AMC Plus series This Is Going To Hurt is listed as a comedy-drama. While it’s got funny parts, the British offering leans much more toward drama. Ben Whishaw plays an obstetrician. The show offers a peek at just how stressful life is for a baby doctor in a busy hospital that lacks resources. Whishaw’s Adam is young enough so that he puts in endless hours, but senior enough in that he has some serious management responsibilities. 

Scruffy and bumbling, Adam hardly looks the part. “Are you really a doctor?” asks a woman he finds outside the hospital, who is mere minutes from giving birth. Those instances are daily occurrences at his hospital. 

This Is Going to Hurt is not for the squeamish. It pulls zero punches in offering viewers a front-row seat for various procedures full of blood, guts and other human matter. A herky-jerky camera follows Adam’s every step, including his many trips to the locker room to strip off another gory set of scrubs.

Adam mostly holds it together, trying to do right by his patients and chastising those who are out of line. The heart of the show is depicted when he mentors an overlooked female obstetrician, and is alternately dismissive and caring toward the nervous young doc. 

When his shift ends, Adam sleeps wherever his head falls, be it his car or in a bar with his friends.

A fun, animated performance by Whishaw makes for a convincing, moving medical drama. 

This Is Going To Hurt is available starting June 2 on AMC Plus and Sundance Now. ▪️

HBO takes look at the exploits of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers championship teams in a fun and fast-paced new original series, Winning Time: The Rise of Lakers Dynasty, debuting March 6.

The series follows the “Showtime” Lakers NBA squad and it’s charismatic and somewhat outlandish roster of players led by Earvin “Magic” Johnson, played impeccably by Quincy Isaiah. Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) serves as the catalyst for the team's success and subsequent fall. 

The hard-partying and womanizing Buss’ outlook on life is defined early in the first episode when he exclaims in earshot of his blonde bedmate: “If there are two things in this world that make me believe in God, it’s sex and basketball.” The series follows Buss as he financially schemes to purchase the Lakers and the team’s Forum arena before drafting Johnson with the first pick in the1979 NBA Draft.

Johnson’s arrival doesn’t necessarily sit well with Lakers coach Jerry West (Jason Clarke), team starting point guard Norm Nixon (DeVaughn Nixon) or All-Star center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Solomon Hughes), creating a dynamic that would normally destroy a team's winning chemistry. Yet the Lakers find a way to thrive in spite of itself, engineering a magical run of playoff and championship appearances throughout the 1980s.

Winning Time uses documentary footage of the period, animation elements and even text features to help visually explore the team's success, as well as the crazy and often destructive elements that defined it and the culture during that time. Executive producer Adam McKay also breaks TV's fourth wall throughout the series by having some of the main characters step out of scene and talk directly to the viewer. While a bit vexing at first, it eventually blends into the overall style and flow of the series.

You don’t have to be a basketball fan to enjoy Winning Time, which will keep viewers enthralled throughout its 10-episode run. The series debuts on HBO March 6, followed by additional episodes on subsequent Sundays, according to the network. ■ 

The early life and career of National Football League quarterback and social activist Colin Kaepernick is chronicled in Netflix’s original series, Colin in Black And White.

Viewers may be surprised that the series doesn’t start with Colin Kaepernick as the Super Bowl starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, or Colin Kaepernick the social activist who has been ostracized from the league since 2016 after he began to take a knee during the national anthem in protest of police brutality. Instead it looks at a young, high-school age Colin Kaepernick —- played impeccably by Jaden Michael — seeking out his identity while pursuing a career as an elite professional athlete.

The six-part miniseries links the experiences of a young Kaepernick — initially highly recruited as a baseball pitcher but with aspirations to be a pro quarterback — with present-day narration from Kaepernick himself, who seeks to put the events of his life into perspective. As part of that narrative, Colin in Black and White throughout the series cleverly weaves historical vignettes that often point back to the country’s sordid racial history into Kaepernick’s experiences as a young black man. Viewers get an early glimpse of Kaepernick and co-series creator Ava DuVernay’s clever and powerfully unfiltered point of view when the series likens the high-profile NFL Combine — where coaches evaluate every aspect of potential players — to slave auctions where Blacks were inhumanely objectified by White slave owners. 

