There has never been a better moment to get your tissues ready, because tonight, This Is Us airs its series finale, bringing us to the end of the Pearson family saga for good. In the immortal words of Ariana Grande, you’ll have no tears left to cry after this episode ends. How are you ever going to emotionally recover from that? Well, you can always look forward to later in the week, when stranger things returns for its extremely long-awaited fourth season, and Ewan McGregor returns to starwars in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Our list of editors’ picks for the week of May 24-30 is below, but if that’s not enough and you’re looking for even more hand-picked recommendations, sign up for our free, spam-free Watch This Now newsletter that delivers the best TV show picks straight to your inbox. You can also look at our massive collection of recommendations, as well as our list of suggestions for what to watch next based on shows you already like.
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THE BEST SHOW TO WATCH TONIGHT
Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia, This Is Us
Ron Batzdorff/NBC
This Is Us
Series finale Tuesday, May 24 at 9/8c on NBC
THIS IS IT, This Is Us! The Pearsons are pears-done. This WAS Us. What started as a family drama about people who share the same birthday (remember that?) is ending its wildly successful six-season run as one of NBC’s most popular dramas ever. As usual, the episode description is uninformative: “The Big Three come to new understandings about life.” But you know what that really means: Prepare to cry. –Tim Surette
More highlights tonight:
- Young Rock Season 2 finale (8:30/7:30c on NBC)
- FBI: Most Wanted Season 3 finale (10/9c on CBS)
For everything new to watch tonight, head over to our listings page.
THE BEST SHOWS AND MOVIES TO WATCH THIS WEEK
Phil Rosenthal, Somebody Feed Phil
Netflix
Somebody Feed Phil
Season 5 premieres Wednesday, May 25 on Netflix
Somebody is once again feeding Phil. In Season 5 of the Netflix charmer, Everybody Loves Raymond creator Phil Rosenthal travels to Oaxaca, Mexico; Maine; Helsinki, Finland; Portland, Ore.; and Madrid, Spain, to eat good food and meet cool people around the world. And he’s doing it all on Netflix’s tell me. Finally, a non-controversial Netflix expense. –Kelly Connolly
XXXTentacion, Look at Me: XXXTentacion
Hulu
Look at Me: XXXTentacion
Thursday, May 26 on Hulu
Documentaries about deceased celebrities are always dicey territory, made even dicey when the subject is someone as polarizing as XXXTentacion. Before his murder of him in 2018, the young rapper, real name Jahseh Onfroy, gained a cult following throughout his short career as he wrote about struggling with mental illness. His legacy of him is also inextricably linked with his legal issues and history of violence, most notably his 2016 arrest for brutally abusing his girlfriend of him, Geneva Ayala. look at me gives Ayala the space to speak for herself about their relationship and the intense backlash she faced from his fan base, while also featuring interviews with his family, collaborators, and XXXTentacion himself. No one would blame you for wanting to avoid anything related to such a controversial figure, but directed by Sabaah Folayan, this film doesn’t seem like the average posthumous canonization. –Allison Picuro [Trailer]
Ewan McGregor, Obi-Wan Kenobi
Disney+/2022 Lucasfilm Ltd.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Limited series premieres Friday, May 27 on Disney+
Ewan McGregor has been keeping his Jedi skills fresh by using the Force to open automatic doors, practice that will finally pay off when he gets his lightsaber back in his new Disney+ limited series. Obi-Wan Kenobi picks up with the Jedi master 10 years after the events of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, and it also marks the return of Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker. Defenders of the prequels, this is your time to shine. Here’s everything we know about the series. –Kelly Connolly [Trailer]
David Harbor and Tom Wlaschiha, stranger things
Netflix
Stranger Things 4
Season 4 premieres Friday, May 27 on Netflix
