From Eddie Redmayne as an assassin in The Day of the Jackal to a Harry Potter-themed baking competition, we round up our top 10 shows to watch this week

1. 2024 MTV EMAs – Sunday, November 10, Pluto TV

Airing live from Manchester’s Co-op Live, the 30th annual MTV European Music Awards is being broadcast to more than 150 countries. As usual, expect sizzling musical performances and plenty of star power, with Taylor Swift leading the pack with seven nominations. Scheduled performers include Canada’s own Shawn Mendes, up-and-coming rock band The Warning, chart-topping “Lose Control” singer Teddy Swims, silky smooth singer-songwriter RAYE and Benson Boone, whose “Beautiful Things” from his debut album Fireworks & Rollerblades has become the most-streamed song in the world this year.

2. Extreme Road Ragers – Tuesday, November 12, A&E | Series Premiere

Fans of A&E’s Road Wars will love this companion series profiling folks whose road rage is so intense that it’s consumed their lives. The series opener introduces a woman whose fiery anger behind the wheel has pushed her to the brink of financial ruin — which only worsens her rage.

3. Adrienne Iapalucci: Dark Queen – Tuesday, November 12, Netflix  

Buckle up for some unfiltered comedy as standup Adrienne Iapalucci takes to the stage at New York’s famed Comedy Cellar. Previously seen in Netflix’s 2019 standup special The Degenerates, Iapalucci shares her hilarious take on public figures, awkward tribute tattoos, virtue signaling and a whole variety of other topics. Behind the camera as director is controversial Louis C.K.

4. Hot Frosty – Wednesday, November 13, Netflix  

A veteran of over 30 Hallmark romances, Lacey Chabert’s name has been in the headlines of late for a much less heartwarming reason. An ageism lawsuit filed by one of Hallmark’s now-former casting directors alleges that a certain executive singled out the 42-year-old Chabert as one of the longtime leading ladies who was getting too old to head up the network’s TV movies. 

Whether that allegation proves to be true, false or somewhere in between, one thing we know for sure: Lacey Chabert will not be wanting for work in the small-screen romance genre. Take, for instance, her new starring role in this Netflix original.

The film opens on Kathy (Chabert), a young widow who, two years after her husband’s death, reaps the benefit of a little Christmas magic when a snowman transforms into a flesh-and-blood stud named Jack (played by Schitt’s Creek alum Dustin Milligan) — who teaches Kathy to “laugh, feel and love again” via his charmingly naïve outlook. 

Describing the flick to Tudum, Chabert said: “It’s really funny and light and lovely. But there is also a throughline of a lot of heart, and all of these characters are kind of going through something — whether it’s something more comedic or something more deeply emotionally rooted. I think this movie has a very special tone to it.”

5. Bad Sisters – Wednesday, November 13, Apple TV+ | Season Premiere

From literary titan James Joyce to The Banshees of Inisherin filmmaker Martin McDonagh, nobody blends dark comedy and existential calamity quite like the Irish. Another in that long line of poignant, rib-tickling auteurs is Sharon Horgan, who burst onto the international scene in 2015, co-creating and co-starring in the sublimely absurd yet relatable relationship comedy Catastrophe. In 2022, she once again took the reins of a show, both on camera and off, with the giddy genre mashup known as Bad Sisters.

Season one opened on Dublin, where across 10 time-jumping episodes unravelled the saga of the Garvey gals (Horgan, Eva Birthistle, Eve Hewson, Sarah Greene and Anne-Marie Duff) — five very different sisters who unite with a murderous vengeance to save one of them from being brutalized by her repulsive spouse (Claes Bang), then must grapple with the fallout. Part murder mystery, part stirring ode to the power and complexity of family, the show ultimately landed Horgan and her team a Peabody Award, two BAFTAs and multiple Emmy nominations.

That, indeed, was supposed to be that. But like so many so-called “limited series” before it, Bad Sisters has overcome its limitations, and returns on Wednesday with a second instalment. 

As Horgan told U.K. paper Radio Times: “I had no intention of doing any more, but while we were on set [during the first season] I kept thinking of this one idea that could be a possible second season. The first series did have a lovely end, but I think when you kill a man, when you put yourself through that — and there were five of them in it — life is going to change. You don’t just dust yourself off and get on with your life. I was interested in what would happen to these women next. And we’ll find out.”

6. Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley – Wednesday, November 13, Netflix

Elvis Presley’s triumphant 1968 comeback special remains a high point in his legend, the final peak before a sad decline. Return of the King takes viewers behind the scenes as the singer gave his all to show fans he was still the King, featuring interviews with Elvis director Baz Luhrmann, Presley’s late daughter, Lisa Marie, and various critics, music historians and musical colleagues. “I’ve been fascinated with that guy my whole life because I know there’s a human being underneath that two-dimensional facade we see culturally,” said director Jason Hehir. “It’s always been an interest of mine.”

7. The Day of the Jackal – Thursday, November 14, Showcase | Series Premiere

Frederick Forsyth’s 1971 political thriller novel has already been adapted twice with films starring Edward Fox (1973’s The Day of the Jackal) and Bruce Willis (1997’s The Jackal). Now, the titular sharpshooter takes aim at television. 

A new series created by Irish scribe Ronan Bennett (Top Boy, Public Enemies) compels us to really live inside the mind of a sociopathic assassin — for 10 full episodes.

Donning the rifle this time is Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything). Both a cold, clinical killer and a master of disguise, this version of The Jackal lands on the radar of U.K. intelligence after he pulls off a near-impossible shot, 3,850 metres away from his target. Latching onto a small but significant clue, MI6 agent Bianca (Lashana Lynch, back in the spy game after playing the first female 007 in No Time to Die) picks up The Jackal’s trail. 

Then, as the sniper is tempted to compromise his meticulous anonymity for a big payday, Bianca — determined to catch him at any personal, ethical or moral cost — flirts with becoming a monster in order to catch one.

8. Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking – Thursday, November 14, Crave1 | Series Premiere

James and Oliver Phelps (a.k.a. Fred and George Weasley) host this Harry Potter-themed culinary competition. Judges Carla Hall and Jozef Youssef are joined by guest stars Warwick Davis (Professor Flitwick), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) and Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley).

9. It’s All Country – Friday, November 15, Disney+ | Series Premiere

Country star/American Idol judge Luke Bryan hosts this docuseries in which he sits down with country legends to discuss their music, uncovering new stories about some of the genre’s most iconic tracks. “Behind every country song is an untold story . . . Luke Bryan is exploring the hidden depths of Nashville in search of those stories,” reads the synopsis of the series, which features Luke Combs, Sheryl Crow, Lady A, Mickey Guyton, Kane Brown, Wynonna Judd and Shaboozey. “The series features never-before-seen performances by some of the biggest stars of country music as Luke uncovers the secrets, the hidden inspirations and the personal moments that shaped the music you love.”

10. Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson – Friday, November 15, Netflix

It may not be the most anticipated sporting event of the year — but it’s absolutely the most absurd. And it’s coming live to Netflix on Friday.

Mike Tyson, among the most dominant heavyweights in boxing history, will step back into the ring at age 58. His opponent? Jake Paul, age 27 — a former YouTube personality, ever the controversy magnet, who reinvented himself as a professional fighter and, against the odds, has proven to be quite successful. 

Ridiculous though this matchup may sound, there’s some very serious cash changing hands, as Paul is reportedly set to earn upwards of US$40 million and Tyson $20 million for only eight two-minute rounds.

But there’s a little more on the line than just money for both men. Previewing the bout for The Hollywood Reporter, Paul’s manager Nakisa Bidarian said: “If Jake does knock out Mike Tyson, sure, there will be a lot of people who are mad. But there’s also going to be a lot more opportunities for him in the world of boxing.”

Meanwhile, Bidarian continued: “For Mike Tyson, this is his opportunity for redemption. People remember his last fight with [Roy Jones, Jr. in 2020], sitting on a stool and not getting back up. Imagine, for all those people who want to see Jake Paul get knocked out, if Mike Tyson at 58 comes back and knocks out Jake Paul. He’ll be revered for the rest of his days. He put an end to this YouTuber’s reign.”

So, will the youthful exuberance of “Problem Child” triumph over the experience of “Iron Mike?” Well, the latter doesn’t lack for confidence — or self-deprecation. Tyson told Fox 4 News: “My intention is to hurt this young man,” while also cheekily baiting Paul to stand in and exchange haymakers rather than bobbing and weaving. “He’s a younger man, he should be able to handle punches from an old withering man like me.”