The It List: Kaley Cuoco voices a foul-mouthed Harley Quinn, Kacey Musgraves hosts a Christmas special and the best in pop culture the week of Nov. 25, 2019
The It List is Yahoo’s weekly look at the best in pop culture, including movies, music, TV, streaming, games, books, podcasts and more. Here are our picks for Nov. 25 - Dec. 1, including the best deals we could find for each. (Yahoo Entertainment may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page.)
STREAM IT: Sitcom good girl Kaley Cuoco gets seriously R-rated in DC Universe’s new Harley Quinn animated series
Penny who? It takes less than a minute into DC Universe’s new Harley Quinn animated series for executive producer/star Kaley Cuoco to completely explode her image as The Big Bang Theory’s resident good girl. Leaping aboard a yacht filled with filthy-rich fat cats, Cuoco’s Cupid of Crime lets loose with a hearty “Party’s over, you pieces of s***!” before proceeding to break bones and bust heads in spectacularly bloody fashion. And that’s just the opening act for a cartoon that gleefully embraces the kind of R-rated ultra-violence and ultra-strong language that would leave Leonard and Sheldon shivering beneath their G-rated Superfriends sheets.
Like the upcoming Birds of Prey movie, which features Margot Robbie reprising her celebrated Suicide Squad star turn as Ms. Quinn, the animated series begins with the end of Joker and Harley’s professional and personal relationship. Fed up with the way Puddin’ (Alan Tudyk, doing his best Mark Hamill impression) regularly belittles and ignores her, Harley declares her emancipation and pursues her dream of gaining admission to the all-star Legion of Doom villain team. She finds inspiration — and a new partner-in-crime — in Poison Ivy (a dryly hilarious Lake Bell) continuing a beautiful friendship that dates back to Batman: The Animated Series.
Thanks to her Big Bang Theory run, Cuoco has the clout to call in favors from a bunch of Hollywood funny people. Thus, the show’s supporting vocal cast features the likes of Tony Hale, Jim Rash and Wanda Sykes as DC villains Doctor Psycho, the Riddler and the Queen of Fables, respectively. (Special shoutout goes to comedian James Adomian, who does a version of Tom Hardy’s Bane that’s almost better than the real thing.) And, like her, they’re all as nasty as they wanna be, dropping F-bombs and actual bombs with regularity. “Are you gonna shut the f*** up so so I can talk?” Cuoco says in the premiere. We wouldn’t dream of putting Harley in a corner. — Ethan Alter
Harley Quinn premieres Nov. 29 on DC Universe.
STREAM IT: The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a pop culture tradition
Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without the annual parade of thousands — and an audience of millions — through New York City. The 93rd edition of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will feature appearances by celebrities, including Terry Crews and Lilly Singh, as well as 26 floats and more than 50 balloons. Fun fact: The big event has been staged every year since 1924, with the exception of 1942, 1943 and 1944, due to World War II. Although there have been changes over the decades, you can still expect Santa Claus to show up at the end. — Raechal Shewfelt
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade airs Nov. 28 at 9 a.m. ET live on Yahoo and NBC.
STREAM IT: M. Night Shyamalan’s Servant serves up the scares on Apple TV+
While its initial slate has decidedly underwhelmed, Apple TV+ finally delivers a series worth your time with Servant. The set-up — a mysterious, perhaps magical nanny comes a-callin’ to a family in need — seems familiar, but Mary Poppins it ain’t. Lauren Ambrose and Toby Kebbell star as a young Philly couple so traumatized by the loss of their infant son that they turn to a therapy doll to help them cope; but the doll might be more than it appears after the arrival of the aforementioned nanny (Nell Tiger Free). Executive-produced by M. Night Shyamalan, this aptly twisty 10-episode supernatural thriller boasts weird performances, ominous overtones, plenty of food porn (seriously!) and a creepy baby doll that will haunt your nightmares. — Marcus Errico
Servant begins streaming Nov. 28 on Apple TV+.
