Abstract newspaper in a fluid shape, 3d rendering
Peacock streams the three-part miniseries “The Continental: From the World of John Wick.” Actually, the first two episodes unfold today and the third arrives on Oct. 6.
Set in the 1970s, this prequel does not star Keanu Reeves, but imagines how Winson Scott (Colin Woodell) came to own the franchise of Continental hotels, the overnight stay of choice for hit men, assassins and other professional killers. Look for Mel Gibson as a bearded man of prominence given to turgid proclamations.
Nobody watches a “John Wick” movie for the wit or pithy dialogue, but the conversations here seem particularly leaden and comic-book deep. That allows for more scenes of furious martial arts malarky and balletic machine-gun spray.
The period setting seems like an excuse or explanation for its soundtrack. It’s hard to appreciate the ’70s vibe when everything seems digitally concocted.
Ridiculously contrived, cartoonish in its hyperviolence, aimed at adolescents in search of thought-free stimulation and materialistic, shallow and glib, “The Continental: From the World of John Wick” could be the very definition (or at least a compilation) of everything I have come to loathe about 21st-century entertainment.
But that’s just me.
Help yourself.
— “American Masters” (9 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings) profiles Floyd Abrams, an attorney who has spent more than a half century as a defender of the First Amendment in Supreme Court cases as different as the Pentagon Papers (1971) and Citizens United (2010).
The documentary “Floyd Abrams: Speaking Freely” includes interviews with Dan Abrams, Ari Melber, Nina Totenberg and others, who discuss his impact on free speech and public discourse since the late 1960s.
On a similar note, Paramount+ streams the four-part docuseries “Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court,” looking at major decisions that have shaped society over the past decades. Episodes three and four arrive on Oct. 6.
— In another sign of a changing broadcast landscape, Hulu will livestream the iHeartRadio Music Festival, long a mainstay of both the Fox and the CW schedules.
— Looking for a scary movie for Friday night frights? The 2023 shocker “No One will Save You” streams on Hulu.
At first, it looks like Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever), a nervous and eccentric, creative homebody type, has been the subject of a creepy home invasion. But she soon learns that she’s being stalked by aliens who have pretty much killed everybody and ruined everything around her. There goes the neighborhood.
— Shudder, the streaming site dedicated to horror, streams the 2023 shocker “The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster.” A 21st-century variation on “Frankenstein,” “Girl” offers a lurid tale of a brilliant woman so horrified by the senseless murder of her brother that she tries to bring him back to life — with gruesome results.
— Set in the 1920s, the South Korean epic “Song of the Bandits” offers a tale of resistance to Japanese colonization. Streaming on Netflix starting today.
— Chronic insomnia inspires a friendship in the U.K. comedy “Still Up,” streaming on Apple TV+.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— An expectant mother and high school student makes several rash decisions in the 2023 shocker “Don’t Sell My Baby” (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).
— Erin tries to repair another attorney’s damage on “Blue Bloods” (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
A steelworker (Christian Bale) seeks revenge after his brother (Casey Affleck) falls victim to mob violence in the 2013 drama “Out of the Furnace” (8 p.m., Cinemax). Mixed reviews generally agreed that the film did not make the most of its cast (including Woody Harrelson, Willem Dafoe and Forest Whitaker) and that its downbeat setting and its tale of a troubled vet in the Rust Belt bordered on the cliche.
SERIES NOTES
Football star Devante Adams appears on “Secret Celebrity Renovation” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … “America’s Got Talent” (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … “WWE Friday Night SmackDown” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … Investors preside on “Shark Tank” (8 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG).
An investigator blames Jake for serial arson on “Fire Country” (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … “20/20” (9 p.m., ABC) … “Dateline” (10 p.m., NBC).
LATE NIGHT
Due to the Writers Guild strike, all late-night shows will be repeats.
John Dickerson and Corey Hawkins appear on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes John Legend and Danielle Brookson “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … John Cena, RuPaul and Dermot Kennedy drop by “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (11:35 p.m., ABC).
David Harbour, Kathryn Newton and Zoe Brecher visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC) … Dean Edwards, Ralph Harris, Leslie Jones and Roy Wood Jr. appear on “Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen” (12:35 a.m., CBS).
