5 New TV Shows to Watch This Week: From ‘Ahsoka’ to ‘Invasion’

Welcome to TheWrap’s TV Watchlist.

It’s another week in the long, sunny month of August and we’ve got just the thing to get you out of your end-of-summer doldrums – a ton of great television! This week really is bursting at the seams, from a brand new live-action “Star Wars” series (“Ahsoka”) to the end of “Riverdale” to a new Adam Sandler Netflix movie (“You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah”) and your next HBO doc obsession (“BS High”). Like we said: bursting at the seams!

On with the television!

Ahsoka

Tuesday, August 22, Disney+

Ready to head back to a galaxy far, far away? Just a few months after “The Mandalorian” concluded its third season, we are back with another new live-action series, which serves as both a spin-off to the flagship series (“The Mandalorian”) and a follow-up series to several animated projects (“Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” “Star Wars: Rebels” and “Star Wars: Resistance”). “Ahsoka” is one of the most beloved “Star Wars” characters, in any format, and her arrival in the live-action universe of “The Mandalorian,” this time played by the great Rosario Dawson, pointed to big things for the character and the franchise.

In “Ahsoka” she’s headed after Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) a villainous figure who, after the fall of the Empire, is desperate to regain power. To find this fiend she’s got to regroup the old gang, which introducing animated characters into live-action like Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo). Entirely written by the character’s creator, Dave Filoni, “Ahsoka” is clearly told and largely exciting, full of thrilling action and a propulsive plot. Just the kind of vibe you want from your “Star Wars” live-action series. And the best part is that it’s accessible enough that even if you haven’t gone through all of the animated series (see below), you can still have a blast. Lightspeed to Endor! Or, you know, wherever. [TRAILER]

Riverdale

Wednesday, August 23 at 9 p.m., The CW

It’s all coming to an end with the series finale of “Riverdale.” The show began life as a reimagining of comics character Archie (who first appeared in December 1941) and his band of friends, this time as a gritty, “Twin Peaks”-inspired smalltown murder mystery. But over the years the show has grown and mutated, bringing in many more influences (surprisingly heavy on musicals) and incorporating elements of science fiction, fantasy and horror. In the final season, the characters are back in the 1950s, if that is any indication of how far we’ve come from “Who killed Laura Palmer but in Riverdale?” And honestly, it was a wicked – and wickedly entertaining – blast from start to finish. We’ll miss the gang, no matter the outlandish situation they’ve found themselves in. [TRAILER]

You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah

Friday, August 25, Netflix

Oh would you look at that? It’s new Adam Sandler Netflix movie o’clock! This time around, the movie is “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah” and the Sandman takes a supporting role, with the lead going to his daughter Sunny Sandler. Sunny plays Stacy Friedman, who is in the middle of planning her Bat Mitzvah while also (sadly) going through some major drama with her BFF Lydia (Samantha Lorraine). Based on the book of the same by Fiona Rosenbloom, “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah” has a terrific cast (which also includes Idina Menzel, reuniting with Sandler for the first time since modern classic “Uncut Gems,” along with Luis Guzman, Sara Sherman and Jackie Hoffman) and a score co-composed by Haim’s Este Haim. Just be sure to RSVP. [TRAILER]

BS High

Wednesday, August 23 at 9 p.m., HBO

In 2021, a high school football game made national news when Bishop Sycamore beat an opposing team without them scoring a single point. But as the layers were peeled back, things started to look strange for Bishop Sycamore, which was described as “not even a real high school” and the coach being described as a money-hungry con artist. But this new documentary takes the Bishop Sycamore game and uses it as a way to investigate the money and power that flows through the world of high school football. This looks fascinating, even if you don’t care much for football or sports. [TRAILER]

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Disney+

Think of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” as a prequel to “Ahsoka.” This is where the character originated – in somewhat shaky fashion, at least initially – and grew into one of the most beloved “Star Wars” characters in any medium. As voiced by Ashley Eckstein, Ahsoka is Anakin Skywalker’s (Matt Lanter) protégé (or Padawan) and gets a front row view as he morphs from the vigilante Jedi into something far darker. “The Clone Wars” ran for over 100 episodes, concluding officially with a batch of episodes in 2020, and spun off into “Star Wars: Rebels,” which also features Ahsoka (and is the closest, chronologically, to her initial appearance in “The Mandalorian” and “The Book of Boba Fett”). This might all sound like a lot of homework, but both animated series were the brainchild of Dave Filoni, who also made “Ahsoka.” The Force flows gently through them all. [WATCH]

“Invasion”

Wednesday, August 23, Apple TV+

The first season of “Invasion” concluded back in December 2021. Will season 2 be worth the wait? It certainly looks like it. The series, which charts the human response to an alien invasion, looks even bigger and better this time around, as it mixes human drama with the kind of large-scale, disaster movie theatrics that made the original season so much fun. We’re happy the “Invasion” is still going strong. [TRAILER]

“Trap Jazz”

Wednesday, August 23, Hulu

This documentary feature follows musicians in Atlanta that look to fuse jazz with trap music, with three of Atlanta’s most talented musicians taking part in this musical genre gene splicing experiment. If you’re a fan of either genre of music, or maybe neither, this is probably the documentary for you. It just looks like a joy. [TRAILER]

“Explorer: Lost in the Arctic” 

Thursday, August 24 at 10 p.m., Nat Geo

This documentary feature charts its own course through the Northwest Passage. The official synopsis describes the film like so: “Sir John Franklin set off from England in 1845 with two ships and 129 men to be the first to navigate the Northwest Passage, a new trade route over the top of the world, when Franklin’s ships vanished without a trace. Now, a team of explorers attempts to solve the mystery by retracing Franklin’s route in search of his long-lost tomb.” Will they find it? Or come back empty-handed (and very cold)? Only one way to find out. [ABC INTERVIEW]

“Who Is Erin Carter?”

Thursday, August 24, Netflix

This new TV series is an action show built around an intriguing premise: “Erin Collantes, a British teacher in Spain, finds herself caught up in a supermarket robbery. When one of the robbers claims to recognize her, her life threatens to unravel.” The movie looks like it’s full of the kind of high stakes action we’ve come to expect from things like “John Wick,” only mixed with some delicious television melodrama. We can’t wait to find out who Erin Carter is. [TRAILER]

“Vacation Friends 2”

Friday, August 25, Hulu

That was quick. “Vacation Friends 2” follows 2021’s “Vacation Friends,” the surprisingly amusing direct-to-Hulu comedy that starred Lil Rey Howery and John Cena. Howery and Cena are back for the sequel, which is once again directed by Clay Tarver and written by Tarver and Tim and Tom Mullen. And if there wasn’t enough chaos the first time around, the sequel adds Steve Buscemi to the mix for extra oomph. Sure, it might be silly, but it’s also very fun. [TRAILER]

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