Sandra Oh is The Chair in the new Netflix dramedy

Plus: It's movie time with Adam Driver and Marion Cottilard's Annette, Jason Momoa's Sweet Girl, Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson's Reminiscence

By Saloni Gajjar | August 20, 2021 | 5:00am

TV Lists Netflix

Sandra Oh is The Chair in the new Netflix dramedy

Ken Bolden, Sandra Oh, Mark Philip Stevenson in The Chair Photo: Eliza Morse/Netflix

Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Friday, August 20, and Saturday, August 21. All times are Eastern.

Top pick

The Chair (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): “Created by Amanda Peet and Annie Wyman, the six-episode series centers on the story of Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim (Sandra Oh) a tenured professor who is the first woman of color to be promoted to Chair of the English Department at the distinguished Pembroke University. While thrilled at the opportunity, Ji-Yoon is also overwhelmed by the pressures of the position, as she suddenly finds herself embroiled in various dramas familiar to anyone who has spent time in academia: the budgets aren’t big enough, too many classes are under-enrolled, and there are tensions between faculty who feel strongly about holding to tradition and those who are committed to questioning the establishment and shaking things up.” Read Arielle Bernstein’s full review of the series here.

Regular coverage

Ted Lasso (Apple TV+, Friday, 12:01 a.m.)

Movie night

Annette (Amazon Prime Video, Friday, 12:01 a.m.): “Annette is a maximalist film with a minimalist narrative—basically another riff on A Star Is Born, albeit with one truly bizarre element. Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard play America’s hottest new celebrity couple: Henry McHenry, a provocative stand-up comic billed as the ‘Ape of God,’ and celebrated opera soprano Ann Defrasnoux. This duo has deliberately been conceived as stark, reductive opposites, in the melodramatic tradition.” Mike D’Angelo’s full review of the Leos Carax-directed film is here.

Reminiscence (HBO Max, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): Directed by Lisa Joy, Reminiscence is a science-fiction thriller starring Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, Thandiwe Newton, and Natalie Martinez. In a dystopian world, Jackman’s Nick Bannister is a private investigator of the mind who navigates the alluring world of the past. Here’s a snippet from A.A. Dowd’s review: “Nick is investigating is the disappearance of a new flame: Mae (Ferguson), the seductive chanteuse that slinked into his office one day, supposedly seeking help locating her lost house keys but finding an admirer and then lover in the process. But after a few blissful months together, she vanished. Is the dame in trouble? Or is Nick a patsy falling for the schemes of a vintage femme fatale?”

Sweet Girl (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): Directed by Brian Andrew Mendoza, this action thriller stars Jason Momoa as Ray Cooper, a man devastated by his wife’s death who vows to bring justice to her killers while protecting his only daughter, played by Isabela Merced. Keep an eye out for Craig D. Lindsey’s review of the film on the site later today.

Wild cards

Truth Be Told (Apple TV+, Friday, 3:01 a.m., season premiere): In this drama series based on Kathleen Barber’s Are You Sleeping?, Octavia Spencer plays Poppy Parnell, an investigative reporter with a true crime podcast. She will be joined by Kate Hudson in season two, who plays Poppy’s longtime friend and lifestyle guru Micah Keith. The new case they handle puts their relationship to test. The cast includes Ron Cephas Jones, Mekhi Phifer, Merle Dandridge, and Anthony Lee Medina.

Everything Will Be Fine (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): Created and directed by Diego Luna, this Mexican original series is a satire that follows a separated couple living together for the sake of their child. It stars Flavio Medina and Lucía Uribe.