STREAM IT: The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show is as cozy as a trip to grandma's house
Yeah, yeah, Kacey Musgraves performs on her new holiday special, but it's her Nana who steals the show, and that's fine by her. "I was like, 'OK, this is my 80-something-year old grandmother," Musgraves told the Associated Press. "Is she gonna come in like, forget the lines, like, you know. She's not used to this." Musgraves needn't have worried. "[Nana] came in, she gave us ad-libs, she was like giving us different inflections like she knew what to do. It was really cute." The "Rainbow" singer herself performs several songs, including her new track “Glittery,” with Troye Sivan. Musgraves first showed her love for Christmas when she released the 2016 LP A Very Kacey Christmas, and this is her way of bringing the album to life. She’s peppered in appearances (some musical) by people she admires, including Fred Armisen, Kendall Jenner, Camila Cabello and, of course, Nana. — R.S.
The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show is available on Amazon beginning Nov. 29.
WATCH: Ride shotgun for Queen & Slim, Lena Waithe’s searing saga about lovers on the lam
Lena Waithe (Masters of None, The Chi) took an assist in the form of an idea from author-screenwriter James Frey (A Million Little Pieces) and went on the run with it, crafting this beautiful, potent and at-times tough to watch romantic drama dripping with social commentary. Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Smith-Turner play a black Cleveland couple on a Tinder date going nowhere when they're pulled over by a white cop. Things escalate quickly, and Slim (Kaluuya) ends up killing the police officer, albeit in self-defense. This puts the pair on the lamb as they embark on a road trip south, while they become cult heroes around the nation. Some plot points are a little difficult to swallow, and the film occasionally veers into heavy-handed territory, but powerhouse performances from its leads and mesmerizing lensing from Beyoncé's "Lemonade" director Melina Matsoukas make this one well worth the escape to theaters. — Kevin Polowy
Queen & Slim opens in theaters Nov. 27; visit Fandango or Atom Tickets for showtime and ticket information.
READ IT: Phoebe Waller-Bridge shares her Emmy-winning scripts in Fleabag: The Scriptures
You’ve got a raging crush on Hot Priest and a slinky black jumpsuit — now the only thing standing between you and full Fleabag fandom is a copy of the Emmy-winning British comedy’s scripts. Consider this hardcover collection of writer and actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s wickedly funny scripts from the BBC/Amazon Prime series the next best thing to a third season — which she’s made clear isn’t going to happen. Revisit your favorite scenes (Claire’s bad haircut! Hilary the guinea pig!) and marvel at Waller-Bridge’s wit as she offers up a running commentary and behind-the-scenes details. The show may be over, but the Fleabag devotion can carry on. — Erin Donnelly
Fleabag: The Scriptures is released on Nov. 26 and can be purchased on Amazon.
HEAR IT: 1999 Super Deluxe Edition represents the deepest dive to date into Prince’s vault
The posthumous Prince releases keep on coming, just in time for the holiday shopping season. Now, his Purple Majesty’s breakthrough masterpiece gets the remastered royal treatment — with an 18-song second CD of B-sides and alternate mixes. For the Prince completist, the five-CD Super Deluxe Edition (there’s also just a regular “Deluxe” one) comes with 35 previously unreleased tracks, plus a DVD of a tour performance from 1982. — Lyndsey Parker
Download on iTunes; buy on CD/vinyl at Amazon.
WATCH IT: The Force is strong with Knives Out, Rian Johnson’s star-studded follow-up to The Last Jedi
You don’t have to love Agatha Christie mysteries to love Knives Out. Heck, you don’t have to love Star Wars either for that matter. You just have to be a fan of razor-sharp writing, terrific actors and one killer piece of real estate. The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson turns the page on his hit middle chapter in the Star Wars sequel trilogy with this delightful detective yarn, which pits Southern sleuth Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), against the extended family of recently deceased crime author, Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), with the prime suspect — Harlan’s caretaker, Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas) — caught in the middle. The mystery plays out almost entirely on the grounds of the picturesque Thrombey estate, which is like a cross between Wayne Manor and the house from Clue.
