Abstract newspaper in a fluid shape, 3d rendering
A workplace saga that turns into a psychological thriller with ominous overtones, “The Other Black Girl” begins streaming on Hulu.
Set in a starchy firm called Wagner Books, “Other” stars Sinclair Daniel as Nella, an ambitious and eager-to-please editorial assistant who happens to be the only Black employee in a white world of connections, school ties and cultural assumptions.
Her lowly status is underscored by her “different” background, a fact that leads to awkward questions and situations. At first, “Other” works on the same level as the new Showtime series “Dreaming Whilst Black,” exploring how a racial outsider navigates an office environment where the line between benevolent condescension and open hostility is thinly drawn.
Things look up for Nella when an executive hires Hazel May McCall (Ashleigh Murray). A brash and confident New Yorker, Hazel encourages Nella to stop being so nice and to speak up about the passive-aggressive atmosphere at Wagner.
It doesn’t take long for their relationship to shift from solidarity and sisterhood to something stranger. Nella starts seeing things, getting peculiar vibrations and receiving notes from out of the blue advising her to leave the firm while she still can. Is she being warned? Or sabotaged?
All 10 episodes of “The Other Black Girl” land today on Hulu.
— Another tale of female colleagues, ambition, suspicion and mind games, the third season of “The Morning Show” begins streaming on Apple TV+.
This series has always seemed burdened by expectations and ambitions. It was among the first series launched by the fledgling Apple TV+ streamer in 2019.
Teaming Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon all but demanded that people pay attention. But from the get-go, the show’s overwrought dialogue reminded this viewer and others that it wanted to be an Aaron Sorkin show (“The Newsroom”) in all the worst ways — and succeeded too well.
The show has also been beset by topicality. The first season revolved around a #MeToo story about a host resembling Matt Lauer (played by an unsmiling Steve Carell) undone by multiple allegations.
“The Morning Show” barely got underway when COVID struck, shutting down the world’s economy and putting the seriousness of the show’s scandals in perspective. The second season was shaped, delayed and, to an extent, influenced by COVID, another news story that people wanted to forget as soon as they could.
Season three begins with an enormous cyberattack on the network, a threat to release sensitive secrets that rattles the business to its financial core. Jon Hamm (“Mad Men”) arrives as a possible savior, and a handsome one to boot. All his work playing Don Draper (and narrating those fancy Mercedes commercials) gives him the perfect voice to dish out the oh-so-important pronouncements that “The Morning Show” has become known for.
— Disney+ launches the National Geographic docuseries “Animals Up Close With Bertie Gregory.”
— Max streams the documentary “Donyale Luna: Supermodel” (9 p.m., HBO) profiling the first Black woman to appear on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar (1965) and Vogue (1966).
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— Two acts move into the final rounds on “America’s Got Talent” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
— Arkansas promotes its reputation as a place for outdoor activities on “America Outdoors With Baratunde Thurston” (8 p.m., PBS, TV-PG, check local listings).
— On two episodes of “Night Court” (NBC, r, TV-PG): a get-rich-quick scheme (9 p.m.); an office crush gets weird (9:30 p.m.).
— Torres returns to familiar ground to catch a killer on “Chicago P.D.” (10 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
— Islands offer a glimpse at how species change to survive on “Evolution Earth” (9 p.m., PBS, TV-PG, check local listings).
— Todd taps an unusual connection on “So Help Me Todd” (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
A night of films starring Dirk Bogarde begins with “The Password Is Courage” (8 p.m., TCM, TV-PG), a slightly comic tale of a daring escape from a Nazi POW camp, released in 1962. It was somewhat eclipsed by the Hollywood ensemble effort “The Great Escape,” released the following year.
SERIES NOTES
The power of the veto is up for grabs on “Big Brother” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … “MasterChef” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … On four episodes of “The Conners” (ABC, r): Darlene rules the roost (8 p.m., TV-14); a desperate job hunt (8:30 p.m., TV-PG); Ben feels overwhelmed (9 p.m., TV-PG); Harris vents (9:30 p.m., TV-PG) … Lucy Chen infiltrates a gun-running outfit on “The Rookie” (10 p.m., ABC, r, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
Due to the Writers Guild strike, all late-night shows are reruns.
Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney and James Taylor appear on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Marlon Wayans, Natasha Lyonne and Dove Cameron on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Paul Bettany and Lily Collins visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC).
