This weekend I have … 55 minutes, and praise be.
‘The Righteous Gemstones’
When to watch: Sunday at 10 p.m., on HBO.
Season 2 of this televangelist comedy is finally here, more than two years after Season 1 finished — though I’m not sure I’ve gone more than a few weeks without having “Misbehavin’” stuck in my head. “The Righteous Gemstones” follows the corrupt Gemstone family of preachers, with the sage but volatile Eli (John Goodman) at the helm and his dingus offspring (Danny McBride, Edi Patterson and Adam Devine) vying for his money and attention. The show remains a fascinating tonal roller coaster, with deranged absurdities packed into scenes that have real pathos. There’s also extra fun to be had by viewing it as a sort of Waluigi version of “Succession,” consumed with internecine family strife and an aging patriarch’s hold on his empire. Here, it’s told as so-serious-it’s-silly rather than the Roys’ so-silly-it’s-serious.
… 70 minutes, and I like scandals.
‘Meddling’
When to watch: Now, on Peacock.
We’re a little less than a month away from the start of the Beijing Winter Olympics, so let us turn now to a particularly juicy part of the Games’ history: the pairs figure skating controversy in Salt Lake City in 2002, when the Russian duo Anton Sikharulidze and Yelena Berezhnaya won gold over the Canadians David Pelletier and Jamie Salé. As with many contemporary documentaries, “Meddling” is overproduced, and its use of re-enactments is dopey, but there are so many juicy threads in this tale — romance! violence! patriotism! — and the mini-series does a great job of capturing how much of figure skating is biography not just ability. The first two parts are streaming now, and Parts 3 and 4 arrive on the next two Thursdays.
… about two hours, and I like ensemble mysteries.
‘Anxious People’
When to watch: Now, on Netflix.
A bank robbery goes sideways and turns into a hostage scenario at an open house, but things aren’t quite what they seem in this Swedish comedy (in Swedish, with subtitles, or dubbed). “Anxious People” moves like a contemporary thriller — Are the hostages all keeping a secret from the police? Are they more connected to one another than they’re letting on? What exactly happened in there? And are the cops even trying to solve anything?— but it has a glowing good-naturedness at its center rather than an icy brutality. Despite the title and the setup, this is not an anxiety-producing show; it’s cozy and sweet, and the six easy episodes make for a fully satisfying binge.
