7 New TV Shows to Watch This Week: From ‘I Think You Should Leave’ to ‘Deadloch’

Just because the week is shorter (love you, Memorial Day), doesn’t mean that there’s any less stellar programming on the horizon, with new seasons of “I Think You Should Leave,” “Dark Side of the Ring,” “Nancy Drew” and “Painting with John,” plus the series finales of “Barry” and “Succession.” And that’s to say nothing of a ripped-from-the-headlines HBO movie (starring Sydney Sweeney no less), a documentary about the American Gladiators and a LeBron James biopic. A jam-packed week, even with one fewer day!

On with the television!

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“I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson”

Tuesday, May 30, Netflix

Television’s most deliriously funny series returns. If you’ve never seen “I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson,” it springs from the deranged mind of star and creator Tim Robinson, who worked as a performer and writer for “Saturday Night Live” from 2012 to 2016. By his own admission, some of the sketches on the initial season of “I Think You Should Leave” are rejected “SNL” bits deemed too out there for the venerated NBC staple. “I Think You Should Leave,” which is debuting only its third season since 2019, is all the better for embracing that weirdness. There are sketches this season that rival things like the car research group from the first season or the driver’s ed class (or Karl Havoc) from Season 2. This season is comprised of another six episodes, each around 15-minutes-long, with occasional guest stars (like returning cameos from Will Forte and Sam Richardson and new victims like Jason Schwartzman), and they are all an absolute delight. If for some reason you’ve never watched “I Think You Should Leave,” you can jump in now; otherwise, it’ll give you a good excuse to binge it all right beforehand. [TRAILER]

“Succession” / “Barry”

Sunday, May 28 at 9 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., HBO

We ready to say goodbye to two of the most iconic HBO series ever? Because we’re going to have to. On the same night. Giant questions loom large above each series: on the jumbo-sized final episode of “Succession” (it runs 88 minutes), who will ascend to the Waystar iron throne and run the giant telecommunications company? And will it even be a member of the Roy family or an outsider (like Alexander Skarsgård’s goofy tech bro)? And on the “Barry” farewell (a regular-length episode) will the titular hitman (Bill Hader) find redemption? Or die like so many of his victims? We cannot wait to find out. But one thing is for sure: both series are ending on a high note, after their most ambitious, artistically fulfilling seasons yet. It’s hard to say goodbye. It’s especially hard to say goodbye to such titans at the same time. [‘SUCCESSION’ TRAILER]

“Reality”

Monday, May 29 at 10 p.m., HBO

In “Reality,” Sydney Sweeney ditches the sparkles and elaborate eye make-up of “Euphoria” to play the stripped-down role of Reality Winner, the former Air Force member who leaked sensitive government documents in 2017 pertaining to the Russian interference in the United States presidential election. What’s more – the entire movie, directed by Tina Satter from a script Satter wrote with James Paul Dallas, is adapted from the actual FBI interrogation tapes of Winner. (The movie is based on Satter’s minimal stage play “Is This A Room” that was a minor sensation off Broadway.) When the film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year, it was rapturously received, with critics riveted by the movie’s mixture of conventional drama and documentary-like staging. This should be the perfect antidote for all the puffed-up summer movie bombast. Because we all need a dose of “Reality” every now and again, right? [TRAILER]

30 for 30: The American Gladiators Documentary

Tuesday, May 30 at 8:30 p.m. and Wednesday, May 31 at 9 p.m., ESPN

Listen, this might not be “The Last Dance,” but it will certainly scratch the same extremely ‘90s itch. Directed by Ben Berman and co-directed by Kirk Johnson, “The American Gladiators Documentary” is exactly that – a two-part documentary (it concludes on May 31) about the wildly popular syndicated sports series that ran, usually between “Hee-Haw” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (or maybe “Renegade”), from 1989 to 1996. The documentary features interviews with some of the actual gladiators, including ohnny Ferraro, Deron McBee (‘Malibu’), Michael Horton (‘Gemini’), Lynn ‘Red’ Williams (‘Sabre’), the late William Billy Smith (‘Thunder’) and Salina Bartunek (‘Elektra’) and, judging by the trailer, will be very juicy indeed. Fun fact: they briefly revived the “American Gladiators” concept during the 2007-2008 writers’ strike. It didn’t last. The documentary will also stream on ESPN+. Watch it with somebody you’re comfortable pushing off a tall platform into a foam pit. [TRAILER]