For anyone who saw Johnson’s earliest movies — Brick and The Brothers Bloom — Knives Out’s skillful juggling of comedy and mystery-laced caper won’t come as a surprise. This may be his strongest script yet, though, drum-tight in its construction and filled with instantly quotable dialogue. Small wonder that it attracted what may be the year’s best cast, including Lakeith Stanfield, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Frank Oz and Chris Evans, who cheekily pokes fun at his status as “America’s ass” by playing a raging A-hole. While Johnson has described the movie as a whodunit, Knives Out is less focused on fake-outs and red herrings than on mining the eternal mystery of family dynamics for humor and pathos. Let J.J. Abrams have that far, far away galaxy: We’re ready for the Benoit Blanc cinematic universe. — E.A.
Knives Out opens in theaters on Nov. 27; visit Fandango or Atom Tickets for showtime and ticket information.
HEAR IT: Pink Floyd releases The Later Years, an 18-disc set covering the material created by David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright from 1987 onwards
Here’s the perfect gift for any fan of the venerable classic rock band’s post-Roger Waters era. This sprawling and comprehensive box contains rarities, concert films and unreleased music videos — spread across five CDs, six Blu-rays, five DVDs, two 7-inch singles — plus a photo book and memorabilia. — L.P.
Download on iTunes; buy on CD/vinyl at Amazon.
WATCH IT: Welcome the Crawley clan into your own stately manor with the digital release of the hit Downton Abbey movie
Heading into the September release of the Downton Abbey feature film, some scoffed at the idea that audiences would flock to a feel good movie based on a TV series that had been off the air for almost five years. After a nearly $200 million worldwide gross, nobody’s laughing anymore. That box-office triumph is due entirely to Downton’s uniquely diverse, and incredibly passionate fanbase, which ranges from the likes of Mick Jagger to long-distance truck drivers. At least, that’s according to the show’s cast, who share their love for the fans in the aboce exclusive clip from a featurette included on the Blu-ray release, which arrives on Dec. 17. “To have been a small of anything that brings numerous people joy is a lovely thing,” remarks Joanne Froggatt, who plays one-half of the couple that never fails to make Downton lovers swoon, Anna and Mr. Bates (Brendan Coyle). With the fanbase as committed as ever, there’s no question that we’ll be paying another visit to Downton within the next few years. But will Dame Maggie Smith’s fan favorite Dowager Countess still be there to greet us with a cold shoulder and a witty put-down? Based on the way this first movie ends, we’ll put the odds at 50/50. — E.A.
Downton Abbey is available to purchase on Amazon and Vudu and other digital services starting Nov. 26; the Blu-ray will be released on Dec. 17.
STREAM IT: The Movies That Made Us is the crowd-pleaser you need after a Thanksgiving feast
Picture it: The turkey and side dishes have been gobbled, and the pie has been devoured. Now it’s just you and the relatives of various ages, who you don’t see often enough, with not a whole lot to talk about. One smart solution would be to toss on the new documentary from the team behind The Toys That Made Us to stoke conversation about some pop culture favorites from the last generation: Home Alone (a surefire crowd pleaser!), Ghostbusters, Dirty Dancing and Die Hard. Each episode features interviews with the actors, directors and others involved talking about what made the movie so important to the culture and, well, just so much fun. — R.S.
The Movies That Made Us premieres Nov. 29 on Netflix.
HEAR IT: Mick Ronson’s Only After Dark: The Complete Mainman Recordings boxed set is the most comprehensive retrospective of his solo work to date
David Bowie’s glamorous, pioneering, but often sadly overlooked sideman gets the career-spanning package he deserves — via this four-CD boxed set comprising the guitar legend’s solo albums, Slaughter on 10th Avenue and Play Don’t Worry, along with B-sides, alternate versions, outtakes and unreleased studio and live tracks. — L.P.
Buy on CD at Amazon.
HEAR IT: The limited edition Factory Communications: 1978-92 collection pays tribute to the Factory Records label as well as a dedication to the label’s founder, the late Tony Wilson
The seminal Manchester record label that launched the careers of Joy Division, New Order, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Happy Mondays gets the retrospective treatment with this massive 16-disc boxed set, with liner notes written by esteemed Northern English music journalist, record producer and synthpop musician Paul Morley. — L.P.