Mary-Louise Parker and Nick Offerman play Kaepernick’s adoptive and very supportive parents who nevertheless aren’t prepared for and are often naïve to the misconceptions, prejudice and outward disrespect that Kaepernick faces as a young Black man growing up in a conservative, mostly White California suburb. 

Overall, Colin in Black And White is a unique series that at times may make its audience uncomfortable but more often than not endears viewers to the struggles, pitfalls and ultimate triumphs of a young Kaepernick. Whether you agree or disagree with Colin Kaepernick’s actions, Colin in Black and White is worth a look. 

Apple Tv Plus delves into the sci-fi  genre with its new series, Invasion.

The 10-episode series follows the events of an alien invasion from the eyes of several characters in different parts of the world. The series takes its time establishing the often complex storylines surrounding the human characters while the actual alien invasion mainly serves as a backdrop to bind the stories together. 

There's a New York-based Syrian immigrant mother (Golshifteh Farahani) who is dealing with family issues after sacrificing her medical career for her children and husband (Firas Nassar); an Oklahoma sheriff (Sam Neill) on the verge of retirement who seeks answers to a series of mysterious local events; a homesick American soldier stationed in the Middle East (Shamier Anderson) who tries to make sense of the alien presence around him;  a bullied British boy with epilepsy (Billy Barratt) who seeks to win the affections of a schoolmate while protecting himself under insinuating circumstances; and a brilliant Japanese aerospace technician (Shioli Kutsuna) who juxtaposes effectively doing her job with hiding a love affair with an astronaut leaving on a long space mission as the aliens move toward earth.

Viewers looking for the fast-paced action of other popular, alien invasion-themed movies like Aliens and Independence Day, or the fun and unique sci-fi thrills from TV shows like Stranger Things may be somewhat disappointed in the very slow-moving and often confusing events chronicled in Invasion. While each of the character’s storylines is wrapped around the alien incursion, it takes the series far too long to link those experiences to the eventual outcome of the extraterrestrial appearance on earth.

While Apple TV Plus describes Invasion as a character-driven series -- and it does deliver strong performances from its ensemble cast -- the Simon Kinberg and David Weil-produced series may not provide enough early action to keep viewers interested and tuned in for the series' ultimate climax.

Apple TV Plus will debut the first three episodes of Invasion on Oct. 22, with subsequent episodes premiering weekly. 

Jason Sudeikis returns as Ted Lasso, well-intentioned but clueless American football coach managing a soccer team in England. Lasso’s AFC Richmond squad is mired in an endless streak of tie games. The team is presented with a golden chance to break the winless run as a Richmond striker lines up for a penalty kick. As he boots the ball, Richmond’s greyhound mascot ambles onto the field and unwittingly fouls up the path to a win. 

The striker, Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernández), is traumatized by the PK fail. Lasso likens his player to “an expensive tape measure — he snaps back real quick.” Alas, Rojas does not, and the coaching staff wrestles with how best to handle a player in a serious funk.  

Lasso faces another challenge when a former standout player seeks to come back to AFC Richmond after being booted off a cheesy reality TV show. His old teammates do not want him back. 

Hannah Waddingham plays the Richmond owner Rebecca Welton. Brendan Hunt is Coach Beard, Brett Goldstein plays profane star player Roy Kent and Juno Temple plays Roy’s girlfriend, Keeley Jones. Jeremy Swift is Higgins, director of football operations.  

Sudeikis, also an executive producer, has Lasso nailed. As funny as he is, Lasso is best, and most human, when delivering other emotions, such as ruminating on his childhood history with dogs at a post-match press conference, and finding common ground with a despondent former player in a pub. 

Season two, available on Apple TV Plus starting July 23, spells new misadventures for Lasso and his squad. Sudeikis is up for the task, and the myriad of merry mishaps is fun to watch.

AMC Plus delves into the world of murder and revenge with the limited series The Beast Must Die.

The series starts out ominously with a young woman looking directly into the camera and uttering the words, “I’m going to kill a man,” setting the stage for a gripping thriller that frequently surprises throughout its six episodes. The woman, Frances Cairnes (Cush Jumbo), is in mourning after a trip to the British Isle of Wight with her son ends in tragedy when he is killed by a hit-and-run driver. 

