This Week in TV: ‘Stranger Things,’ ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi,’ ‘Ellen’ Ends

Rick Porter
·3 min read
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There are a number of finales on tap for May 25-31, but the biggest item — in more ways than one — on the TV calendar for the next seven days is season four of Stranger Things, which hits Netflix nearly three years after its last season. A beloved Star Wars character gets the series treatment on Disney+, and an era in daytime TV closes when Ellen DeGeneres signs off.

Below is The Hollywood Reporter‘s rundown of premieres, returns and specials over the next seven days. It would be next to impossible to watch everything, but let THR point the way to worthy options for the coming week. All times are ET/PT unless noted.

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The Big Show

When viewers last saw Hawkins, Indiana, the Starcourt Mall was decimated after a battle. Six months have passed in the show’s timeline when Stranger Things returns, but it’s been almost 35 months since the series last ran. Seven of the season’s nine episodes — six of them clocking in at more than 70 minutes long — debut Friday, with the concluding two episodes (which run almost four hours together) — coming in July.

The lengthy episodes make up “the biggest, scariest, most ambitious Stranger Things season yet,” writes THR critic Daniel Fienberg, but also “the least charming, least funny and least inventive season yet,” as the urge to up the stakes even more crowds out the more human-scaled elements of prior seasons. The pent-up demand for Stranger Things is huge, and it’s one of Netflix’s most popular shows. But as Fienberg puts it, “it’s not an underdog anymore.”

Also on streaming …

Debuting the same day as Stranger Things — and two days later than its originally announced premiere — is Obi-Wan Kenobi (Friday, Disney+), a limited series that sees Ewan McGregor reprise his role as the Jedi. It’s set between Episodes III and IV in the Star Wars timeline, with Obi-Wan living on Tatooine and keeping an eye on the young Luke. Hayden Christensen also returns to the saga as Darth Vader.

Also premiering are new seasons of Somebody Feed Phil (Wednesday, Netflix), That Damn Michael Che (Thursday, HBO Max) and Carpool Karaoke: The Series (Friday, Apple TV+). Hulu has Letterkenny spinoff Shoresy premiering Friday. The FX-produced limited series Pistol, about punk icons the Sex Pistols, streams Tuesday on Hulu.

On broadcast …

Finale: After 19 years of show-opening dances, audience games and celebrity chats, Ellen DeGeneres will end her syndicated talk show on Thursday (check local listings for times). Jennifer Aniston, who was the first guest when The Ellen DeGeneres Show premiered in 2003, will bring the show full circle; Pink, who wrote the show’s theme music, will also appear.

More finales: Survivor (8 p.m. Wednesday, CBS); Chicago Med, Fire and PD (8, 9 and 10 p.m. Wednesday, NBC); Grey’s Anatomy (8 p.m. Thursday, ABC); Bull (series finale, 10 p.m. Thursday, CBS); and The Blacklist (8 p.m. Friday, NBC).

Also: Masterchef opens a new season at 8 p.m. Wednesday on Fox. PBS airs the National Memorial Day Concert live (to the eastern half of the country) at 8 p.m. Sunday. NBC rolls out America’s Got Talent and new series Dancing With Myself at 8 and 10 p.m. Tuesday. Nancy Drew spinoff Tom Swift debuts at 9 p.m. Tuesday on The CW.

On cable …

New: History Channel continues its tradition of high-profile Memorial Day weekend premieres with Theodore Roosevelt (8 p.m. Sunday and Monday). The five-hour documentary, executive produced by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and Leonardo DiCaprio (among others), will take an in-depth look at the life of the 26th president.

Also: Following the conclusion of Theodore Roosevelt, History will debut The American Presidency With Bill Clinton (10:30 p.m. Monday), a six-part series that features historians and other experts delving into how presidents have dealt with issues ranging from civil rights to global power. AMC’s legal drama 61st Street ends its first season at 10 p.m. Sunday.

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