TV

Lovecraft Country

When HBO released Watchmen last year, it was praised for providing an amazing show that touched on Black commentary in compelling fashion. Now, it continues that trend with the Jordan-Peele-produced Lovecraft Country. It incorporates Black people surviving the Jim Crow South with magic and monsters. The show is led by Jonathan Majors (The Last Black Man in San Francisco), my favorite young actor. New episodes premiere on HBO Sundays at 9 p.m., and can thereafter be found via HBO Max. PREACH JACOBS

FOLK

Kathleen Edwards’ Total Freedom

It’s been eight years since Canadian singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards put out a record — in fact, she actually quit music entirely for a while and opened up a coffee shop. But Total Freedom feels right at home in 2020. Edwards got her start in the alt-country niche, but she’s always forged a more singular sound and incisive lyrical style that makes more sense stacked up next to Waxahatchee and Julien Baker than Steve Earle and the Old 97’s. KYLE PETERSEN

FILM

Movies to Make You Laugh

Actor and producer Michael B. Jordan continues to present a series of double bills that celebrate Black cinema. In 1988, Eddie Murphy’s Coming to America was a smash, but despite the inspired pairing of Murphy and Arsenio Hall, this fish-out-of-water story plays like a sappy sitcom. Girls Trip has the distinction of popularizing the sexual technique “grapefruiting,” which indicates the raunchy but extremely funny material featured in this 2017 female-empowerment comedy. The pairing screens for free at The Big Mo drive-in in Monetta. Get tickets and more information at amazonscreenings.com. PAT MORAN

TV

The Great

Hulu’s The Great is a flashily satirical historical dramedy loosely based on the rise of Catherine the Great (played with undeniable panache by the young Elle Fanning) in 19th century Russia. Loaded with raunch and violence and buffeted by inept political buffoonery, the twisted plots matter less than the winning performances from Fanning and a grown-up Nicholas Hoult from About a Boy as Peter the III. KYLE PETERSEN

THEATER

Shedinburgh

“Celebrating and sustaining the Edinburgh Fringe festival — in sheds,” reads Shedinburgh’s website. These plucky Scots present the Fringe stalwarts of theatre, music and comedy, streaming them live until Sept. 5. Standouts include Tim Crouch’s profound drama My Arm, Inua Ellams’ audience-led spoken word performance, Chloe Petts’ acerbic stand-up/talk show mash-up and Sean Mahony’s dark comedic play Back of the Head with a Brick. Donations accepted. Find the offerings at shedinburgh.com. PAT MORAN

SPORTS

NBA Playoffs

I had a little thug tear in my eye when I turned on my television on a random afternoon and got a chance to watch NBA basketball. Known affectionately as “bubble ball” (since COVID forced all these people in the playoffs to chill at Disney World and play at the same facility), the quality hasn’t suffered in the least. Stands are filled with virtual fans, but games are just as compelling, giving us a very needed sense of normal. Games can be found via TNT, NBATV and ESPN services. PREACH JACOBS

AMERICANA

No Contact Concert Series: Cicada Rhythm

In neighboring North Carolina, Codex Sounds shoots virtual shows with a professional lighting rig, concert quality audio and 12 video cameras in their 14,000-square-foot Hickory warehouse. Georgia string duo Cicada Rhythm perform this week, weaving folk, blues and string band jazz into a haunting and wistful brand of Americana. With sawing bass and guitar strings evoking the chatter of twilight insects, the band’s name fits, too. Access starts at $10 through Codex’s Youtube channel. PAT MORAN

MUSIC

Fill the gaps in your music collection

Are you playing a dangerous game of Jenga with your music collection? Are there gaps and holes riddling your foundation of great albums? Do you have Moving Pictures but not Permanent Waves? Is your copy of A Ghost Is Born lonely without its close companion, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot? This is a perfect time to get some of those missing classic albums, either by shopping online or heading out (masked and sanitized and socially distanced, of course) to your local record store. VINCENT HARRIS

COMEDY

Sam Jay’s 3 in the Morning

In all honesty, I’d never heard of comedian Sam Jay before seeing a promo pop up for her comedy special 3 in the Morning on Netflix. Shame on me. I laughed my entire ass off. She’s a black woman talking openly about her life as a lesbian, with a girlfriend that she loves and stubborn resistance to travel. Very rarely do you have a happy surprise when taking a chance on something of which you were unaware, but this was one of those moments. PREACH JACOBS