Clockwise from top: My old ass, How to die alone, Emily in Paris, And Speak no evil.
Photo illustration: Vulture; Photos: Marni Grossman/Prime, Susie Allnutt/Universal Pictures and Blumhouse, Stephanie Branchu/Netflix, Ian Watson/Hulu
Revivalor should I say bye? I don’t know how many of you are watching Emily in Parisbut you should know that Emily is flying to Rome by jet. Why the sudden change from France to Italy? Who knows, but if a vacation in Europe is not your thing, there are still mushroom trips and cranberry growing in My old assa new dramedy from filmmaker Megan Park. There’s also live programming this weekend thanks to the second Emmys of the year (we know, confusing), James McAvoy being scary in a Danish horror remake, Colin Jost and Michael Che doing comedy away from the newsroom, and—surprise!—a comedy series premiering on CNN. What a week! Happy Friday the 13th.
I went into My old ass for Aubrey Plaza, but in the end I enjoyed it thanks to Maisy Stella’s outstanding film debut. Both Plaza and Stella play Elliott at different ages, and in My old assThe story centers on 18-year-old Elliott (Stella), who is enjoying her last summer before college. Over a series of mushroom trips, the older Elliott offers wisdom while the younger Elliott gets involved in mischief.
It’s so annoying to split this season into two, Netflix. Emily in Paris is the show that, when you see it, you’re compelled to watch. Because the streamer uses this two-part model – with no input from the show’s creators, like in this case Darren Star – we get the continuation of the remaining five episodes of season four that send Emily to Rome. Another language she has to learn badly! I still enjoy watching it though.
➼ This show exists to put Lily Collins in Audrey Hepburn looks, and you have to respect the effort.
If you feel like you just watched a group of people on live television at the Emmys, it’s because last year the ceremony was held in January due to strikes. But now we’re doing this year’s Emmys, many of whom are probably The bearbut for the second season, not the third that we all saw earlier this summer. Got it? —Jen Chaney
If you love the comedic news quiz show Wait, wait… don’t tell me! on NPR, then you’re probably curious about CNN’s Do I have news for youThe adaptation of the British series, in which panelists are asked about current headlines, is hosted by comedian Roy Wood Jr. with “team captains” Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black. —Roxana Hadadi
Natasha Rothwell was a joy to see in The White Lotus Season one (and will return in season three) and in Unsureso it’s exciting to see her in her own comedy series. How to die aloneRothwell is a neurotic woman who decides not to die alone after nearly dying without any experience of love.
“The old man is a strange show,” wrote Roxana Hadadi and Nicholas Quah in a point-by-point analysis of its merits earlier this week. “It’s basically a soap opera with old men and guns, but it makes too many bold, interesting choices to ever be called conventional.” And in its second season, the Jeff Bridges-directed spy thriller only gets stranger.
➼ Now in cinemas; Read our full review.
Showrunner Laura Eason’s adaptation of the novel of the same name will premiere on Starz after being canceled by Showtime ahead of its early 2023 release. Led by Shailene Woodley as a writer who interviews three women (DeWanda Wise, Betty Gilpin and Gabrielle Creevy) about their lives, Michel Ghanem wrote that the cut was worth the wait, so that’s something.
Jost and Che are doing a live comedy special on Peacock. Will there be more SNL or more stand-up? Nobody knows yet, but anyone who still has a subscription after the Olympics can find out. —Kathryn VanArendonk
The leading quartet of actors in Civil War (Kristen Dunst, Cailee Spaney, Wagner Moura and Stephen McKinley Henderson) each deliver a strong performance, but the one scene in Civil War This was the scariest, as it used Jesse Plemons perfectly. Nick Quah broke this idea down even further with this ode to the creepy Plemons.
➼ Published digitally this week: Robot dreams, kneecapAnd winner (free on Tubi).
—Tim Grierson and Will Leitch at the Masterturn in Claudine (1974), which you can watch on YouTube, and Further performances
Want more? Read our recommendations from the Weekend of September 6.
