Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Thursday, November 11. All times are Eastern.
Top picks
Ragdoll (AMC+, 3:01 a.m., series premiere): Ragdoll is catnip for fans of true crime and serial killer mysteries. Based on Daniel Cole’s book of the same name, this thriller serves up a grotesque case. Six people have been killed and dismembered, their body parts sewn together in a gruesome union. DI Emily Baxter (Thalissa Teixiera), DS Nathan Rose (Henry Lloyd-Hughes), and rookie DS Lake Edmonds (Lucy Hale) team up to bring down the killer. Ragdoll isn’t as much about the case as it is about those investigating it. The solid first episode introduces two of the leads: Nathan is a tortured soul with a surprising connection to the murderer, as his name is next on the kill list.
The outing features unexpected revelations about Nathan’s past, with Lloyd-Hughes successfully teetering between unhinged and distressed. Hale makes the move to dark dramas with self-assurance. The pilot’s best setup is the friction between Lake and Nathan, but Teixera’s Emily gets the short shift in the process. The show’s trajectory seems mapped out already, as the killer has six names on the list and Ragdoll season one has six episodes. But Ragdoll stitches up a pretty fascinating story early on, and there’s enough suspense to beckon fans of the genre. [Saloni Gajjar]
The Game (Paramount+, 3:01 a.m.): This reboot/revival from Mara Brock Akil comes back with ten new episodes in Las Vegas rather than San Diego. Tim Daly and Toby Sandeman join the cast, as do Wendy Raquel Robinson (Insecure), Hosea Chanchez (Black Lightning), Adriyan Rae (Chicago Fire). All seasons of The Game’s original run are also on Paramount+.
Wild cards
It’s Veterans Day! François Truffaut said there was no such thing as an anti-war film, but maybe there’s an anti-war TV show in M*A*S*H, which is streaming on Hulu.
If you’re looking more for historical accuracy (which some films love to eschew for glory), then the WWII era, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg-produced Band Of Brothers and The Pacific are on HBO Max.
And finally, there’s Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, set during the Civil War era (steaming on Hulu with a Starz subscription), and Testament Of Youth (streaming on Hulu), based on Vera Brittain’s WWI-set memoir. The latter stars several English stars that are a bit mind-boggling to watch in this context, and Alicia Vikander in one of her best roles.