What to watch this weekend Nov. 29, 2024: TV awards contenders
Beatlemania is once again sweeping the country. Well, sweeping Disney+ anyway, thanks to an intimate new documentary, “Beatles ’64.” Directed by Emmy nominee David Tedeschi and produced by Oscar winner Martin Scorsese, the film features footage from the 1964 TV documentary “What’s Happening! The Beatles in the USA,” new interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, and archival contributions of John Lennon and George Harrison. It chronicles the days before and after the Fab Four’s first trip to America, including their appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” It’s a defining moment in popular culture, one that changed not just the Beatles’ trajectory, but the course of music history forever.
Now, you might be thinking to yourself: How many Beatles films and documentaries can one culture produce? How many is too many? At this juncture, it appears to be impossible to say. We don’t seem to have reached the saturation point yet, so apologies if you’re a Rolling Stones fan, but “Beatles ’64” is the awards contender to watch this weekend.
SEE What to watch this weekend Nov. 22, 2024: TV awards contenders
If you’re looking for something scripted, however, other contenders include:
- “The Agency”: The espionage genre is having a bit of a moment. Oscar nominee Michael Fassbender stars in this latest entry, which is based on the French series “Le Bureau des Légendes” and follows a covert operative (Fassbender) who has been abruptly pulled from the field. Forced to return to London, he leaves behind a carefully orchestrated life, including a relationship with a married woman (Jodie Turner-Smith), and must try to reassimilate to a “normal life,” or what passes for normal for a deep-cover spy. Richard Gere and Jeffrey Wright also star. The first two episodes are now streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime, and will air linearly Sunday at 9/8c on Showtime.
- “Shrinking”: This week’s heartbreaking episode, “Last Drink,” is a powerful showcase for the series’ two-time Emmy-winning co-creator Brett Goldstein, as the audience learns the backstory of his character, Louis, a role he never intended to play. In a season all about forgiveness, the episode is a memorable outing meant to challenge viewers’ perceptions of Louis, and it wholly succeeds. The episode is now streaming on Apple TV+.
- “The Madness”: Emmy winner Colman Domingo is seemingly everywhere these days, including leading this new Netflix conspiracy thriller. In the limited series, Domingo portrays a TV pundit on the verge of landing his dream job of a regular hosting gig when he inadvertently witnesses something he shouldn’t, thus sending him on the run from everyone from local law enforcement to a group of white supremacists. All eight episodes are now streaming on Netflix.