Netflix holds a Trial By Media, and Cartoon Network introduces J.J. Villard’s Fairy Tales

By Sulagna Misra | May 11, 2020 | 5:00am

TV Lists What's On Tonight

Netflix holds a Trial By Media, and Cartoon Network introduces J.J. Villard’s Fairy Tales

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Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Monday, May 11. All times are Eastern.

Top pick

Trial By Media (Netflix, 3:01 a.m.): The title Trial By Media might lead you to believe that Netflix’s latest true-crime outing will investigate stories of infamous cases decided in the press long before their juries reached a verdict—Casey Anthony, for example, or Amanda Knox (who already has a documentary all her own on the streaming service). But the series, which counts George Clooney among its executive producers, takes a slightly different approach to the idea of media influence on criminal justice—one that has its pluses and its minuses. Each case’s connection to the press is different, and presented as just one aspect of a larger whole; that means that the through-line in Trial By Media isn’t as strong as it could be, both within each episode and in the series as a whole. However, the choice of cases, including the 1999 killing of Amadou Diallo at the hands of NYC cops and the arrest and trial of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, is different enough from typical “the husband did it” true-crime fare to keep things interesting throughout. [Katie Rife]

Wild card

J.J. Villard’s Fairy Tales (Adult Swim, 12:15 a.m.): The man behind the super violent King Star King takes on the lighter, sweeter fare of Grimms’ fairy tales—you know, the stories of bodies in basements and people who eat children. This Adult Swim animated series features the vocal talents of Keith David, Finn Wolfhard, and Jennifer Tilly, among oh so many others.

Wild card (cooking edition)

Tasty (YouTube and Amazon Prime): Welcome to Wild Card, cooking edition! There aren’t many shows premiering on Mondays for a while, so we can focus on meal prep. BuzzFeed’s Tasty probably isn’t new to you if you’re not new to cooking, but the series has stepped up its game in quarantine. Known for their simple, beginner’s recipes, the show’s creators have a ton of new YouTube videos on microwave recipes and pantry brunches. There are also two full seasons of their quick video recipes on Amazon Prime, so you don’t have to squint at your phone to watch them on Instagram anymore.