After the local police have virtually closed the book on the murder, Frances decides to search for the culprit herself. Her intent: to avenge her son by killing the killer. Posing as a novelist researching a murder mystery, her investigation leads her to George Rattery (Jared Harris), a wealthy and smug businessman whom Frances has suspicions about regarding the death of her son.

On the outside looking in is police officer Nigel Strangeways (Billy Howle), who recently joined the local police force. Tormented by the death of a fellow officer, Nigel consults a therapist while he settles into his new position as a replacement for a recently deceased officer who was investigating the hit and run. An unsatisfactory first encounter with Frances leaves Nigel wanting to investigate the incident further, but he fears that getting too close to the case will trigger emotions he’s not ready to deal with. 

As the six-episode story evolves, viewers will be captured by the performances of the lead actors and the intensity of the storyline as Frances and Nigel seek answers and resolution to situations that may not end so satisfactorily. 

Episodes of The Beast Must Die are currently streaming on AMC Plus one week ahead of their premiere on the linear AMC cable network. 

HBO takes a dark look at the actions and secrets of wealthy luxury resort vacationers in its new limited series The White Lotus.

The series, produced by Mike White (Enlightened), follows the exploits of rich-but-flawed vacationers traveling to an upscale hotel in Hawaii. The story takes place across one week, but the series opens at the end of the trip with a dead body being loaded onto an airplane, immediately signaling that all may have not gone well during the excursion.

Among the main travelers are honeymooners Shane (Jake Lacy) and his journalist wife Rachel (Alexandra Daddario), who are not seeing eye to eye on expectations with each other or the hotel, as well as emotional, middle-aged recluse Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge), who carries her mother’s ashes as she tries to come to terms with her death. Also, family fissures emerge from the Mossbacher clan which includes controlling CEO Nicole (Connie Britton), her sullen husband Mark (Steve Zahn), their withdrawn teenage son Quinn (Fred Hechinger), moody daughter Olivia (Sydney Sweeney) and her friend Paula (Brittany O’Grady). Trying often unsuccessfully to meet expectations and manage the many quirks of the pampered guests is hotel manager Armond (Murray Bartlett) and his overworked staff.

Also appearing in the strong ensemble cast are Natasha Rothwell, Molly Shannon and Jon Gries. 

White weaves the parallel storylines together nicely, keeping the plot interesting throughout the six episodes. Viewers, though, will have a tough time developing any sense of fondness for the mostly obnoxious characters, at least during the first few episodes. As the show evolves, viewers will determine for themselves which characters are worthy of their affection and their time in this quirky dramedy. 

The White Lotus premieres July 11 at 9 p.m. on HBO.  

Apple TV Plus turns its documentary lens on music with its limited original series 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything.  

The eight-episode documentary explores the music and musicians that shaped the culture and politics of 1971. The first episode quickly establishes the social, economic and political unrest during the time that originated from the battle between those opposing the Vietnam War and racism and those seeking to squash the countercultural movement. 

Wrapping the words and actions of the leaders and dissenters of the time around inspirational and protest songs from such performers as Marvin Gaye, John Lennon, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, The Who, The Rolling Stones and Bill Withers, the documentary provides a unique perspective about the time period and how music reflected, and at times influenced, a cultural change in the country.

Beyond the music, the documentary’s use of graphic footage depicting victims of the Vietnam War, the Kent State shooting and the Attica prison uprising brings the pain and violence of the period to light. The unnerving clips and photos however, are used effectively to help better understand the creation of music inspired by those events, from Gaye's What's Going On to Neil Young’s Ohio to Gil Scott-Heron’s The Prisoner. The documentary also features fascinating, unseen and rarely-seen footage of iconic figures on both sides of the cultural war simmering in America at the time.

Amy producers Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees offer an entertaining, informative, and oftentimes disturbing walk through a turbulent year from a predominately music-themed perspective. 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything uses the upheaval of the time to focus a light on the career-defining music of some of the industry’s legendary and successful artists.

Starz delves into the complexities of female friendships in its new original dramedy, Run the World. 

Set in present day Harlem, Run The World centers on the lives and relationships of four Black female friends who navigate their way through their thirties faced with the everyday challenges of career, relationships, marriage and children. 

