Disney+, 3:00 a.m. ET
SPECIAL PREMIERE: Beyoncé is the queen of sudden, unexpected drops of songs, albums, videos and movies – and here she comes again, slipping onto Disney Plus with an album, and an accompanying “video album,” inspired by a Disney musical, The Lion King. Beyoncé’s Black Is King takes the message and spirit of the young cub’s journey in The Lion King and reimagines it as a story for today’s youth – the future kings and queens “in search of their own crowns.”
Disney+, 3:00 a.m. ET
SERIES PREMIERE: This new series aims to revive the spirit of the classic
The Muppet Show series from the mid-Seventies: a frenetic stage manager (in this case Scooter) trying to herd cats (and pigs and chickens and other Muppet creatures) and put on a show. The show, this time, is streamed on the Internet, not staged in a theater, but there are spoofs of TV shows, special guest stars (RuPaul, Linda Cardellini, Danny Trejo), and appearances by such beloved Muppets as the Swedish Chef, Miss Piggy, and, yes, Statler and Waldorf. For my full review on NPR’s
Fresh Air with Terry Gross, listen to today’s show, or
visit the Fresh Air website later this afternoon.
Movies On Demand, 3:00 a.m. ET
As part of this year-long salute to honor Bob Marley on what would have been his 75th birthday, Kevin Macdonald’s 2012 documentary Marley is being re-released, on both Movies on Demand and in some actual movie theaters. My advice: stay home and order it on TV, in the safety of your own home.
Netflix, 3:00 a.m. ET
SEASON PREMIERE: Season 2 of this series has the supernaturally gifted siblings dealing with a new set of problems. Actually, an old set of problems, as they’ve found themselves transplanted back to Dallas in the 1960s. When in the 1960s, exactly? Well, I haven’t peeked that far ahead – but if you’re traveling in time to Dallas in the Sixties, I’m guessing it’s at a time when one of the stops should logically be, say, Dealey Plaza.
PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET
The PBS summer series “Broadway at Home” continues this week with a rebroadcast of Noel Coward’s Present Laughter, a 2017 Great Performances telecast of the classic comedy farce. Kevin Kline is a riot, and obviously has a blast, playing a ham actor, and his co-stars include Kate Burton and Cobie Smulders. Check local listings.
HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET
SERIES RETURN: Even though he wasn’t going anywhere, Bill Maher took the month of July off – until today, July 31, when he returns with a more Hollywood-centric lineup than usual. Kerry Washington and Jim Carrey lead tonight’s socially distanced guest lineup, with Maher presiding, as he has since the beginning of the pandemic, from his home.