Sterling K. Brown in ‘Washington Black,' LL Cool J hosts a docuseries, and the return of ‘Happy Gilmore'

Boston Globe

21-07-2025

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From left: Brittany Snow and Malin Akerman in "The Hunting Wives."
Kent Smith
'The Hunting Wives,'
Monday on Netflix: The wave of female-driven psychological thrillers a la '
'Hip Hop Was Born Here,'
Tuesday on Paramount+: 'NCIS: Los Angeles' cast member, rapper, and Grammy-winner LL Cool J hosts the original five-part docuseries about hip-hop's history, its music, and culture. The New Yorker, born James Todd Smith, sets the genre's birthplace squarely in New York City. After joining Def Jam Records, he got his bona fides by creating 10 consecutive platinum-selling albums. Interviewing legends Method Man, Big Daddy Kane, Remy Ma, and Jadakiss, among many others, the host uses an anecdotal approach to access the roots of the multi-generational movement.
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'Match Game,'
Tuesday on ABC at 9 p.m. then streaming on Hulu: The game show reboot and resurgence continues with can't-stop-won't-stop 'Only Murders in the Building' star Martin Short as host. Not much has changed except that the purse is larger, and the boundaries of acceptable TV speech have been expanded. 'Match Game,' which first aired in 1962 with Gene Rayburn as host and Johnny Olson as announcer, premiered in black and white. Short will lead a gaudier weekly version. At stake is $25,000 as four contestants battle to 'match' the answers of six celebrities with fill-in-the-blank questions straight off a naughty SAT cheat sheet.
'Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time,'
Friday on National Geographic: With raging storms and flash floods in Texas, North Carolina, and New Jersey, the lessons of Louisiana's 2005 Hurricane Katrina still resonate. Armed with two decades of hindsight, the docuseries, directed by Oscar nominee Traci A. Curry, delivers a play-by-play of that catastrophic event, debunking myths, examining political and social repercussions, and offering insights to fuel future preparedness.
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Thelma Adams is a cultural critic and the author of the best-selling historical novel 'The Last Woman Standing,' about Josephine Marcus, the Jewish wife of Wyatt Earp.