What I Watched Last Week (Sept. 7-13)
What I Watched Last Week is a regular feature on this blog. Every Monday, I’ll recap the TV, film and sports action I consumed over the past seven days. It will include my thoughts and links for more info.
MONDAY
TV: Reno 911! (Season 5, Eps 9-10, Comedy Central)
TV: The Vow (Docuseries, Ep 3, HBO)
TV: Lovecraft Country (Season 1, Ep 4, HBO). I’d be hard-pressed to name a show this year that hard a stronger set of four early episodes.
TV: The Circus (Season 5, Ep 12, Showtime)
TV: The Office (Season 3, Ep 19, Netflix)
TV: Love Island (Season 2, Ep 11-12, CBS)
TV: Big Brother All-Stars (Season 22, Ep 14, CBS)
Sports: MLB – Marlins 5, Braves 4 (10 innings) in Atlanta (YouTube). Almost nice to hear John Smoltz, a great analyst, on the call. The game’s ending, not so much.
Sports: PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoffs – Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta (Final round, NBC)
Sports: CFB – BYU 55, Navy 3 in Annapolis, Md. (ESPN) and NBA Playoffs – Clippers 113, Nuggets 107 in Orlando (Western Conference semifinals, Game 3, TNT). So. Much. Sports. Definitely still feels weird that college footbawl is here, but I’m not complaining.
TUESDAY
TV: Reno 911! (Season 5, Eps 11-12, Comedy Central)
TV: Love Island (Season 2, Ep 11, CBS)
TV: ER (Season 14, Eps 7-13, Hulu). Jeanie Boulet is back! Played by the great Gloria Reuben, her character is one my favorites on the show. She is fierce.
TV: Pardon the Interruption (Tuesday, Sept. 8, ESPN2)
Sports: NBA Playoffs – Lakers 112, Rockets 102 in Orlando (Western Conference semifinals, Game 3, TNT)
WEDNESDAY
TV: Reno 911! (Season 5, Eps 13-14, Comedy Central)
TV: Transplant (Season 1, Ep 2, NBC). I’m already hooked.
TV: Love Island (Season 2, Ep 12, CBS)
TV: The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Season 5, Ep 150, Comedy Central)
TV: Pardon the Interruption (Wednesday, Sept. 9, ESPN2)
Sports: NBA Playoffs – Raptors 122, Celtics 119 (2OT) in Orlando (Eastern Conference semifinals, Game 7, ESPN). What a thrilling finish. My favorite playoff game so far.
Sports: MLB – Braves 29, Marlins 9 in Atlanta (Fox Sports Southeast). Insane. Who needs starting pitching?
THURSDAY
TV: The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Season 5, Eps 149 and 151, Comedy Central)
TV: Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (Wednesday, Sept. 9, TBS)
TV: America’s Got Talent (Season 15, Eps 19-20, NBC). The semifinals are here!
TV: Reno 911! (Season 5, Eps 15-16, Comedy Central)
TV: Hard Knocks: Los Angeles (Season 15, Ep 5, HBO)
TV: Pardon the Interruption (Thursday, Sept. 10, ESPN)
Sports: Where do I start? MLB (Braves over Nationals, Fox Sports Southeast), NBA Playoffs (Lakers over Rockets, TNT), NHL Playoffs (Stars over Golden Knights, NBCSN), NFL Opening Night (Chiefs over Texans, NBC) and U.S. Open tennis (Osaka over Brady and Azarenka over Serena in the women’s singles semifinals, ESPN). Don’t forget about golf, college football, MLS and the WNBA. Remember when we had nothing in April and May? It’s a much different story now.
FRIDAY
TV: The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Season 5, Ep 152, Comedy Central)
TV: Big Brother All-Stars (Season 22, Eps 15-16, CBS)
TV: Love Island (Season 2, Eps 13-14, CBS)
TV: Reno 911! (Season 6, Eps 1-2, Comedy Central). Mary Birdsong — I loved her character’s run — appears to be out, but Joe Lo Truglio joins the cast. I’ll take it!
TV: Ted Lasso (Season 1, Ep 7, Apple TV+)
TV: The 2020 MTV Video Music Awards (MTV). Finally got around to watching this. (I haven’t in years.) Host Keke Palmer was amazing, and producers made most of the performances work.
TV: The Real Housewives of New York City (Season 12, Ep 22, Bravo). Reunion Part 1. Cue the fireworks. I DON’T HAVE THE VIRUS!
TV: The New York Times Presents: Dominic Fike, at First (Season 1, Ep 2, Hulu). I had no idea who this guy, a young musician recently out of jail, was. I found this profile illuminating, and I plan to keep watching the documentary series.
TV: 16 and Recovering (Docuseries, Ep 1, MTV). There are four episodes in total. I plan to stick with this.
Movie: The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts The Tonight Show (Documentary, 2020, Peacock). Well worth your time. It’s important history to digest.
TV: Pardon the Interruption (Friday, Sept. 11, ESPN2)
Sports: Another huge day for us fans. MLB (Nationals over Braves, Fox Sports South), NBA Playoffs (Nuggets over Clippers and Celtics over Raptors, TNT), NHL Playoffs (Islanders over Lightning, USA) and U.S. Open tennis (Zverev over Carreno Busta and Thiem over Medvedev in the men’s singles semifinals, ESPN).
SATURDAY
TV: Love Island (Season 2, Ep 15, CBS)
TV: Room 104 (Season 4, Ep 8, HBO)
TV: Reno 911! (Season 6, Eps 3-4, Comedy Central)
Sports: The athletic onslaught continues. MLB (Braves over Nationals, Fox Sports South), college football (Arkansas State over Kansas State, FOX; Georgia Tech over Florida State, ABC/ESPN2; and No. 1 Clemson over Wake Forest, ABC), NBA Playoffs (Lakers over Rockets, ESPN), NHL Playoffs (Stars over Golden Knights, NBC) and U.S. Open tennis (Osaka over Azarenka in the women’s singles final, ESPN).
SUNDAY
TV: Real Time with Bill Maher (Season 18, Ep 26, HBO). The guy — who I always end up wanting to punch in the face — is back in the studio, having not missed a beat.
TV: Reno 911! (Season 6, Eps 5-6, Comedy Central)
TV: The New York Times Presents: They Get Brave and The Killing of Breonna Taylor (Docuseries, Eps 1 and 3, Hulu). Both docs are powerfully done. This is 2020. Wear a mask. Practice social distancing. Ban no-knock warrants everywhere. And oh yeah: Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor. Now.
Sports: No time to catch my breathe: MLB (Braves over Nationals, Fox Sports South), NFL (Seahawks over Falcons, FOX; Saints over Bucs, FOX; and Rams over Cowboys, NBC), NBA Playoffs (Nuggets over Clippers, ESPN), NHL Playoffs (Lightning over Islanders, NBC), U.S. Open tennis (Thiem over Zverev in the men’s singles final, ESPN).