Mel Brooks Passes the Baton to Nick Kroll in History of the World: Part II

Looking for your next binge-watch, or just need to fill an hour? Welcome to Your Weekly Watch List, our curated collection of the best shows on television. Here’s what to watch from Sunday, March 5 through Saturday, March 11.

History of the World, Part II

Monday through Thursday, Hulu

Comedy legend Mel Brooks knows his timing, so if Brooks says that 42 years is the right amount of time to wait for a follow-up to his 1981 faux-historical comedy The History of the World, Part I, then who’s going to argue? Certainly not Nick Kroll, the other driving force behind this Hulu series. The Big Mouth co-creator leads a new troupe of comedy superstars, including co-writers and executive producers Wanda Sykes and Ike Barinholtz, in the era-spanning silliness. The eight-episode sketch series also boasts no-doubt historically inappropriate appearances from the likes of Jack Black, Taika Waititi, Zazie Beetz, Seth Rogen, Danny DeVito, Jason Mantzoukas, Tyler James Williams, Pamela Adlon, J.B. Smoove, and many more hilarious people. Two new episodes drop every day through Thursday.

Perry Mason Season 2 Premiere

Monday, 9:00 PM ET on HBO

Even with reboots and revivals littering the TV landscape, the return of author Earle Stanley Gardner’s venerable defense attorney Perry Mason likely wasn’t tops on anyone’s wish list. Thankfully, the casting of Emmy winner Matthew Rhys (The Americans) ensures HBO’s somber take on 1950s L.A. corruption is more character study than case-of-the-week courtroom drama. While Jarrod Jones was less than impressed with the series’s on-the-nose contemporary parallels, Rhys makes boozy do-gooder Mason’s underdog quest for justice reliably compelling.

Poker Face Season 1 Finale

Thursday, Peacock

With its rumpled Columbo vibe and an irresistibly brassy turn from Natasha Lyonne as human lie detector Charlie Cale, Rian Johnson’s Poker Face has been a star-studded treat. But now, after solving murders everywhere from punk rock clubs to movie studios, Lyonne’s reluctant detective finds her own life hanging in the balance, as Benjamin Bratt’s fixer and Ron Perlman’s vengeful crime boss finally catch up to her. Can Charlie’s unerring ability to spot bullsh*t save her from her past? Poker Face has been renewed for a second season, thankfully, so all signs point to yes.

UnPrisoned

Friday, Hulu (Full Season)

Inspired by the life of creator Tracy McMillan, this half-hour comedy sees relationship therapist Paige (Kerry Washington) adjust to life with her long-absent father (Delroy Lindo), who’s just been released from prison after 17 years. Between the stellar casting of Washington and Lindo and an affectionate but realistic look at the effects of mass incarceration on Black families, UnPrisoned is poised to show off its talented stars’ comic and dramatic chops. The entire season premieres Friday.

Luther: The Fallen Sun

Friday, Netflix

Last we saw Idris Elba’s DCI John Luther, the terminally intense copper was in prison, thanks to the events of the British series’s Season 5 finale. However, that’s not going to stop Luther from breaking out to hunt a nasty serial killer (played by a gloriously coiffed Andy Serkis) in this feature-length continuation that leaves Elba’s character both pursuer and the pursued, with Cynthia Erivo’s by-the-book detective looking to put him back behind bars. With a large budget and some theatrical stunts, Luther: The Fallen Sun might be the closest Idris Elba fans get to that James Bond casting we were all wishing for.

Saturday Night Live

Saturday, 11:30 PM ET/8:30 PM PT on NBC and Peacock

Put a little Wednesday in your Saturday night, as Scream VI star Jenna Ortega hosts the late-night sketch comedy show alongside musical guests The 1975.

If You Have...

An Hour

Rain Dogs: Monday, 10:00 PM ET on HBO
The Winchesters Season 1 Finale: Tuesday, 8:00 PM ET on The CW
Top Chef: World All-Stars (Season 20 Premiere): Thursday, 9:00 PM ET on Bravo

An Evening

School Spirits: Thursday, Paramount+
World Baseball Classic: Great Britain vs. United States: Saturday, 9:00 PM ET on Fox

A Full Day

You Season 4, Part 2: Thursday, Netflix
Outlast Season 1: Friday, Netflix

Up Next

The Last of Us Season 1 Finale: Sunday, March 12, HBO
The 95th Oscars: Sunday, March 12, ABC
Ted Lasso Season 3: Wednesday, Apple TV+
Extrapolations: Friday, March 17, Apple TV+
Swarm: Friday, March 17, Amazon Prime Video

Dennis Perkins is a freelance entertainment writer with bylines at The A.V. Club, Paste, Ultimate Classic Rock, The Portland Press Herald, and elsewhere.