Nothing brings out manly violence and metaphor-laden narratives quite like a whaling expedition.
Set in the middle of the 19th century and based on a novel by Ian McGuire, all five episodes of “The North Water” begin streaming today on AMC+.
Dark, brooding and violent, “North Water” stars Jack O’Connell (“This Is England”) as Patrick Sumner, a disgraced officer who has signed up to be a ship’s surgeon to escape his past.
A loner and a reader among a gang of ruffians, drinkers and whoremongers, he harbors a liking for laudanum to numb memories of the dishonorable end to his imperial service in India.
An impressive cast includes Colin Farrell as Henry Drax, the ship’s harpooner. A brutal force of nature, he’s first seen, or rather heard, mid-assignation with a low-priced wench. He’s Sumner’s polar opposite, but not above asking the bookish sawbones to join the boys for a night of drinking or enlist him in the gruesome job of shooting, clubbing and skinning seals for their blubber. Stephen Graham plays the ship’s captain. He’s probably best known to American viewers from “Boardwalk Empire,” where he adapted his British accent to Al Capone’s Brooklynese, and from “The Irishman,” where he played New Jersey Teamster boss Tony “Pro” Provenzano. Tom Courtenay stars as Baxter, the shipping agent behind the whaling vessel’s peculiar voyage, a destiny that has little to do with blubber or oil. Courtenay’s film credits date back to the British New Wave film “The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner,” from 1962. He was nominated for an Oscar for his role in the 1965 David Lean epic “Doctor Zhivago.”
A compelling drama for those who can stomach its violence, “The North Water” is not to be confused with the first season of “The Terror,” about a haunted sailing ship stranded in ice for some 10 episodes. That AMC series introduced overtly supernatural elements. The hell in “The North Water” is strictly earthbound and man-made. It’s just a tad difficult to distinguish the tormented from the devils.
— Inspired by the original series from Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, the anthology “American Horror Stories” streams on Hulu and features familiar faces from the “Horror” ensemble.
— New episodes of the stylish satire “Why Women Kill” stream on Paramount+ every Thursday. The second season of the melodrama “The First Wives Club” streams on BET+.
— The teen satire “Never Have I Ever” returns for a second season on Netflix. Produced by Mindy Kaling (“The Office”) and inspired by her own youth, it stars Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Devi, an awkward adolescent who buries her grief for her recently dead father in the ephemera of peer pressure, social media and a superficial lust for an unobtainable “hot” boy. While Devi is an undeniably sympathetic character, much of the dialogue is too clever and knowing by half.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— The Yankees host the Red Sox as Major League Baseball (8 p.m., ESPN) returns from the All-Star break.
— Otter chaos on “When Nature Calls With Helen Mirren” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
— Beth throws her hat into the ring on “Good Girls” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— A woman accused on “Bull” (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).
— “Dark Side of the ‘90s” (10 p.m., Viceland, TV-14) explores the descent of TV talk from Phil Donahue to Jerry Springer, from informative conversation to trashy performance art tinged with violence.
CULT CHOICE
— A Harlem drug dealer (Denzel Washington) finds enterprising ways to ship his product while pursued by a NYPD detective (Russell Crowe) in the 2007 drama “American Gangster” (5:20 p.m., VH1, TV-14).
SERIES NOTES
Julie Chen hosts “Big Brother” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Holiday crafts on “Making It” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) … Jamie Foxx hosts “Beat Shazam” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … A dirty cop is found with drugs on “Walker” (8 p.m., CW, TV-PG).
Hot pursuit on “Love Island” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Will Arnett hosts “Lego Masters” (9 p.m., Fox, r, TV-PG) … Kings and high priests on “The Outpost” (9 p.m., CW, TV-PG).
A graduation from juvenile hall sparks a new investigation on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (10 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14) … “The Hustler” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
Hugh Jackman and Lorde are booked on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Mark Wahlberg, Mark Hamill and John Mayer on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Alan Cumming, Damian Lillard and Charlie Benante visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC) … Venus Williams and Picture This appear on “The Late Late Show With James Corden” (12:35 a.m., CBS, r).
