What to Watch this weekend: George Clooney's Catch-22 and the Game of Thrones series finale
We know TV has a lot to offer, be it network, cable, premium channels, or streaming platforms including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Apple, Facebook Watch, and elsewhere. So EW is here to help, guiding you every single day to the things that should be on your radar. Check out our recommendations below, and click here to learn how you can stream our picks via your own voice-controlled smart-speaker (Alexa, Google Home) or podcast app (Spotify, iTunes, Google Play).
Friday
See You Yesterday
HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: Streaming on Netflix
High school science prodigies C.J. (Eden Duncan-Smith) and Sebastian (Danté Crichlow) tamper with time travel to reverse the untimely murder of C.J.’s 19-year-old brother Calvin (Brian “Stro” Bradley) in an encounter with police officers. A mad dash to change the past, the story is colored by the tensions of the Black Lives Matter movement and darkened by the possibility of murder, yet tinged with the vibrant Afro-Caribbean culture of East Flatbush, Brooklyn. The juxtaposition between whimsical sci-fi and the damaging effects of police brutality begs the bigger question: “Where is the justice?” B —Lexi Vollero
Related content:
Spike Lee reacts to Donald Trump calling his Oscar speech ‘racist’: ‘No one’s going for that’
Spike Lee seems to think the Academy didn’t do the right thing with Green Book victory
Catch-22
HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: Streaming on Hulu
Series Debut
Hulu’s six-part adaptation of Joseph Heller’s classic WWII novel, produced by George Clooney (who also costars and directed two episodes), looks gorgeous, soaked in sun-bleached Mediterranean light and soundtracked by the big-band jazz of 1940s swing. But the darkly satirical tale of a reluctant Air Force bombardier (Girls’ Christopher Abbott) plays like a sort of photonegative of a movie like Dunkirk — a stinging portrait not of the nobility and sacrifice of war but the fear, futility, and petty bureaucracy even in the face of imminent death. If it all feels a little too episodic and Coen brothers-clever to start, there’s still a lot (beyond the dreamy Italian scenery) worth staying for. B+ —Leah Greenblatt
Related content:
George Clooney explains why the time is right for a Catch-22 remake
Watch George Clooney and Christopher Abbott in the Catch-22 trailer
Nailed It
HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: Streaming on Netflix
Season Premiere
Netflix’s Nailed It is all about how baking competitors don’t nail their challenges … and the series is serving up all kinds of fails in the new season 3 trailer, above.
Tasked by hosts Nicole Byer and famed pastry chef Jacques Torres with recreating (sometimes incredibly) elaborate cakes, contestants are seen falling apart left and right as they fight with stand mixers, drop ingredients, apply frosting with their fingers, and more. —Gerrad Hall
Related content:
The Nailed It season 3 trailer will whet your appetite for more delicious baking debacles
Exclusive: See if one baker Nailed It! with her Black Panther cake
What else to Watch:
8 p.m.
The Blacklist (season finale) — NBC
10 p.m.
Hawaii Five-0 (season finale) — CBS
Saturday
Trisha’s Southern Kitchen
HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: 12 p.m. on Food Network
Season Premiere
Trisha Yearwood says the season 14 premiere of her cooking show is one of her favorites “because it really does spotlight something that means a lot to me”— celebrating her 20th year in the Grand Ole Opry. And no fete is complete without food, so she revamps recipes she’s been making for years, turning chicken pot pie into a burger. “This is the best thing ever!”
Related content:
Martha Stewart brings luxury to Food Network as new Chopped judge
Iron Chef America is back! Venture into Kitchen Stadium in exclusive trailer
Watch Guy Fieri surprise super-fan who won Chopped Junior and beat cancer three times
What Else to Watch:
8 p.m.
Psycho Granny — Lifetime
The Substitute — Nickelodeon
Sunday
Game of Thrones
HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: 9 p.m. on HBO
Series Finale
The fantasy phenomenon’s final season kicked off with a three-part battle opera. Its colossal production value was, well, overshadowed. After the unlit Winterfell showdown came the inadvertently caffeinated fourth episode, which reset the show’s allegiance-testing complexity. I like Thrones best when he doesn’t know who to root for, but the hookup between chill pals Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) and Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) was an off-key misstep. The series’ place in history is assured because of fascinating characters like Arya (Maisie Williams) and Sansa (Sophie Turner), season 1 kids ascended to warrior legend and savvy authority. What looms in the finale? I doubt Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and Jon (Kit Harington) will end happy. I fear the dragon population will keep falling. And I worry for whoever takes the Iron Throne. Sitting on that chair goes well for nobody. —Darren Franich
Related content:
Lena Headey on that King’s Landing battle ending: ‘The first time Cersei has been at peace…‘
Game of Thrones actor on his surprise death: ‘Nothing could console me’
Game of Thrones recap for season 8, episode 5: Queens of the ashes
Les Misérables (Masterpiece)
HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: Streaming on PBS.org
Fans of the stage-musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s epic novel Les Misérables will already be familiar with the story’s lows and lows, but the BBC retelling of the tragic tale— starring Dominic West as Jean Valjean, Lily Collins as Fantine, and David Oyelowo as Javert — offers a new beat or two, including the backstory of the man who “slept a summer” by Fantine’s side. And yet, despite having more time to tell the story, the expanded iteration doesn’t always allow for ample character development. Still, stunning cinematography and powerful performances will have you asking for “one episode more” by the end of each — no, ahem, dulcet tones from Russell Crowe required. Binge the first five installments online before the 75-minute May 19 finale (check local listings for time). B+ —Ruth Kinane
Related content:
Dominic West on why ‘Les Miserables’ Valjean and Javert are like ‘Mean Girls’
Ben Whishaw hasn’t given up hope of a revival of BBC’s The Hour
What Else to Watch:
8 p.m.
American Idol (season finale) — ABC
Supergirl (season finale) — The CW
*times are ET and subject to change
