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Did 'House of the Dragon' finally find its voice? Plus more TV recs

A back drop with the images from HBO series "House of the Dragon" that is black, and various colors of gold. An image of a dragon with pinkish red eyes stares.
The World premiere of HBO original drama series "House of the Dragon" at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.
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CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images
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Each week, some of the best TV critics in the game join AirTalk, LAist 89.3's daily news program, to share TV recommendations. Dominic Patten, executive editor for Deadline, and Marcus Jones, awards editor for TV & Film at IndieWire, joined to discuss the House of the Dragon season finale episode, and they share the docuseries they're watching right now.

House of the Dragon

Season 2, Episode 8 aired this past weekend, and it wasn't necessarily the explosive finale many Game of Thrones fans have come to know and love. But a path for Season 3 has certainly been set.

"There were some who doubted that it could actually meet the standards set by Game of Thrones," said Patten. "This finale really pushed it up there. I often think that in this era we live in, we don't give patience enough to some shows."

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Where to watch: Season 1 and 2 are available now on Max.

Hollywood Black

From the director of Dear White People and The Haunted Mansion remake, the four-part documentary series chronicles the history of the Black experience in Hollywood and features prominent voices like Forest Whitaker, Issa Rae, Ava DuVernay, Omar Epps, LaKeith Stanfield and more.

“It emphasizes how Black people have actually been a part of cinema from the beginning and adds this real context,” Jones said.

Where to watch: Episodes premiere on Sunday, Aug. 11, on MGM+, which offers a free week-long trial if you don't already have access to the network through a cable subscription.

Kennedy, Sinatra, and the Mafia

The details are in the title. JFK, Frank Sinatra, and the mob. The two-part docuseries looks at the connections between those three entities, especially during and after the 1960 election.

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A black and white photo of two men smiling in suits and standing in the grass in front of a building.
Singer Frank Sinatra with former U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
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“It really looks at the transactional realities of America, certainly during that period of the post war era, specifically how the mafia helps JFK get elected mainly through these connections with his father... and how Frank Sinatra's career rose through the mafia,” Patten said.

Where to watch: Episodes are available on Sundance Now, which offers a free week-long trial.

Listen for more

Listen 15:42
TV-Talk: 'Love Island,' House of the Dragon' season finale and more

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