Whether it’s Sondi (Corbin Reid) dealing with her relationship with a single father (Stephen Bishop); Whitney (Amber Stevens West) worrying over her upcoming nuptials; Ella (Andrea Bordeaux) taking a humbling job as a website writer and potentially getting back with a former boyfriend; or Renee (Bresha Webb), dealing with uncertainty over her marriage and future, Run The World tells each woman's story in an unapologetic, bold, straightforward and grounded manner that’s feels genuine.

While comparisons will inevitably be made between Run The World and genre predecessors such as Girlfriends and Living Single (the latter of which Run the World executive producer Yvette Lee Bowser created) -- along with Sex In The City (there’s a humorous Mr. Big reference in the pilot episode) -- Starz has created a series that stands on its own two feet in terms of its feel and flow. The characters feel more like sisters than friends who talk freely and openly about virtually every dynamic of their lives, including their sexual escapades.

Run The World creator Leigh Davenport successfully channels the charm and strength of the camaraderie between the four ladies into an entertaining eight-episode journey. Viewers will embrace how their friendship remains steadfast and loyal through the challenges that they face --  both societal and self-created -- as together they shoot for “world domination” with control over both their professional and personal lives.

John Stamos plays a big-time college basketball coach, Marvyn Korn, who is fired after hurling a chair at a referee. No other major basketball programs want any part of him

Then his agent mentions a possibility. 

“Don’t tell me it’s Division II,” said Korn. 

His agent stares at him blankly. 

“III?”

Not even. Korn is offered a job coaching a girls’ high school team outside San Diego. Desperate to get back to work, he takes the job. 

What ensues is somewhat predictable — the clash between woke teens and a man old enough to be their grandfather over the way he talks to them, and just about everything else both parties do. Korn also clashes with one player’s parent — a major benefactor to the school who is wholly focused on his daughter getting a college scholarship. 

Alongside Stamos in the cast is Jessalyn Gilsig as his assistant coach on the Sirens and Yvette Nicole Brown as his principal, and Sophia Mitri Schloss, Nell Verlaque, Tiana Le and Monique Green as his players. 

The basketball scenes, and there are many, feel authentic, and the young actresses are athletic. For his part, Stamos is convincing as a basketball coach. He reveals a deeper character than the win-obsessed bully he’s known to be when he shares with his players, during halftime of a game they are getting crushed in, how his own poor play fueled his coaching ambitions. 

Anyone who’s watched a movie or series with sports at the center knows full well the team will play far better after Coach’s heartfelt speech. But as the pilot winds down, one does find oneself curious about how the team, and the new coach, will prevail as the season progresses. 

David E. Kelley is an executive producer. Episodes come out weekly. 

Big Shot is fun, and it’s not hard to get invested emotionally in whether Korn can turn the team, and himself, around. March Madness may be done, but the series offers a bit more entertaining basketball action to watch. 

Supernatural elements and a backdrop of 1950s racism provide a potent mix of terror for Amazon Studios’ anthology series Them.

(Series preview by Michael Malone.)

The limited series focuses its first season on a Black family who moves to California from the Jim Crow south during the Great Migration of the 1950s. The father of the Emory family and engineer, Henry (Ashley Thomas), wants a better life for his wife Lucky (Deborah Ayorinde) and two daughters, Ruby (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Gracie (Melody Hurd), and entrusts that the openness and freshness of the Los Angeles suburb of East Compton will provide the family with a slice of the American dream.

But within five minutes of driving through the all-white neighborhood, it’s clear the community won’t welcome the Emorys with open arms. A protest sit-in in front of the Emory house organized by the neighborhood wives, led by antagonist Betty Wendell (Alison Pill), is just a slice of what is in store for the family.

Undaunted, the Emorys go on enthusiastically with their lives — even as Lucky prepares for the worst by pushing bullets into a pistol at the kitchen table — but a supernatural entity emerges from the basement of the home to further torment the family. Several scenes between Lucky and her youngest daughter, Gracie, in early episodes portend some scary situations for viewers.

