The Week in TV, 3/26/26

The networks pulled a few shows for a couple of weeks, but we instead got some surprises that unexpectedly filled out the slate.

New on streaming

Well, these will have a weekly release schedule, but since I finally started Invincible season 4, let’s start there. As usual, the show has a lot of balls in the air, and we have to bounce between them. Naturally, we kick off the season focused on Mark and his relationships with the people in his life: Debbie and Oliver, Eve, Cecil and his former teammates (some of whom are working with the GDA, some of whom are not), and a situation which raises a question of which moral lines Mark is willing to cross and why. Episode 2 is a Nolan and Allen adventure, with a little more backstory on what happened to the Viltrumites, and the quest for some of the weapons that need to be gathered to defeat them. (Funny stuff of Nolan apologizing at so many turns and people always being surprised.) I didn’t get to episode 3 yet, or episode 4 (which came out yesterday), so I’ll write about those next week when I do. But this is a solid return to what we’ve come to expect.

And while I’m here… not only did nobody tell me Prime Video had ordered up another season of Jury Duty, but even fewer people told me it was premiering Friday! (To be fair, “nobody” might have included the network and production themselves.) I learned of it the day of. Season 2 is called Jury Duty: Corporate Retreat, so, uh, you can guess where it takes place. First three episodes were released Friday, and so far it’s been very funny, with the setting of a hot-sauce company where the CEO is retiring and hoping to hand the company off to his fuckup son. Our mark for this season, Anthony, is game and helpful in a similar way to Ronald from season 1, but he’s got a bit more of a biting sense of humor and is more willing to fuck with people. Hilarious so far, with the actors creating some incredibly awkward moments; Dougie Jr. is inherently the funniest character, but this has been a lot of gold so far.

Weekly releases

The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, “Dr. Watson’s Dad” – Reggie’s still crushed by his bust at Rutgers being replaced by one of Calista Flockhart; Monica has set up an interview for him after he got some good PR last episode, and he hopes it’ll be the first step on his comeback to be reinstated and accepted into the Hall of Fame. The bust is really ugly, and after it goes missing, Reggie starts to investigate. Arthur is building trust with Reggie as part of the “embedding process,” which bothers Rusty, who starts spiraling out at the thought of not being Reggie’s best friend / future best man. Great lines, mystery solved, etc. A-

St. Denis Medical, “Experience with Human Babies” – Well, I knew they wouldn’t cast Kristen Schaal to have a meet-cute with Joyce’s ex Sanderson (Steve Little) a while back if she wasn’t coming back, and… surprise, she’s applying for the head midwife job at the birthing center Joyce built at St. Denis. Which of course creates a lot of complicated feelings for Joyce, especially once she’s revealed to be the obviously most qualified candidate. Matt and Bruce go out on an EMT ride-along, where, fittingly enough, Bruce tries to be macho and heroic and Matt actually just is quietly heroic. The growing bond between the two has been a fun treat this season, adding a little bit of sweetness to the show that isn’t too much, and bringing some humanity to Bruce. Serena and Ron argue over a pen, which is funny if for no other reason than they may be the two most stubborn people at St. Denis. A-

DMV, “Payday” – How do the underpaid DMV workers get by the week before payday? Vic assembles furniture and brings Noa in to his hustle, before Gregg (who writes college application essays for rich kid wieners) breaks it to him that Noa is secretly from a wealthy family. The gals get involved in an MLM that, as it must, goes well before it goes very poorly. I dunno if it’s my favorite of the season, but I got enough good laughs that it might be. A-

Abbott Elementary, “Campaign” – Pretty funny! Jacob has to debate for the school something or other position he’s running for, and with his opponent using social media and editing tricks to effectively smear him, he has to get coaching from Ava. Gregory and Barbara have a dispute over whether first grade or kindergarten is harder to teach. Janine and Melissa help Mr. Johnson prepare for the Janitor’s Ball. Lots of funny stuff here. A-

Best Medicine, “Mind Your Own Buboes” – Oh my god, an episode that isn’t about a yearly annual tradition! But there is a potential plague outbreak in Port Wenn, and Martin has to keep it contained while waiting for the biohazard team from Boston, as well as determine its source, and indeed if it even is plague. And then there’s the aftermath of Martin-Louisa, in a very small town of very gossipy people. Josh Segarra has been one of the brightest performances as Mark, and he really shines this episode. I too would be fine with letting the teenagers die. A-

High Potential, “Turn, Up the Heat” – A tagger murdered at a new building about to open. It’s got kind of a weird design (reminds me of a cross between Hudson Yards and that one building in Denver I call the “Godzilla Attack Building“). The case teaches us some interesting science and takes us through the world of graffiti, architecture, and land developer / crypto investors played by Diedrich Bader. Perhaps more interesting are the steps forward on the overall story, which brings in Clancy Brown as pater Wagner, with Jennifer Jason Leigh returning. A-

If I didn’t mention it, it took the week off.

Old favorites

I watched Andor season 1 again. Kinda wish I’d rewatched the series before writing the year in review, but I also could not put off sending that out any longer. Season 2 rewatch coming soon enough.

Just ended

Nothing, but I imagine this section will start filling up in April and May.

Coming up

You just got a surprise addition to the calendar, what more do you want?

I wrote that sentence at the beginning of my TV week, and then the trailer for the final season of Hacks came out, so I guess you’re getting an embarrassment of riches of new stuff. That premieres April 9 on HBO Max, which makes it the next show on my watch list to premiere.

And you?