the stock price; if convicted, each faces a maximum sentence of 20 years.
Ultimately, this new doc presents a sobering exploration of white privilege, exploring how an innovative Black-owned business was destroyed by greedy white guys through a combination of corporate malfeasance and staggering incompetence.
4. Inmate to Roommate – Thursday, May 30, A&E| Season Premiere
Plenty of reality shows bill themselves as a “social experiment,” but few fit that definition so well as this A&E series, which debuts its second season on Thursday.
Once again, an array of ex-convicts, newly released from prison, will look for a fresh start by moving in with people they’ve never even met. Indeed, studies show that one of the main reasons cons return to a life of crime is the lack of an available, stable home from which to relaunch their life. So, the very fact that these six former inmates have a place to stay gives them a leg up. But that doesn’t mean it’ll be smooth sailing.
As A&E’s press release notes, season two will find the troubled protagonists grappling with “sobriety, stricter house rules, parole constraints and shocking accusations from their new roommates” — plus, the revelation of a secret or two.
5. MasterChef – Wednesday, May 29, CTV & Fox | Season Premiere
Just a week after Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars served up its second season, another of the Brit’s culinary battles returns for season 14.
This year’s theme is “Generations,” as home cooks from all different age groups — Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X and Baby Boomers — head into the MasterChef kitchen for a shot at $250,000.
Once again, they must cater to the discerning palates of chef Aarón Sánchez, restaurateur Joe Bastianich and the most judgmental judge of them all, Gordon Ramsay.
What exactly is the thinking behind this intergenerational array of competitors? Well, as the judges opined in a recent teaser (via Parade.com), just like with with politics, pop culture and every other topic, each generation tends to view food prep with a different mindset.
Says Gordo: “The Millennials think they know it all, and Gen Z has the youngest talented cook with no fear.”
Meanwhile, Bastianch notes: “With Boomers, there’s a sense of abundance, simplicity and earnestness in the Boomer cuisine.”
In addition to the usual Mystery Box and Tag Team challenges, this year’s kitchen clash will include a restaurant takeover and cooking a meal at the stadium of Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Football Club.
6. Grey’s Anatomy – Thursday, May 30, CTV & ABC | Season Finale
This strike-shortened 20th season of TV’s longest-running hospital drama checks out after just 10 episodes. It’s been a year of change, with a new showrunner and star Ellen Pompeo taking a step back, appearing in only half the run. But the shakeups haven’t soured ABC on the series, as season 21 is officially greenlit.
7. Here We Go – Friday, May 31, BritBox | Season Premiere
Hailed as one of the most inventive sitcoms of the past decade, this British series put a fresh spin on the mockumentary format with the story of small-town teenager Sam, who, as the series began, started using a handheld camera to document the everyday lives of his chipper mom Rachel (Katherine Parkinson), hapless dad Paul (Jim Howick) and the rest of their just-barely functional family.
Far more than just a neat little camera trick, Here We Go has been praised for its “raw, uncompromising” take on relatable issues.
Now, after a lengthy hiatus, we’re back for season two. Sporting the tagline “Family life with no filter,” this year finds the Jessops contending with Paul’s quest to become a policeman, a spree of anonymous Valentine’s Day cards, and Grandma Sue (Alison Steadman) movin’ in.
8. Canadian Screen Awards – Friday, May 31, CBC
Comedian Mae Martin hosts this special honouring the year’s best Canadian film and television. Leading the pack in the TV categories is CBC’s critically acclaimed Sort Of, with 18 nominations, while Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool leads the film categories with 11 nods.
9. The Outlaws – Friday, May 31, Prime Video | Season Premiere
The Office creator Stephen Merchant’s crime comedy returns for season three, and our community-service crooks are just trying to move on with their lives . . . alas, they wind up the prime suspects in a murder case. Worse yet, their nemesis The Dean may not be in prison for much longer.
10. Theater Camp – Friday, May 31, Crave1
One of last year’s sleeper hits at the box office finally comes to Canadian TV. Having premiered to a standing ovation at the Sundance Film Festival in 2023, Theater Camp is a toe-tapping, tongue-in-cheek ode to drama geeks everywhere.
Molly Gordon (Animal Kingdom) and Ben Platt (Dear Evan Hansen) star as Rebecca-Diane and Amos, two best friends and longtime counsellers at an artsy summer camp in Upstate New York. When the camp’s founder Joan Rubinsky (Amy Sedaris) is incapacitated by a strobe-light accident, the duo must work with her “business influencer” son Troy (Jimmy Tatro) to keep Camp AdirondACTS afloat amidst mounting financial pressures.
Fending off a bank that’s looking to foreclose and an investment firm that’s looking to pave this bohemian paradise, they write a musical dedicated to Joan’s life story. All the while, Amos and Rebecca-Diane find their friendship on the line, as what they want out of life begins to pull them in opposite directions.
Clearly a labour of love, in addition to starring, Gordon and Platt also co-wrote the script, while Gordon co-directed with Nick Lieberman. Rounding out the ensemble are a few familiar faces, including Noah Galvin (The Real O’Neals) and The Bear Emmy-winner Ayo Edebiri.