TV Brings the Multiplex Home with Three High-Profile Film Premieres

As Primetimer’s Alex Welch writes today, COVID-19 and the ongoing streaming wars have conspired to make this a summer of big movies on the small screen. This weekend alone sees the world premieres of a Tom Hanks World War II film that had been slated to hit theaters last month, an Andy Samberg Sundance hit that broke records as the festival’s biggest-ever film sale, and what could be the first film in a new superhero movie franchise starring Academy Award winner Charlize Theron.  Also this weekend: J.J. Abrams and Sara Barielles team up for a new series that’s giving us some serious Felicity vibes, a peek at quarantine life with Irwins, and Snowpiercer wraps its first season on TNT with a bang. Here’s what’s new and noteworthy on TV this weekend:

FRIDAY JULY 10

MOVIE PREMIERE: Tom Hanks is no stranger to World War II dramas, having starred in Saving Private Ryan and produced both Band of Brothers and The Pacific. In his new war drama, Greyhound (which he also wrote), he plays a first-time Naval captain who has to protect a convoy of 37 ships from Nazi U-boats. Watch the trailer. Streaming on Apple TV+

MOVIE PREMIERE: Critics are positively gaga over Palm Springs, which stars Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti star as two strangers who meet at a wedding before getting stuck in an infinite time loop together. Peter Gallagher and J.K. Simmons appear in supporting roles. Watch the trailer. Streaming on Hulu

MOVIE PREMIERE: Charlize Theron stars in the Netflix original film The Old Guard. Based on the comic book of the same name, the film tells the story of four immortal  mercenaries  whose mission to protect humanity is threatened when their secret is revealed. Watch the trailer. Streaming on Netflix.

SERIES PREMIERE: Brittany O'Grady stars as a young musician living in New York City and chasing her dreams in Little Voice. The new series is produced by J.J. Abrams and co-created by Sara Bareilles, who provides original music. Read our review. Streaming on Apple TV+

SERIES PREMIERE: If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Apple TV+ since its launch, it’s that the upstart streaming service loves big names. It’s sticking with the formula for its new docuseries Greatness Code, in which  LeBron James, Tom Brady, Alex Morgan, Usain Bolt, Shaun White, Katie Ledecky and Kelly Slater each reveal a pivotal moment when they recognized what it took for them to be great. Watch the trailer. Streaming on Apple TV+

SPECIAL PRESENTATION: The PBS series American Masters marks the women's suffrage centennial with Unladylike2000: The Changemakers, which traces the roots of modern feminism as it tells the stories of a series of courageous, little-known and diverse female trailblazers from the turn of the 20th century. Watch the trailer. 9:00 PM on PBS

SERIES PREMIERE: Zac Efron sets off on a global adventure with wellness expert Darin Olien in Down to Earth. The new unscripted travel series sees the duo exploring healthy, sustainable ways in far-flung locations around the world. Watch the trailer. Streaming on Netflix.

SATURDAY JULY 11

SPECIAL EPISODE: The Irwin family takes working from home to a new level in Crikey! It's the Irwins: Life in Lockdown, which follows Terri, Robert, Bindi and new husband Chandler taking care of the 1200 animals at Australia Zoo during the family zoo's temporary closure. 10:00 PM ET on Animal Planet

SERIES PREMIERE: Scott McGillivray returns to HGTV with Vacation House Rules, which sees the Canadian real estate pro teaching families how to renovate their often dilapidated vacation properties and rent them out for top dollar when they're not there. 8:00 PM ET on HGTV

CABLE PREMIERE: HBO's big Saturday night movie premiere this week marks a return to the premium cabler for Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke. Directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids), 2019's Last Christmas sees Clarke playing a disillusioned Christmas store worker who falls for a mysterious man (Henry Golding). Emma Thompson and Michelle Yeoh costar. Watch the trailer. 8:00 PM ET on HBO

SEASON PREMIERE: Wedding season may look a lot different this year, but that doesn't mean brides-to-be aren't still looking for the dress of their dreams. Say Yes to the Dress kicks off its 18th season with a one-hour quarantine special tonight, followed by the first of the season's new pre-COVID episodes. Starting at 8:00 PM ET on TLC

SPECIAL PRESENTATION: Humans aren't the only animals having a hard time with the coronavirus  pandemic. Jackson Galaxy returns to Animal Planet with a new remotely-shot special My Cat From Hell: Cat Sh#t Crazy, which sees the cat behavior specialist helping cats and their guardian to peacefully coexist. 10:00 PM ET on Animal Planet

SUNDAY JULY 12

SERIES PREMIERE: The new strip club drama P-Valley looks at the lives and dreams of the strippers working at the Pynk, Mississippi’s hottest “shake junt.” In the series premiere, Autumn Night (Elarica Johnson), a mysterious beauty with a harrowing past arrives at the club seeking employment. Watch the trailer. 9:00 PM ET on Starz

SEASON FINALE: The rebel forces appear to be on their heels going into the first of two back-to-back episodes of Snowpiercer as the post-apocalyptic series wraps its  first season. 9:00 PM ET on TNT

NEW EPISODE: Mason (Matthew Rhys) and Strickland (Shea Whigham) lean on Virgil (Jefferson Mays) for extra-legal assistance in this week's Perry Mason. Meanwhile, Sister Alice (Tatiana Maslany) faces a different kind of pressure from her mother Birdy (Lili Taylor). 9:00 PM on HBO

NEW EPISODE: Showtime's investigative docuseries Outcry airs its second episode, which sees the emergence of an unlikely advocate for convicted high school football star Greg Kelly. Read our review. 10:00 PM on Showtime  

NEW EPISODE: HBO's Golden State Killer docuseries I’ll Be Gone In The Dark continues its parallel journey in the 1970s as new horrific acts begin occurring in the Santa Barbara area, leading police to focus on a new suspect. Forty years later, Michelle McNamara pens an LA Times article about the case which leads to a life-changing career opportunity: a book deal. 10:00 PM on HBO 

NEW EPISODE: Blair (Andrew Rannells) is forced to revisit his past in a new episode of Black Monday. Meanwhile, Mo (Don Cheadle), Keith (Paul Scheer) and Dawn (Regina Hall) try to make amends. 8:00 PM on Showtime

NEW EPISODE: Ronnie (Ntare Mwine) finds a new calling in his bid for redemption on The Chi, while Emmett (Jacob Latimore) lets his dad Darnell (Rolando Boyce) and his insecurities get the best of him. 9:00 PM ET on Showtime

Jed Rosenzweig is the Founder and Publisher of Primetimer.