“100 Years of Warner Bros.: The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of”

Max

The 100th anniversary of Warner Bros., while not as in-your-face as Disney’s centennial, is still being celebrated with a consumer products push (with, among other things, the Looney Tunes cosplaying as characters from your favorite Warner Bros. movie) and, of course, a self-congratulatory, four-part documentary series. While you can feel current management patting itself on the back (the first episode features CEO David Zaslav creepily stroking the Maltese Falcon while he talks about the greatness of the company). But the documentary series (which concludes June 1) is a lot of fun to watch, featuring tons of terrific clips and some equally astonishing talking head interviews (like Keanu Reeves gushing about “Blazing Saddles”). As directed by Leslie Iwerks, who did the outstanding “Imagineering Story” for Disney+, there’s enough keen insight to keep you from ever really rolling your eyes. [WATCH]

“Dark Side of the Ring”

Tuesday, May 30 at 10 p.m., Vice

If you haven’t seen “Dark Side of the Ring,” it’s one of the best shows on television, period. Created by Jason Eisner and Evan Husney, the series takes a look at famous wrestlers and their tragic stories, uncovering the seedy underbelly behind one of the world’s most popular sports. (The reenactments have a beautiful, smoke-filled impressionism worthy of the original “Unsolved Mysteries.”) This season (its fourth) is no different, with ten new, entirely true stories of madness and mayhem, in and outside of the ring. [TRAILER]

“Nancy Drew”

Wednesday, May 31 at 8 p.m., The CW

Like almost every scripted series on the formerly very hip network The CW, “Nancy Drew” is coming to an end. And that’s a shame because the series – a modernization of publisher Edward Stratemeyer’s attempt to create a female counterpart to his Hardy Boys characters (back in 1930) – was a lot of spooky fun and Kennedy McMann did a great job as a much more complex, slightly older version of the title character. The fourth and final season debuts this week, and the series finale will air on August 23, the same night that “Riverdale” (a much more bonkers attempt to update a beloved IP) also goes away for good. [TRAILER]

“Deadloch”

Friday, June 2, Apple TV+

This eight-episode comedic thriller arrives from Australian comedians Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan. Set in the titular small town in Tasmania, it follows a more experienced detective (Madeleine Sami) who arrives to assist in the investigation of a local murder and potentially uncovers something even more sinister. Kate Box and Nina Oyama co-star. Watch the trailer and tell us you’re not intrigued. [TRAILER]

“Painting with John”

Friday, June 2 at 11 p.m., HBO

“Painting with John” is back, just when we need it the most. If you haven’t seen the pseudo-documentary series from HBO and producer Adam McKay, it follows former musician and actor John Lurie (a key collaborator of filmmaker Jim Jarmusch in their earlier years) as he does some painting and deals with struggles related to his worsening Lyme disease. It loosely follows the contours of his similar 1991 series “Fishing with John,” which is maybe one of the greatest television shows ever. What a delight. [TRAILER]

“Shooting Stars”

Friday, June 2, Peacock

LeBron James biopic incoming! (Just as an FYI the man is 38 years old.) Described as the “inspiring origin story of a basketball superhero” this film “reveals how LeBron James and his childhood friends became the No. 1 high school team in the country.” And, really, who doesn’t need an inspiring true story, especially if it’s also a rousing sports movie? Dermot Mulroney plays the kids’ gruff coach (is there any other kind?) and Caleb McLaughlin from “Stranger Things” plays the younger version of one of LeBron’s BFFs. Could be a slam dunk. [TRAILER]