Them will undoubtedly be compared to Jordan Peele’s Us and the Golden Globe-nominated HBO series Lovecraft Country series in its feel, as well as its mix of supernatural elements and overt racism that at times is more terrifying to the protagonists. Executive producer Lena Waithe does a good job of setting the stage for what could potentially be a fascinating and at times scary tale. 

HBO Max looks to offer an authentic view of the lives of diverse youth with its new original series, Genera+ion. 

Executive produced by Lena Durham and created by the father/daughter duo of Ben and Zelda Barnz, the series revolves around a group of high-school students trying to find their identities while fitting in within a conservative town. That reality is shown early in the pilot, when star athlete and popular gay student Chester (Justice Smith) is flagged by the school principal for his third dress-code violation in the first month of school for sporting an eccentric, midriff-cut shirt and tight pants. He’s sent to see a guidance counselor (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) who seems to connect with Chester, who isn’t as secure in himself or in his surroundings as he appears on the surface.  

Other characters, such as twins Nathan (Uly Schlesinger) and Naomi (Chloe East), unveil the ups and downs of relationships as both hold revealing sexually-themed secrets that threaten but ultimately strengthen their bond. 

Each episode reflects the perspective of one or more students, and at times those perspectives are derived from the same party or school activity, providing a unique view of how each character perceives the same sequence of events. 

Genera+ion, much like other teen-themed series from HBO like Euphoria, doesn’t sugarcoat the experiences of its teen protagonists, but instead gives an often dark but refreshing look at a diverse group of vibrant, troubled, sometimes excessive, social-media driven and ultimately impressive young people. 

HBO Max will stream three episodes of Genera+ion on March 11, two additional episodes on March 18, two episodes on March 25 and one episode on April 1. An additional eight episodes comprising the second half of the season will debut later this year. 

AMC Networks’ rebranded streaming service ALLBLK takes a jump into the original sitcom pool with Millennials.

The series, from executive producer Bentley Kyle Evans (Martin), follows four young African-American roommates in Los Angeles as they search for success in the business world and the romance department. 

In doing so, the guys — straitlaced business student Omar (Kyle Massey), personal trainer Jaheem (Keraun Harris), would-be YouTube star Travis (Philip Bolden) and college dropout Todd (Aaron Grady) — find themselves in some strange and often humorous situations that allow the actors to flex their comedic muscles. Whether it’s conspiring with neighbors (including aspiring actress Mercedes, played by Teresa Celeste) to throw a rent party to keep from getting evicted, or finding clever ways to help their roommate get even with a cheating, fame-chasing girlfriend, the guys’ antics both test and strengthen their relationships as they awkwardly but confidently stumble through life trying to make a name for themselves. 

The show’s premise isn’t exactly original: the comic exploits of roommates have been explored in shows from The Golden Girls to Friends to Living Single. But Millennials is a fun, lighthearted comedy that has the potential to grow on viewers as they become more familiar with characters over the show’s six-episode run. 

Millennials also stars Tanjareen Thomas, Buddy Lewis and Katherine Florence.

The $4.99 per month ALLBLK SVOD service — formerly known as UMC — will debut the six episodes on a weekly basis, beginning on Feb. 25. 

FX on Hulu delves into the taboo teacher-student affair dynamic in its new original series A Teacher.

The series stars Kate Mara as Claire Wilson, a high school English teacher looking to fit into a new environment. Unsatisfied in her marriage to her college sweetheart Matt (Ashley Zukerman) and looking for some companionship, Claire eventually befriends fellow teacher Kathryn Sanders (Marielle Scott) as she looks to get settled in her new surroundings.  

The attractive teacher quickly catches the eyes of hormonal senior high school students and friends Eric (Nick Robinson), Logan (Shane Harper) and Josh (Dylan Schmid), but it is Eric, a star athlete more reserved than most students his age, who captures Claire’s attention. A chance meeting between Claire and Eric at the diner where he works provides the impetus for the two to get to know more about each other beyond the confines of the classroom. Claire agrees to tutor Eric for his upcoming SAT exam, leading to more encounters before the relationship turns intimate after a school dance. 

Eventually both Claire and Eric begin to feel the gravity of their illicit relationship. When their secret gets out in the open, much of the second half of the 10-episode series finds the two having to navigate their lives while dealing with the scrutiny of their affair from both those close to them and from the community at large.

