What's On Tonight (Friday): Nihilistic Superhero Bullshit (No, Not Titans)...

Gen V

I still haven't finished the most recent season of The Boys.  I like the show, but I have the same issue with it that I have with a lot of shows: the bad guys are so nauseatingly terrible that it actually stresses me out to watch (see also: Apple's Bad Sisters).  Usually there's a nice catharsis when the bad guy finally gets their comeuppance, but even when The Boys hands it's protagonists a victory, you know that Homelander isn't going anywhere.  

Gen V is a spin-off of The Boys that covers the first generation of superheroes who know their powers are the result of an injection.  This is basically Sky High but set at a university where everyone is using their powers to do things other than heroics.  It could be fun, but I doubt anyone who isn't already a fan of The Boys will bother with it.  I'll at least check out the first few episodes.

TOP PICK

⭐Gen V (Amazon, 12:01 AM) 'From the world of The Boys comes Gen V, which explores the training of the first generation of superheroes to know about Compound V, and that their powers were injected into them, rather than God-given. These young, competitive heroes put their physical and moral boundaries to the test, competing for the school's highly coveted top ranking. They quickly come to learn that ambition comes with sacrifice, and the difference between right and wrong is not as clear as they once believed.'✔️

Elsewhere...

*This week's low budget, high concept suspense film is Nowhere.  It's about a woman who becomes trapped in a shipping container that gets washed off a cargo ship.  The majority of the film appears to take place in the container and follows the woman as she tries to survive.  Did I mention she's also extremely pregnant?  This one will probably be too intense for me (I am a delicate flower).

*The 30th season of Power Rangers is upon us in the form of Power Rangers: Cosmic Fury.  Lord Zedd is back by popular demand because apparently kids these days are extremely familiar with the original 90's show (Narrator: They are not).  This is actually the second Power Rangers series we've gotten this year after most of the original cast was reunited for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once and Always.  Say what you will about the franchise, but it's impressive that it has managed to keep going for three decades.

*OWN has a new series called Rebuilding Black Wall Street.  I don't know how I feel about this.  On the one hand, I think it's good that the story of Black Wall Street and the bloodshed and destruction continues to stay out there after being swept under the rug for so many years.  On the other, this is basically a home improvement show using the Tulsa Race Massacre as a backdrop.  Maybe there are some things that just shouldn't be made into reality TV shows.  Actually, there are many things.

PREMIERES

Flora and Son

🎥 Flora and Son (Apple, 12:01 AM) 'Single mom Flora is at a loss about what to do with her rebellious teenage son, Max.  Her efforts to keep him out of trouble lead to a beat-up acoustic guitar, a washed-up LA musician, and harmony for this frayed Dublin family.' ✔️

🎥 The Meg 2: The Trench(Max, 3:01 AM) STREAMING PREMIERE. 'A research team on an exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean spirals into chaos when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival. Pitted against colossal Megs and relentless environmental plunderers, our heroes must outrun, outsmart, and outswim their merciless predators in a pulse-pounding race against time.'✔️

🔔 Choona (Netflix, 3:01 AM) SEASON ONE. 'When an unlikely group of misfits discovers a common enemy in the same ruthless yet superstitious politician, they plot a heist to exact revenge.' ✔️

🎥 Do Not Disturb (Netflix, 3:01 AM) 'A middle-aged man emerges from a pandemic slump with a new job at a quiet hotel, until some eccentric guests turn his first night into a wild adventure.'

