Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Sunday, September 13. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Lovecraft Country (HBO, 9 p.m.): Once again last week, Lovecraft Country delivered a hell of a climax—or, if you prefer, a climb-ax. (Get it? Stairs?) Here’s Joelle Monique on “A History Of Violence”:
Big girls be praised! William put it down on Ruby (Wunmi Mosaku). Sex scenes for plus-sized women are notoriously corny and distressing. Big women are shown as being sexy despite their fatness, or they are fetishized for it. Both depictions create a limiting and toxic environment for fat girls to explore their sexual desires. But, oh boy, Ruby took charge of her needs and her despair after discovering another Black woman received a job at the Marshall Field’s. Their delicious (and probably painful) stair sex looked so good. William promises Ruby the world, but is he doing Christina’s work? Is Ruby in danger, or are the sidekicks about to team up and surprise everyone?! We’ll have to wait for another chilling adventure of Lovecraft Country.
We think Mosaku is terrific and we love a Cronenberg reference, so last week’s episode was a big win as far as we’re concerned. And it must be said that the buzz about this one is, well, very buzzy. So watch live if you can, keep an eye out for Joelle’s recap of tonight’s “Strange Case,” and let us know if you catch any nods to Videodrome or Eastern Promises.
Regular coverage
Wild cards
Lucy Worsley’s Royal Palace Secrets (PBS, 7 p.m.): If you’re not in too much of an “eat the rich” kind of mood, our favorite costume-wearing historian is seizing a rare opportunity presented by the current everything and taking some cameras into three historic buildings to grant viewers “a uniquely intimate tour of these magnificent structures, currently emptied of visitors and staff.” At “the Tower of London, glorious Hampton Court, and treasure-filled Kensington Palace,” Worsley will “[go] beyond the velvet ropes into each building’s most secret places to uncover how each palace shaped a monarchy and a nation.” And she’ll wear some costumes, of course.
The Masked Singer, “Special Season Four Sneak Peek” (Fox, 8 p.m.): If you find yourself eager to hear Nick Cannon say things like “And now, The Hippo!” with an unreasonable and not entirely believable level of enthusiasm and simply cannot wait until the show’s proper return on September 23, then tonight’s your lucky night. This preview will run again on the west coast at 8 p.m Pacific.
