5 Best Bets on TV This Week: ‘Sequestered,’ Soderbergh, ‘Black Jesus’ and More
Shipra Harbola Gupta
“Sequestered” Series Premiere
Tuesday, August 5 on Crackle, first six episodes available to stream
Crackle ventures into the drama series game with the new legal thriller, “Sequestered.” Jesse Bradford (best known for starring in the 2000 teen comedy “Bring It On”) plays a defense attorney tasked with defending the alleged murderer of the governor’s eight-year-old son. As Bradford’s character prepares for the case, he stumbles upon a major political conspiracy. Former “Firefly” star Summer Glau co-stars as a citizen impanelled on the jury. Unlike most legal dramas, which usually clock in around 43 minutes, “Sequestered” episodes are only 23 minutes along — which makes marathoning a breeze. Crackle has already made the first six episodes of season one available to stream on its site. The final six episodes will be posted in October.
“Garfunkel and Oates” Series Premiere
Thursday, August 7 on IFC at 10pm
Directed by Fred Savage, “Garfunkel & Oates” is a half-hour meta-comedy for IFC that stars real-life comedy folk duo Garfunkel and Oates. For those unfamiliar, “Garfunkel” and “Oates” are stage names for Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci, respectively. In the show, Lindhome and Micucci not only play fictional version of their real selves, but also fictional versions of their stage personas. Essentially, the latter is a person playing a character within a character within a character. You can’t get more meta than that.
“Black Jesus” Series Premiere
Thursday, August 7 on Adult Swim at 11pm
From the creator of the Adult Swim animated series “The Boondocks,” “Black Jesus” is a live-action comedy about a black Jesus Christ, living in modern-day Compton and trying to spread goodness throughout the neighborhood. Relative newcomer Gerald “Slink” Johnson stars as Jesus Christ and yes, he dresses in the full Christ Costume. Conservative Christian groups have been complaining about the show since the end of July, demanding that Adult Swim cancel it before it airs — to which poet and novelist Jay Parini responded with a resounding no, in a recent opinion column published on the CNN website. You can decide for yourself by watching the official trailer on the show’s site.
“The Knick” Series Premiere
Friday, August 8 on Cinemax at 10pm
Steven Soderbergh re-invents the medical drama with “The Knick,” transporting us back in time to the early twentieth century. The series centers on the medical staff at a New York City hospital that is struggling to keep its doors open. Clive Owen stars as the cocaine-addled, but also brilliant, Dr. John Thackery. Based on the trailer, “The Knick” seems to hold the promise of showing us medicine in a way that we’ve never seen it before.
“Outlander” Series Premiere
Saturday, August 9 on Starz at 9pm
Based on the popular series of historical romance novels by Diana Gabaldon, “Outlander” begins in the twentieth century, at the end of World War II. The show tells the story of former British Army nurse Claire Randall, who ends up traveling back in time to 18th century Scotland, where she ends up falling in love with the ruggedly handsome Jamie Fraser. But Randall, as it turns out, is married in the twentieth century — causing its fair share of emotional and moral dilemmas. If you can’t wait until Saturday, Starz has made the first episode available to stream on its site.