The beloved sci-fi adventure series is finally back for its fourth season after an endless three-year break. It’s Netflix’s TV event of the year. It might single-handedly revive the steamer’s stock price. There’s a lot riding on this season, and if the trailer is to be believed, the Duffer Brothers & Co. are going to deliver. The kids face a new threat from the Upside Down, while Hopper (David Harbour) fights to survive in a Soviet prison camp. The first seven episodes drop on Friday, with the final two coming July 1. –Liam Mathews [Trailer | Review]
shoresy
Hulu
shoresy
Series premieres Friday, May 27 on Hulu
This spin-off of Canadian comedy Letterkenny Gives more screen time to one of the show’s most popular characters, hockey bro and insult dispenser Shoresy. And when I say more screen time, I mean it; we’ll actually see the normally hidden Shoresy’s face. And you know what? He looks an awful lot like Letterkenny creator Jared Keeso. Letterkenny‘s been quality for years, so there’s no reason to think this won’t be good, too. Give your balls a tug and tell your mom to check it out. -Tim Surette [Trailer]
Sam Bloch and Jose Andres, We Feed People
National Geographic/Sebastian Lindstrom
We Feed People
Friday, May 27 on Disney+
Ron Howard directs this National Geographic documentary about Jose Andres, Michelin-starred chef and founder of the World Central Kitchen, an NGO that provides meals to people affected by natural disasters. Andres is an inspiring figure, and this moving documentary shows the work that goes into organizing large-scale food preparation and delivery operations in disaster areas. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]
James Spader and Fisher Stevens, The Blacklist
Zach Dilgard/NBC
The Blacklist
Season 9 finale Friday at 8/7c on NBC
One of broadcast’s longest-running dramas ends its ninth season with criminal mastermind Red Reddington (James Spader) facing off against Marvin Gerard (Fisher Stevens), his attorney who betrayed him. Red can’t have Gerard as an enemy, because he could bring down Red’s whole criminal empire if he starts running his mouth to the right people. Plus, Gerard was involved with the death of Liz Keen (Megan Boone), so he’s gotta go. We’ll be seeing Red at his most vengeful of him. -Liam Mathews
Norm MacDonald
Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special
Monday, May 30 on Netflix
Before his death last year, Norm Macdonald made a one-hour stand-up special in secret, which he intended to be released after he passed. This is that special. Macdonald, who had privately been living with cancer since 2012, recorded Nothing Special in his living room without a live audience, and it will be released alongside a bonus featurette filled with interviews from Dave Chappelle, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Adam Sandler, Molly Shannon, and David Spade discussing their experiences with him. More than anything, it feels right that Macdonald got to craft his own send-off, especially considering how shocking news of his death he was to so many people. –Allison Picuro
RECENTLY RELEASED
prehistoric planet
AppleTV+
prehistoric planet
Now on Apple TV+
The biggest stars of summer 2022 are dinosaurs. We still have a few weeks before the release of Jurassic World Dominionbut prehistoric planet is here to hold you over in the meantime. Narrated, of course, by David Attenborough, this five-part nature documentary goes back millions of years to show us what the earth was like when dinosaurs, recreated using some super impressive-looking CGI, were roaming around. Apple TV+ is giving it the event treatment, premiering new episodes over five successive days. –Allison Picuro [Trailer]
Rhea Seehorn and Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television
Better Call Saul
Midseason finale now on AMC+
Better Call Saul‘s last hurrah is being split up into two parts, which on one hand means we get to hold on for a little longer, but on the other hand also means that you can bet the wait between its midseason finale and the second half of the season is going to be excruciating. As we inch closer to the breaking bad timeline, some major questions still have to be answered: What’s going to happen to Jimmy/Saul/Gene (Bob Odenkirk)? What will become of characters like Kim (Rhea Seehorn), Lalo (Tony Dalton), and Howard (Patrick Fabian)? And how will those already announced Walter (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse (Aaron Paul) cameos factor in? As usual, I’m excited and terrified to find out. The series will return with its final six episodes in July. –Allison Picuro
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