How Much Watching Time Do You Have This Weekend?
No matter how much free time you have this weekend, we have TV recommendations for you. Come back every Friday for new suggestions from our TV critic on what to watch.
This Weekend I Have … a Half-Hour, and I Love People
When to watch: Friday at 11 p.m., on HBO.
This hilarious, often poignant anthology series about a weed delivery guy (Ben Sinclair) returns for a new batch of episodes, more tender and revealing than ever. “High Maintenance” is as curious about its characters and their struggles as any show in living memory, and it covers an astonishing amount of ground in short segments. No stoner tendencies required, but you’ll get more out of the show’s quiet callbacks if you start with its early web episodes, available on HBO Go.
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… an Hour, and I Love Sea Creatures
When to watch: Saturday at 9 p.m., on BBC America and AMC networks.
Yes, yes, the ocean is powerful and majestic, and the fauna that inhabit it are fascinating. They’re also terrifying and occasionally grotesque, as adoringly chronicled here in the new “Planet Earth” series, this one a sequel to “The Blue Planet” from 2001 and dedicated entirely to aquatic life. In Episode 1, we meet all kinds of critters, including kobudai, who have very intense faces and also can change genders. (The premiere will be simulcast on AMC, IFC, SundanceTV and WE TV.)
Years ago I heard Richard Garriott, the video-game pioneer who went to space as a private citizen, talk about “the overview effect,” a common experience for astronauts after they observe our planet from afar. He described it a “series of epiphanies” about the fragility of earth, how small we are, how arbitrary our existence. I know it’s not quite the same, but that’s sometimes the effect of watching “Planet Earth: Blue Planet II” and its brethren.
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… a Long Time, and I’ve Been Waiting
The venerated hospital drama “ER” is finally available to stream, and while 15 seasons is a lot to take on, it would be a shame not to revisit County General, even for just a few episodes. Once Anthony Edwards and Eriq La Salle leave after Season 8, the show dips for a little bit, but even the later seasons have plenty of excellent episodes. “ER” has aged exceptionally well, and if its masterly pilot aired today, it would still be a sensation.