6 things you have to watch on TV this weekend

Welcome to the weekend edition of What’s On. Here are the big things happening on TV from Friday, February 24, to Sunday, February 26. All times are Eastern. [Note: The weekly What’s On will publish on Sundays.]

1. Party Down is back to make sure we’re having fun

Starz, Friday, 9 p.m.: Thirteen years after wrapping its initial brief run, the acerbic and star-studded comedy Party Down returns for a six-episode third season. The show follows a group of Hollywood aspirants working in catering. Almost the entire cast (minus Lizzy Caplan) is returning, including Adam Scott, Jane Lynch, Martin Starr, Ryan Hansen, Ken Marino, and Megan Mullally. There are also some new faces, like Jennifer Garner, Zoë Chao, and Tyrel Jackson Williams. You can read The A.V. Club’s reflection on how Party Down became a cult hit, a recent interview with Lynch, and the first of our weekly recaps.

2. Enjoy the madness of M3GAN from home

Peacock, Friday, 3:01 a.m.: It wouldn’t be a stretch to call M3GAN a gift from the movie powers-that-be. And now you can watch this delightfully twisted thriller from the comfort of your couch. The film stars Alison Williams as Gemma, a scientist who designs a realistic doll to help her niece, Cady (Violet McGraw), cope with grief. The doll’s AI, of course, quickly overpowers everyone and everything in her way. Ronny Chieng and Amy Donald co-star. Check out The A.V. Club’s review.

3. Eugene Levy mopes around the world in The Reluctant Traveler

Apple TV+, Friday, 12:01 a.m.: For his post-Schitt’s Creek return to TV, Emmy winner Eugene Levy trades a remote small town for enviable locations across the globe. In The Reluctant Traveler, the star, who, yes, apparently hates traveling, trots off to destinations like Costa Rica, Finland, Italy, Japan, the Maldives, Portugal, and South Africa to explore the culture and see the sights. The docuseries consists of eight episodes. Here’s a bit from The A.V. Club’s review:

Unfortunately, maybe I should try something different is not really much of a frame for an adventure tale, especially with so many other similar shows around. 

4. Christoph Waltz is The Consultant in a new dark dramedy

Prime Video, Friday, 12:01 a.m.: Created by Servant’s Tony Basgallop, The Consultant is based on Bentley Little’s novel of the same name. In the show, Christoph Waltz plays Regus Patoff, a mysterious consultant who comes to the rescue of, and takes the reins at, CompWare after a prominent merger falls through. The workplace thriller also stars Nat Wolff, Aimee Carrero, and Brittany O’Grady. Here’s an excerpt from our review:

Prime Video’s latest series, The Consultant, with its strong look and flat characterization, gives us a glimpse into what it might look like if ChatGPT wrote our buzziest shows and movies.

5. A new season of Formula 1: Drive To Survive is here

Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.: Formula 1: Drive To Survive is back with a fifth season. The docuseries provides a behind-the-scenes look at the drivers and races of the Formula One World Championship, and the new episodes are set prior to the start of the 2023 championship and the opening race of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Here’s a bit from our review:

Naturally, a generally uneventful F1 season has resulted in a generally uneventful Drive To Survive season, which is more of an indictment of the documentary series than it is of the sport.

6. The French spy drama Liaison kicks off

Apple TV+, Friday, 12:01 a.m.: The British-French political thriller Liaison stars Vincent Cassel and Eva Green as spies (and former flames) entangled in each other’s dangerous worlds. Here’s an excerpt from our review:

“Overall, Liaison is entertaining in a way that a ride can be: all experience, little substance. It offers plenty of twists for twists’ sake and people winding up dead or shot or stabbed a little. And hey, the music is fun.”