Paramount+ streams the new series “Knuckles,” an offshoot of the “Sonic the Hedgehog” movies derived from a popular video game series. An alien endowed with superpowers and a surly, assured attitude, Knuckles is a friend of Sonic. The story of the six-episode series, available in its entirety today, takes place between the action in the 2022 animated adventure squeal “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” (7 p.m., Nickelodeon, TV-PG) and “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” scheduled for release during the Christmas season.
Besides the fact that Knuckles is red and Sonic is blue, the above represents all I know or care to know about this franchise. The second “Sonic” film made hundreds of millions of dollars, due to countless fans who have been playing the video games for decades.
As a creative endeavor, this use of a series to promote a forthcoming sequel has all the excitement of awaiting the arrival of a new Pez dispenser. All films need to be marketed, but when films can be seen as nothing but marketing, they tend to lose their luster. This may explain a kind of exhaustion that has greeted many new comic book adaptations and sequels from any number of “universes.”
Sequel and franchise fatigue may also explain the relative inability of Paramount+ to compete on the level of Max, Prime or Netflix. Its appeal seems too dependent on the new “Sonic” or “Star Trek” brand extension.
Confusion about Paramount’s place in the entertainment pantheon is not limited to this column. As we speak, the Paramount universe is for sale, and has been for some time.
— Hulu streams the four-part musical docuseries “Thank you, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story.” It follows the band on tour in 2022 and explores a wealth of concert footage, home movies and photographs chronicling its 40 years of performing history, from Jersey Shore dive bars to vast arenas.
— Max streams the CNN documentary “Call Me Country: Beyonce & Nashville’s Renaissance.” The film looks at the popularity of Beyonce’s new country album and other emerging new voices in a musical genre that has long been dominated by white people. It also explores the evolution of Nashville as a destination city for a young crowd who may be more interested in a fun weekend than culture-war posturing.
Nashville’s emergence as a young, vibrant scene may be attributed in some part to the ABC melodrama “Nashville,” which ran on that network and on CMT from 2012-2018. The series was never exactly a hit, but it painted the town as a cool and creative hotbed.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— The 2024 NFL Draft (7 p.m., ABC, ESPN2) continues.
— With a fairly slight story, the 1993 thriller “Jurassic Park” (8 p.m., E!, TV-PG) is considered the first film to make believable use of computer digital effects, making it a milestone in its own way.
— “Great Performances” (9 p.m., PBS, TV-G, check local listings) explores the role of friendship in musical growth, presenting interviews with conductor Scott Yoo, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianist Richard Kogan and violinist Lynn Chang.
— Strident drag performers arrive in a Tennessee town that canceled its pride parade on the fourth season premiere of “We’re Here” (9 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
— Scammers target the elderly on “Blue Bloods” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— “Art Happens Here With John Lithgow” (10 p.m., PBS, TV-G, check local listings) visits a high school where students are transformed by courses in dance, ceramics, silk-screen printing and jazz.
— “The New York Times Presents” (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA) looks into systemic problems in the horse-racing world.
CULT CHOICE
A young man (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) stands up to his grim cancer diagnosis in the 2010 drama “50/50” (8 p.m., Starz). Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard and Anjelica Huston also star. Loosely based on writer Will Reiser’s own experiences, including his real-life friendship with Rogen, who plays a supportive character in the film, named Kyle.
SERIES NOTES
Snipers terrorize the city on “S.W.A.T.” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … “Password” (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … “WWE Friday Night SmackDown” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … Public outcry against the camp grows louder on “Fire Country” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … “Dateline” (9 p.m., NBC).
LATE NIGHT
Steve Buscemi and Henry Louis Gates Jr. appear on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS, r) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Kimbal Musk and Sleater-Kinney on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC, r) … Jerrod Carmichael, Stephanie Ruhle and X Ambassadors visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC, r) … Taylor Tomlinson hosts “After Midnight” (12:35 a.m., CBS).
