What to Watch this weekend: The final season of Game of Thrones and Dominic West in Les Misérables

EW Staff
Updated

We know TV has a lot to offer, be it network, cable, premium channels, or streaming platforms including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Apple, Facebook Watch, and elsewhere. So EW is here to help, guiding you every single day to the things that should be on your radar. Check out our recommendations below, and click here to learn how you can stream our picks via your own voice-controlled smart-speaker (Alexa, Google Home) or podcast app (Spotify, iTunes, Google Play).

Friday

Getty Images
Getty Images

American Masters: Joseph Pulitzer

HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: Check local listings, PBS

We all know Joseph Pulitzer’s name, thanks to the annual namesake journalism prizes, but did you know he’s responsible for the Statue of Liberty getting her base? (It wasn’t part of France’s gift, and Congress refused to fund it.) That’s just one wildly informative fact gleaned from this engrossing documentary that highlights the Hungary native’s top-notch business acumen and why he gave voice to New York City’s poor and immigrants. A battle with President Theodore Roosevelt ended in the Supreme Court — Pulitzer won, and the president was declared “not above the law.” Pulitzer is described as the most “important and original and creative mind in American media” for good reason. A– — Gerrad Hall

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Virginia Sherwood/NBC
Virginia Sherwood/NBC

The Blacklist

HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: 10 p.m. on NBC

He survived execution (oops — spoiler alert?!), and now Red is trying to figure out who turned him in to the police, testing all of his associates’ loyalties. Meanwhile, Liz and Ressler are looking into a Blacklister who will erase gambling debts… for the right (high) price. Where do we place our bets?

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Netflix
Netflix

Special

HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: Streaming on Netflix

Binge It
Need something to binge? Loosely based on writer-star Ryan O’Connell’s experiences as a gay man with mild cerebral palsy, this short-form series (eight episodes, about 15 minutes each) — which counts The Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons as an EP — follows Ryan’s struggles with self-acceptance as he navigates dating, his relationship with his overprotective mom, and interning at a vicious satire of a millennial blog. It’s a promising premise, with charming performances from its supporting cast, but Special’s quirkiness, only-sometimes-successfully sweet emotional moments, off-putting characters, and humor don’t mix well. C — Tyler Aquilina

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What Else to Watch:

8 p.m.
Fresh off the Boat (5th season finale) — ABC

Saturday

Rob Pryce/TLC
Rob Pryce/TLC

Nate & Jeremiah by Design

HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: 10 p.m. on TLC

Season premiere
Famed interior designers/husband duo (and could-be models) Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent are helping a desperate couple in the season 3 premiere of this home renovation series. Albert and Anna, who went to school together but didn’t really connect until their 30th high school reunion, have remodeled parts of their suburban L.A. home. But the walkout basement they’d like to turn into a master bedroom retreat has been waiting its turn for three years. Stressed and overwhelmed, the emotional stakes are palpable — Anna walks off camera in tears at one point. Tune in to see the magic Nate and Jer work with a $45,000 budget while also balancing their own home life, including their adorable kids, Poppy and Oskar. B — Gerrad Hall

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What Else to Watch:

10 p.m.
House Hunters Renovation — HGTV

11:30 p.m.
Saturday Night Live (Emma Stone hosts, BTS as music guest) — NBC

Sunday

David Giesbrecht/CBS
David Giesbrecht/CBS

God Friended Me

HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: 8 p.m. on CBS

First season finale
Before we — hopefully — find out the truth behind the God account in the season finale, Brandon Micheal Hall (Miles) recommends revisiting the pilot, episodes 11, 16, and his personal favorite, 10. “I can definitely say it’s something I can relate to,” Hall says of Miles’ and his father’s reconciliation at Coney Island. “And to ride the Cyclone with Joe Morton makes it magical.” So, will the finale reach similar heights? “You will not be disappointed!” he teases.

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Helen Sloan/HBO
Helen Sloan/HBO

Game of Thrones

HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: 9 p.m. on HBO

The biggest show in the world returns with its shortest season yet (only six episodes!) to wrap up its epic tale of roughly 943 characters. Can Game of Thrones pull it off? Expect the premiere to march straight into high drama as Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) brings her armies, dragons, and new boyfriend/secret nephew, Jon Snow (Kit Harington), to Winterfell to help a wary Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) fight the Army of the Dead. Teases writer Dave Hill: “It’s a traditional GoT opening with a lot of mirroring of the pilot, only now you have a new monarch arriving with monsters to help fight other monsters.”

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Robert Viglasky/© Lookout Point/MASTERPIECE
Robert Viglasky/© Lookout Point/MASTERPIECE

Les Misérables

HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: 9 p.m. on PBS

Series Premiere
Fans of the stage-musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s epic novel Les Misérables will already be familiar with the story’s lows and lows, but the BBC/PBS retelling of the tragic tale — starring Dominic West as Jean Valjean, Lily Collins as Fantine, and David Oyelowo as Javert — offers a new beat or two, including the backstory of the man who “slept a summer” by Fantine’s side. And yet, despite having more time to tell the story, the expanded iteration doesn’t always allow for ample character development. Still, stunning cinematography and powerful performances will have you asking for “one episode more” by the end of each — no, ahem, dulcet tones from Russell Crowe required. B — Ruth Kinane

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What Else to Watch:

8 p.m.
Killing Eve — BBC America

*times are ET and subject to change