A Teacher executive producer Hannah Fidell artfully balances the predatory nature of the illicit sexual affair (each episode begins with a warning about depictions of grooming that may be disturbing) with the genuine emotions and feelings of the two protagonists. Mara and Robinson turn in great performances that make the relationship both believable and tragic. 

Hulu will stream the first three episodes on Nov. 10, with later episodes appearing weekly. 

NETFLIX DELVES into the supernatural and science-fiction genres with its 12-episode drama Sense8. Executive produced by Andy and Lana Wachowski, known for The Matrix trilogy and 2012’s Cloud Atlas, Sense8 certainly takes on some of the unique and often frustrating characteristics of the latter fantastical movie drama.

The series follows eight individuals located in cities around the world who are psychically connected, although the first few episodes only give small clues as to how and why. What’s clear is that these individuals — who range from a cop to an underground martial artist to a transgender activist — have been targeted by an unknown force looking to permanently break the connection.

The pilot begins with Daryl Hannah as Angel, who appears disheveled in an abandoned church talking to a character named Jonas (Naveen Andrews), whose identity and mission are not clearly defined in the early episodes provided for review. Angel seems to be the entity responsible for the psychic link, but it’s unclear for what purpose. Each character has little in common with the others, but at times they can virtually step into one another’s bodies or psyches and see flashes of what’s going on in their lives.

As the episodes unwind, the circumstances facing each character become clear — the bride-to-be in Mumbai who doesn’t love her fiancé; the Chicago cop who is trying to make a difference in a violent city; an actor in Mexico trying to make it big; and the London-based DJ trying to find herself — but viewers will have to gut out the 12 episodes to get a (hopefully) clearer picture of how each of these disparate plots eventually weave themselves together to make a complete story.

History once again takes its “historical fiction” approach — the tack it took with its enjoyable series Vikings — and applies it to the miniseries event Sons of Liberty, a three-night mini series that follows the events leading up to the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution.

The action in Sons of Liberty swirls around Sam Adams (Ben Barnes), a charismatic Boston bon vivant who has run afoul of colonial Gov. Thomas Hutchison (Sean Gilder), for failing to pony up tax revenue that he was hired to collect. Adams is pursued by British soldiers in a local Boston bar, and makes his escape. The ensuing fracas sparks a riot that snowballs into the destruction of the governor’s mansion.

Adams flees to the countryside home of his cousin, John Adams (Henry Thomas), who isn’t keen to involve himself in his relative’s trouble.

With Adams on the run and the Boston natives restless, Hutchison enlists the help of John Hancock (Rafe Spall), an influential and wealthy trader, to “take care” of him. Hancock does so by taking care of Adams’s debts, to Hutchison’s consternation.

The “deal” is seen by Hutchison as a challenge, and prompts him go stop looking the other way when it comes time to collect Hancock’s tariff s. Hancock and Sam Adams then find themselves as business partners, as Hancock looks to Adams and the future Sons of Liberty to help him skirt customs officials.

The ensuing unrest has Hutchinson send to Britain for help, and eventually Gen. Thomas Gage (Marton Csokas) is dispatched to the New World to deal with Adams & Co., setting the stage for the unrest that will lead to rebellion.

Pleading the case for the colonists in London is Benjamin Franklin (Breaking Bad’s Dean Norris), an unofficial colonial emissary in London who eventually gets deported for defending the colonists and, upon his return to Philadelphia, is enlisted to rally them together.

Sons of Liberty is fast-paced and action-packed and, in episode one, the exposition comes so fast and furious that it’s di_ - cult to match the familiar names to the faces who are portraying them. Once the skirmishes between the colonists and redcoats turn deadly, though, the scenes can pack and emotional punch.

The performances are strong and both Thomas (best known for his childhood turn as Elliott in E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial) and Norris make you forget their more contemporary characterizations. But the first episode’s constant flash-cutting between England and Boston as tensions head up can confuse the viewer at times.

Sons of Liberty will no doubt please those familiar with the Revolutionary period, but less exposition and more characterization might be better for contemporary viewers who don’t know quite so much about history.

Related: Check out what might have been on the dining tables of the Boston radicals here.