This weekend I have… half an hour, and I like to sketch.
‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’
When to watch: Friday at 11 p.m., on HBO.
Season 3 of “A Black Lady Sketch Show” debuts this weekend, and it’s just as silly and lavishly imagined as ever. The premiere features funny cameos, a potential love interest for recurring character Dr. Hadassah Olayinka Ali-Youngman and a riff on “Hidden Figures” (with Ashley Nicole Black above, a lead). Many contemporary sketches are synonymous with shaggy slap-dashedness, but “A Black Lady Sketch Show” has a more lavish and realized aesthetic, making the segments dreamy and robust. If you liked “Baroness von Sketch Show”, give this a try.
… half an hour, and I look to the future.
“Would I lie to you?”
When to watch: Saturday at 8:30 p.m., on the CW.
Primetime Saturday nights on Network TV are largely a desolate wasteland of reruns and news magazine shows, which is our first sign that “Would I Lie To You?” presented by Aasif Mandvi (right),… oh, let’s say space to increase. The series is based on my favorite British panel show, in which teams of comedians read outrageous facts about themselves and the other team has to figure out whether the claim is true or false – think ‘two truths and one lie’ zhuzhed-up. In the three episodes made available for review, this edit doesn’t capture the energy or playfulness of the original. But I believe in the potential and in the general feasibility of adapting more panel shows, so I will continue to watch with hope in my heart.
… a few hours, and baseball is back.
‘Captain Ahab: The Story of Dave Stieb’
When to watch: Now on YouTube.
Secret Base’s latest documentary series, which brought us such treasures as “A History of the Seattle Mariners” and “The Bob Emergency,” follows the career of Dave Stieb (right), who mainly pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1980s and the 90’s. But this isn’t standard, staid hagiography — it’s a whimsical and discursive look at statistics, passion, fandom, culture in general, and baseball culture in particular. “Ahab” combines analytical integrity and data visualization with goofball humor and an overall sense of fun. Three episodes are now available and a fourth is on the way.
