What to Watch this weekend: Murder, mystery, and mayhem on the season 2 premiere of Mindhunter
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
Mindhunter
HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: Streaming on Netflix
Season Premiere
It’s been almost two years since we were first given a front-row view into the thought processes of serial killers in Netflix’s Mindhunter. Now, the show returns for a second season, which is set to reunite the members of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit — played by Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, and Anna Torv — as they get called in to provide their expertise on one of the nation’s most haunting cases: the Atlanta child killings. More murder, mystery, and mayhem can all be expected, as can appearances by some of America’s most famous serial killers, including Charles Manson, Son of Sam, and the BTK Strangler. —Lauren Huff
Related content:
First teaser trailer for Mindhunter season 2 includes glimpses of Charles Manson and Son of Sam
Mindhunter season 2 first look: Jonathan Groff returns in new images
Jim Gaffigan: Quality Time
HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: Streaming on Amazon Prime
Quality Time is Amazon Prime’s first original comedy special, so it only makes sense the streaming service would enlist “The King of Clean Comedy,” stand-up heavyweight Jim Gaffigan, to supply the laughs. Pun intended on ‘heavyweight;’ Gaffigan is in part known for his bits both about food – particularly bacon – and his own weight. It’s no surprise then, that he spends a solid fifth of Quality Time’s 72-minute runtime making self-deprecating fat and fat-adjacent jokes like, “I’ve always talked about my weight in my stand-up, but in the past after shows if I ran into audience members they’d be like ‘Jim, you’re not that fat.’ But now after shows, they’re like, ‘Good show.’” As a subscriber to Hannah Gadsby’s criticism of self-deprecating jokes, maybe I wasn’t the right audience for this special. Then again, so much of the observational humor in Quality Time just felt so familiar, and at the special’s expense. That’s not to say Gaffigan doesn’t know how to write a clever joke, because he certainly does; it’s just unfortunate that there’s nothing in Quality Time that’s both clever and surprising. B- —Daniel Menegaz
Related content:
What Else to Watch
Streaming
Diagnosis (docuseries debut) — Netflix
Sextuplets (Marlon Wayans movie) — Netflix
The Amazing Johnathan Documentary — Hulu
9 p.m.
Ghost Brothers: Haunted Houseguests (series debut) — Travel Channel
SATURDAY
Zombie Tidal Wave
HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: 9 p.m. on Syfy
He fought off sharks, now Ian Ziering is tackling the living dead for this new Syfy original film, which he created and produces with Sharknado franchise director Anthony C. Ferrante. Zombie Tidal Wave is exactly what it sounds like … a tidal wave of zombies caused by a mysterious ocean-borne outbreak, which is threatening sea captain Hunter Shaw (Ziering) and his seaside community. So he and a group of locals have to uncover the origins of the pandemic, all the while fighting off the undead. —Gerrad Hall
Related content:
Ian Ziering, Shannen Doherty, Leonardo DiCaprio, more stars pay tribute to Luke Perry
Ian Ziering teases 90210 reunion after working with Tori Spelling on Sharknado 6
What Else to Watch
1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Addiction Unplugged (docuseries debut with back-to-back episodes) — A&E
9 p.m.
A Summer Romance — Hallmark
SUNDAY
I Am Patrick Swayze
HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: 9 p.m. on Paramount Network
Premiering on what would’ve been the iconic actor’s 67th birthday, this documentary special digs into Patrick Swayze’s life, work, and legacy. Interviews with his costars – Demi Moore, Jennifer Grey, Sam Elliott – his family, and his widow Lisa Niemi reveal a portrait of a talented, sensitive man. Among the many poignant moments: Niemi discusses the abuse Swayze faced as a child, Grey recalls how he supported her on the set of Dirty Dancing, and we see how Swayze worked 14- to 16-hour days shooting a TV show while undergoing chemotherapy. —Tyler Aquilina
Related content:
What Else to Watch
8 p.m.
The Rook (season finale) — Starz
Good Witch (season finale) — Hallmark
9 p.m.
Ted Bundy: Mind of a Monster — ID
Succession — HBO
10 p.m.
The Righteous Gemstones — HBO
*times are ET and subject to change