Here’s what’s happening in the world of television on Friday 8th January and Saturday 9th January. All times are Oriental.
Top choices
Dickinson (Apple TV +, Friday, 12:01, premiere of the season): Apple TV +’s sleep hit returns today for season two with three episodes, followed by a new episode each week. The series follows Emily Dickinson (Hailee Steinfeld) – still sad about her brother Austin’s marriage (Adrian Enscoe) to her best friend and soulmate Sue (Ella Hunt), as well as the death of Ben Newton – as she is taken out by her private literary life and printed in the public eye. The cast includes Jane Krakowski, Anna Baryshnikov, Toby Huss and Wiz Khalifa, and this season will also feature notable appearances from Nick Kroll, Finn Jones, Ayo Edebiri and Timothy Simons. Dickinson creator Alena Smith discusses the new season with AV Club TV editor Danette Chavez, including how the pandemic was hereby calculated. Check out our season overview later this morning on the website.
Marvel Studios: Legends (Disney +, Friday, 3:01 p.m., season premiere): Marvel begins 2021 by diving deep into the key heroes and villains of its cinematic universe, exploring the iconic MCU moments and setting the scene for a myriad of originals that will begin streaming on Disney + this year. The first episode of Legends acts as a cheerleader for the stories of Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olson), and Vision (Paul Bettany), in anticipation of WandaVisionpremieres next week.
Regular coverage
RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1, Friday, 20:00)
Vikings (Amazon Prime Video)
Wild cards
Herself (Amazon Prime Video, Friday, 12:01): ‘Leaving an abusive household is an uphill battle in many advanced societies, where the courts and laws can put the victims at a serious disadvantage. Director: Phyllida Lloyd (The Iron Woman), from a screenplay by Malcolm Campbell and Clare Dunne, Herself approaches the subject gracefully, and with an unexpected degree of hope. In an era where neighbors often turn on neighbors, the optimistic perspective of the film ‘It Takes a Town’ hooks. ‘Read the rest of Anya Stanley’s B + review of this movie here. Herself stars Clare Dunne, Ruby Rose O’Hara, Molly McCann, Ian Lloyd Anderson and Harriet Walter.
A discovery of witches (Sundance Now and Shudder, Saturday, 3:01 p.m., season premiere): Adapted from Deborah Harkness’ All souls trilogy, A discovery of witches a second season follows Matthew (Matthew Goode) and Diana (Teresa Palmer), as their romance in Elizabethan London faces new threats, where they must find a powerful witch to help Diana control her magic .