🎥 Nowhere(Netflix, 3:01 AM) 'Pregnant, alone and drifting in the sea, a woman trapped in a shipping container tries to survive after fleeing a devastated totalitarian country.' ✔️

🔔 Power Rangers: Cosmic Fury(Netflix, 3:01 AM) SEASON ONE / SEASON THIRTY 'When Lord Zed returns more powerful than ever, Team Cosmic Fury tales to the cosmos to battle the emperor of evil - and save the universe as we know it.' ✔️

🎥 Nightmare (Shudder, 3:01 AM) 'Mona and Robby have scored an amazing deal on a spacious, if run-down, flat. Never mind that it requires quite a bit of renovation. Never mind the neighbors’ constant fighting, and screaming baby... Never mind that Mona is suddenly plagued by night terrors which grow more intense every time she falls asleep…  Eventually, Mona’s issues spiral dangerously out of control as she becomes convinced that she is being attacked by a mythical demon intent on possessing her unborn child.'

🎥 Mystery Island (Hallmark, 9:00 PM) 'London Police psychiatrist Dr. Emilia Priestly needs to take a relaxing break from her stressful job, so her wealthy friend invites her to Mystery Island, an immersive murder-mystery-themed resort hosting a special retreat for the original investors. As the mystery game begins, tragedy strikes when the resort’s reclusive founder is murdered. Emilia “partners” with local detective Jason Trent to investigate.'

🔨 Rebuilding Black Wall Street (OWN, 9:00 PM) SERIES PREMIERE. 'Tulsa's Greenwood District, better known as Black Wall Street, where Black business leaders, homeowners and civic leaders thrived. On May 31, 1921, and into the next day, a mob destroyed that district in what has been called the single most horrific incident of racial terrorism since slavery. An estimated 300 people were killed, more than 1,200 homes destroyed, and at least 60 businesses and community buildings burned to the ground. Today, the Greenwood District is a community rebuilding, a journey of strength and joy examined in this unique uplifting renovation docuseries.' ✔️

💀 Murder in the 21st (A&E, 10:01 PM) SERIES PREMIERE. 'A new true-crime series exploring some of this century's most notorious homicide investigations through a deep dive of each victim's digital footprint. Analyzing social media posts, texts, emails and podcasts alongside authentic archival materials and police records, Murder in the 21st provides access to each case as investigators uncover motive, means and opportunity.'

Nowhere

RETURNING SHOWS

🐔 Interrupting Chicken (Apple, 12:01 AM) SEASON TWO.

🔔 Launchpad (Disney+, 3:01 AM) SEASON TWO.

🔔 Marvel Studios Legends (Disney+, 3:01 AM) "Variants" / "TVA"

🔔 Who's Talking to Chris Wallace (Max, 3:01 AM) SEASON FIVE PREMIERE.

👸 The 72nd Annual Miss USA Pageant (CW, 8:00 PM) SPECIAL PRESENTATION.

💰 Gold Rush (Discovery, 8:00 PM) SEASON FOURTEEN PREMIERE.

💀 Dateline NBC (NBC, 9:00 PM) SEASON THIRTY-TWO PREMIERE.

🔔 The Hispanic Heritage Awards (PBS, 9:00 PM) SPECIAL PRESENTATION.

💀 Killer Cases (A&E 9:00 PM) SEASON FOUR PREMIERE.

🔔 20/20 (ABC, 9:01 PM) SEASON FORTY-SIX PREMIERE.

🔔 The New York Times Presents (FX, 10:00 PM) SEASON THREE PREMIERE.

🔔 Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO, 10:00 PM) 

💀 Murder in the 21st (A&E, 10:01 PM) SERIES PREMIERE.

Power Rangers: Cosmic Fury

STREAMING

🧙‍♀️The Wheel of Time (Amazon, 12:01 AM) 

🔔 The Changeling (Apple, 12:01 AM) "Aftermath" 

🔔 Still Up (Apple, 12:01 AM) "The Sleep Clinic" 

⚖ Tribunal Justice (Freevee, 12:01 AM) 

🔔 Aakhri Sach (Hulu, 12:01 AM) 

🔔 Design Defined (Discovery+, 3:01 AM) 

🔔 The Continental: From the World of John Wick (Peacock, 3:01 AM) 

LIVE SPORTSBALL TODAY/TONIGHT

🏌️‍♀️ LPGA Tour Golf: Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, First Round (Golf, 2:00 PM)

