Perfect lives, perfect lies: Big Little Lies
HBO
An all-star cast comes together for HBO’s newest melodrama Big Little Lies. Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern and Shailene Woodley all play moms to first-graders in the affluent seaside town of Monterey, Calif. Woodley’s Jane is the single newcomer whose son, Ziggy, is accused of bullying Renata’s (Dern) daughter the first day of school. Witherspoon plays Madeline, a helicopter mom who struggles with her teenage daughter’s seemingly better relationship with her father and stepmom. And Kidman is the beautiful, icy Celeste, who gave up her law career to be a mom to twin boys and housewife to the oppressive Perry (Alexander Skarsgard). Though this limited series based on the bestselling novel by Liane Moriarty often takes itself too seriously, it has plenty of juicy gossip and schoolyard scandal revolving around a murder at parents’ night. 9 p.m. Sunday, HBO
Review: Alpha moms fight dirty in devilishly good ‘Big Little Lies’
Jungle Boogie: Planet Earth II
One of the most-watched documentary series of all time is back for a second round with more incredible iguana escapes and grizzly bear antics set to Kool and the Gang’s Jungle Boogie. The six-episode series Planet Earth II already premiered in the U.K. with episodes on "Islands," "Mountains," "Jungles," "Deserts," "Grasslands" and even "Cities." Ten years ago, Planet Earth stunned with breathtaking landscapes and up close and personal shots of wildlife. BBC America revealed the second installment was three years in the making, covering 40 countries with 117 filming trips and 2,089 shooting days. Let the soothing voice of Sir David Attenborough take you away to remote islands full of adorable sloths and to the tops of mountains where few species have what it takes to survive. 9 p.m. Saturday, BBC America
Lifetime
Oops . . . They did it again: Britney Ever After
This Lifetime biopic of a pop music queen is sure to be so, so bad but so, so good. Britney Ever After follows the turbulent life of Britney Spears, starting with her rise to fame as a teenager and moving onto her fall from grace and eventual triumphant return to pop music. Through nine albums, five Grammys and a series of high-profile marriages, Spears cemented herself as one of the world’s greatest entertainers. Natasha Bassett, right, (Hail, Caesar!) has the gargantuan task of embodying one the most famous pop stars in a movie that climaxes with Spears’ infamous 2007 head-shaving meltdown. Don’t worry, Britney Ever After also takes on her relationship with Justin Timberlake (Nathan Keyes) and marriage to Kevin Federline (Clayton Chitty). 8 p.m. Saturday, Lifetime
Oh, Mother: Bates Motel
The fifth and final season of the Psycho prequel begins Monday. Bates Motel follows Norman and Norma Bates before the events of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film but in a more contemporary setting. Freddie Highmore plays a teenage Norman, who moves to Oregon with his mother (Vera Farmiga) after the mysterious and sudden death of his father. The show explores the increasingly inappropriate and volatile relationship of Norman and Norma and shows his slow psychological breakdown. The fifth season begins two years after Norma’s death with Norman now publicly happy yet still suffering from blackouts and his "Mother" alter ego looming. A half-hour recap of Season 4 airs at 9:30 with the premiere of Season 5 at 10 p.m. Monday on A&E.
Spinoff:The Good Fight
The 10-episode series The Good Fight starts a year after The Good Wife finale when a massive financial scam destroys the reputation of young lawyer Maia (Rose Leslie) and wipes out Diane Lockhart’s (Christine Baranski) savings. The two are forced out of the excessively named Lockhart, Decker, Gussman, Lee, Lyman, Gilbert-Lurie, Kagan, Tannebaum & Associates. Maia and her mentor Lockhart then move to Lucca Quin’s firm, one of Chicago’s most distinguished law firms. The Good Fight also sees the return of Sarah Steele as Marissa Gold. 8 p.m. Sunday, CBS (subsequent episodes exclusively stream on CBS All Access)
Upcoming streaming releases
Friday: Chef’s Table, Season 3 (Netflix)
Saturday: The Boondocks, the complete series (Hulu)
Sunday: Girl Meets World, Season 3 (Netflix)
Tuesday: The Tunnel, Season 1 (Amazon)
Contact Chelsea Tatham at ctatham@tampabay.com. Follow @chelseatatham.
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