What To Watch This Weekend: 'Invincible' Season 2, 'Bodies' & 'Lawmen: Bass Reeves'

Given that we live in an age that hits you with so many shows, it’s nice to have a premise that offers something fresh.

You don’t get that often, which is unfortunate, but on some level understandable since folks like familiar subject matter. But in case you’re feeling a need for change… where’s the best place to start?

On LAist 89.3’s "AirTalk," we're joined by television critics each week to give you a rundown of shows that are fresh out of the oven. I’ll also give you some added insight into shows we’ve talked about to get you as prepped as possible when you grab your remote.

This week, we got some shows that our TV critics and I think have fresh enough takes on preexisting stories to make for interesting watches this weekend.

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This week, AirTalk’s Larry Mantle talked about the latest on television and streaming with Eric Deggans, television critic for NPR, and Liz Shannon Miller, senior entertainment editor for Consequence.

Today’s news/shows include:

• News: Matthew Perry passed away at 54
• News: Disney looks to acquire a majority stake in Hulu
• News: HBO executive uses burner accounts to troll TV critics
• Invincible [Season 2] (Amazon Prime Video)
• Bodies (Netflix)
• Lawmen: Bass Reeves (Paramount+)
• Black Cake (Hulu)

Invincible [Season 2]

Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

First Impression: Follows teen Mark Grayson, whose father is the most powerful superhero on the planet. Once Mark gets his powers in Season 1, he soon finds out greater truths about his father. Season 2 finds him reeling off the last season's trials and tribulations as new threats come his way.

Lasting Impression: I think what makes the story so unique is that it takes the serious “what if” scenarios that Amazon Prime's The Boys franchise has been lauded for, but it gives it a personal lens of a dynamic between a son and his father. It's not as simple as that, but it brings together these kinds of elements that can feel a bit jarring, along with a sense of realism that you wouldn’t expect to find from a supernatural story,

The show is animated, but I don't think it's off-putting for those of you who might not be the biggest fans of adult animation — if anything I think it adds to the series for many adults who may want to pick this show up.

Who's behind it: The show’s creator is Robert Kirkman, who many folks are probably familiar with since he was also one of the folks behind The Walking Dead comic book series and recently wrote the screenplay for the film Renfield.

When and where: Episode 1 is out now on Amazon Prime Video.

Bodies

Bodies

Streaming on Netflix

First impression: A show based on the DC graphic novel of the same name by Si Spencer — it follows detectives from different decades piecing together a crime that crosses timelines.

Lasting Impression: This is a story that has a lot of moving parts but isn’t necessarily convoluted. You’re getting an inter-dimensional crime thriller that doesn’t feel like an exhaustive rip-off of multiverse stories you’ve seen. There’s a connection that they all share in that not only are they trying to solve the same murder, but detectives in this process are disseminating information to one another through different time periods. Will they all get to solve the mystery? You’re going to have to watch and find out.

Who's behind it: The creator of the show is Paul Tomalin, whose credits include writing episodes of the crime drama No Offence and he also wrote an episode for the UK series, Shameless.

When and where: All 8 episodes are now streaming on Netflix.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves

Streaming on Paramount+

First Impression: A new Western anthology series, this season centers on the true story of Bass Reaves, a former enslaved man who takes up being a member of American law enforcement. See the journey of one of the first Black deputy U.S. marshals grow in name recognition for his work on the field.

Lasting Impression: I must admit in learning about this show, my interest piqued more than most other programs produced by Taylor Sheridan. He has, of course, had great success through his series Yellowstone on CBS, and the spinoff series 1883 on Paramount+, but I’ve found it difficult to get up for these stories given that there are so many other Western-themed projects that once saturated film and television in decades past.

There have been some bright spots, like the "Red Dead Redemption" video game franchise from publisher Rockstar Games (best known for the Grand Theft Auto franchise) and Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained come to mind, but I think the story of Bass Reeves is so rich that I’d be willing to commit multiple hours of viewing to it. Getting to see some cool Western action, with an understanding that there’s a team looking to tell an oft-neglected story, feels special to me and more of an event than other programs you’ll find on streaming services.

Who's behind it: The show’s creator is Chad Feehan, whose credits have been mainly as a writer, having assisted with the 4th installment of the Paranormal Activity film franchise and also writing 9 episodes for the award-winning series Ray Donovan.

When and where: Episodes 1 & 2 will premiere on Sunday, Nov. 5.