🏈 College Football: Louisville at NC State (ESPN, 7:00 PM) 

🏈 College Football: Columbia at Princeton (ESPNU, 7:00 PM) 

🏀 WNBA Basketball: Semifinals: New York Liberty at Connecticut Sun (ESPN2, 7:30 PM)

🥊 One Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham (Amazon, 8:00 PM)

🏈 College Football: Louisiana Tech at Texas-El Paso (CBSSN, 9:00 PM) 

🏀 WNBA Basketball: Semifinals: Las Vegas Aces at Dallas Wings (ESPN2, 7:30 PM)

🏐 Women's College Volleyball: Hawaii at Long Beach State (ESPNU, 10:00 PM)

🏈 College Football: Cincinnati at BYU (ESPN, 10:15 PM) 

Choona

🕗 EARLY PRIMETIME 🕖

💲 Switch (GSN, 7:00 PM) "I Still Got It Goin' On"

🕗 8:00 EASTERN / 🕖 7:00 CENTRAL

🦈 Shark Tank (ABC, 8:00 PM) 'Products include a low-calorie chocolate, a wine to pair with pizza, a medical eye patch for children and an herbal soap for eczema.'

🔨 Secret Celebrity Renovation (CBS, 8:00 PM) SEASON FINALE. 'Singer-songwriter Elle King returns to her roots to surprise her "Pawpaw," who has always been her biggest fan, with a transformation of the Wellston, Ohio, home he has lived in for nearly 50 years.'

🔔 Power Book IV: Force (Starz, 8:00 PM) 'Heightened police presence threatens Tommy and Diamond's bottom line, and they form a coalition with a rival gang; Jenard hits rock bottom, and the Flynn family loyalties are tested with devastating results.'

👸 The 72nd Annual Miss USA Pageant (CW, 8:00 PM) 
🤼‍♂️ WWE's Friday Night Smackdown (Fox, 8:00 PM) 
💰 Gold Rush (Discovery, 8:00 PM) 
🔔 Kiff (Disney Channel / Disney XD, 8:00 PM) 
🚗 Engine Masters (Motortrend, 8:00 PM) 
🔔 Ridiculousness (MTV, 8:00 PM) 
💖 Ready to Love (OWN, 8:00 PM) 
👮‍♂️ On Patrol: First Shift (Reelz, 8:00 PM) 
⚖ Deadlocked: How America Shapes the Supreme Court (Showtime, 8:00 PM) 
🔔 Hailey's On It! (Disney Channel / Disney XD, 8:30 PM)  

🕗 9:00 EASTERN / 🕖 8:00 CENTRAL

🍴 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives (Food, 9:00 PM) 'Guy Fieri explores a what's what of culinary skills. First up in Orlando, FL, Guy's checking in on an Italian joint rollin' chicken marsala meatballs. Then, he's smokin' rib tips in Denver and going wild with grilled cheese in Charlotte, NC.'

🔨 Rebuilding Black Wall Street (OWN, 9:00 PM) 'Tulsa Race Massacre descendant Montika Collins hopes to create North Tulsa's only natural birthing center and return the tradition of midwifery to the Greenwood District; designers Jon Pierre and Mary Tjon-Joe-Pin dive in to help.'

💀 Dateline NBC (NBC, 9:00 PM) 
🔔 The Hispanic Heritage Awards (PBS, 9:00 PM) 
💀 Killer Cases (A&E 9:00 PM) 
🔔 Villains of Valley View (Disney Channel, 9:00 PM) 
🏠 My Lottery Dream Home (HGTV, 9:00 PM) 
🎥 Mystery Island (HMC, 9:00 PM) 
🔨 Beachfront Bargain Hunt Renovation (Magnolia, 9:00 PM) 
🚗 Hot Rod Garage (Motortrend, 9:00 PM) 
🔔 Ridiculousness (MTV, 9:00 PM) 
💀 The Real Murders of Atlanta (Oxygen, 9:00 PM) 
👮‍♂️ On Patrol: Live (Reelz, 9:00 PM) 
💖 Love After Lockup (WE, 9:00 PM) 
🔔 20/20 (ABC, 9:01 PM) 
🔔 Bunk'd: Learning the Ropes (Disney Channel, 9:30 PM) 

Rebuilding Black Wall Street

🕗 10:00 EASTERN / 🕖 9:00 CENTRAL

🎭 American Masters (PBS, 10:00 PM) 'A unique view of the life and legacy of Cesar Chavez and the farmworker movement as well as other facets of his life from childhood to his final days.'

🔔 The New York Times Presents (FX, 10:00 PM) 'Decades of waning cultural credibility and recent scandals have left the Miss USA pageant in chaos; exploring allegations that rotted the core of an iconic institution and questioning if it has outlived its relevance.' 

🤼‍♂️ All Elite Wrestling: Rampage (TNT, 10:00 PM) 
💀 Murder in the 21st (A&E, 10:01 PM) 
💰 Gold Rush: The Dirt (Discovery Channel, 10:01 PM) 

LATE NIGHT

🔔 Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC, 11:35 PM) 'Actress Amy Poehler; author David Sedaris; SuperM performs.'

🔔 Late Night with Seth Myers (NBC, 12:37 PM) 'Actor Nathan Lane; Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.); a performance from the cast of "& Juliet"; Anup Sastry sits in with the 8G Band.'

🤼‍♂️ All Elite Wrestling: Rampage (TNT, 11:00 PM) 
💰 Outback Opal Hunters (Discovery, 11:08 PM) SEASON FINALE.
🔔 The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (NBC, 11:34 PM) 
🔔 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS, 11:35 PM) 
🔔 Nightline (ABC, 12:37 AM)
🔔 The Late Late Show with James Corden (CBS, 12:37 AM) 

📺Broadcast/Cable/Satellite - RETRO BINGE📺

The Andy Griffith Show (Sundance, 6:00 AM - 12:00 PM); Quantum Leap (Syfy, 6:00 AM - 10:00 AM); Law & Order (Pop, 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM); Futurama (Comedy Central, 7:00 AM - 9:00 AM); M*A*S*H* (TVLand, 8:30 AM - 11:00 AM); Roseanne (CMT, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM); Parks and Recreation (Comedy Central, 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM); Living Single (TVOne, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM); Hawaii Five-0 (Ion, 10:00 AM - 2:00 AM); Gunsmoke (TVLand, 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM); Seinfeld (Comedy Central, 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM) - The Andy Griffith Show (TVLand, 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM); Family Ties (Antenna, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM); One Day at a Time (Antenna, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM); The Office (Comedy Central, 6:00 PM - 11:30 PM); Three's Company (Antenna, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM); Everybody Loves Raymond (TVLand, 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM); The Jeffersons (Antenna, 8:00 PM -9:00 PM); Barney Miller (Antennae, 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM); King of Queens (TVLand, 11:00 PM - 2:00 AM); Designing Women (Antenna, 11:30 PM); Becker (Antenna, 12:00 AM - 1:00 AM); Wings (Antennae, 1:00 AM - 2:00 AM); Alice (Antenna, 2:00 AM - 3:00 AM); Mom (TVLand, 2:00 AM - 3:36 AM); Benson (Antenna, 3:00 AM - 4:00 AM)

📺 Johnny Carson (Antenna, 10:00 PM) 'Filmmaker Orson Welles; actor Orson Bean; actress Carol Lawrence; actress Kay Lenz.'

The Meg 2: The Trench

Key Sources: The Futon Critic; Zap2it; Netflix; Wikipedia; Horrornews.net; Sysfy.com; hollywoodreporter.com

⭐: Top Pick
💲: Game show
🎥: Movie
📺: Throwback
✔️: Video/gif/photo included