July 23 – July 29: Crave Weekly Programming Overview

Crave continues to deliver weekly alerts highlighting new and noteworthy programming and scheduling changes for the week ahead.   Highlights This Week  

• It’s Christmas in July! The romantic comedy LAST CHRISTMAS begins streaming on Friday, July 24. The film follows Kate (Emilia Clarke, GAME OF THRONES) a young woman subscribed to bad decisions. Working as an elf in a year round Christmas store is not good for the wannabe singer; however, she meets Tom (Henry Golding) there. Her life takes a new turn and for Kate, it seems too good to be true. Paul Feig’s romantic comedy also stars Emma Thompson (LOVE ACTUALLY), and Michelle Yeoh (CRAZY RICH ASIANS).

 

• Winner of Best Screenplay and the Queer Palm awards at Cannes 2019, PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE begins streaming on Friday, July 24. The film takes place on an isolated island in Brittany, France at the end of the 18^th A young painter, Marianne (NOÉMIE MERLANT), is commissioned to do the wedding portrait of Héloïse (ADÈLE HAENEL), without her knowing. Therefore, Marianne must observe her model by day to paint her portrait at night. Day by day, the two women become closer as they share Héloïse’s last moments of freedom before the impending wedding.

 

• An all-new episode of CANADA’S DRAG RACE drops on Thursday, July 23 at 9 p.m. ET. This week, the Queens turn trash into treasure in an eco-inspired design challenge. Canadians fashion designer and winner of PROJECT RUNWAY CANADA, Evan Biddell, joins judges Brooke Lynn Hytes, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, and Stacey McKenzie as this week’s special guest host.

 

• The season four premiere of HBO’s comedy series, ROOM 104 debuts on Friday, July 24 at 11 p.m. ET. The late-night, half-hour anthology comedy series created by Mark and Jay Duplass (HBO’s ANIMALS and TOGETHERNESS), returns with 12 new episodes, each telling a unique and unexpected tale of the characters who pass through a single room of a typical American chain motel. While the setting stays the same, every episode of the series features a different story, with the tone, plot, characters, and even the time period changing with each installment.

What Critics Are Saying about Crave’s EXPECTING AMY: “Not your average celeb vanity project.” “Think of Expecting Amy as Schumer’s Madonna: Truth or Dare or Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé, sans the chiaroscuro pretensions of both.” – Robyn Bahr, The Hollywood Reporter “‘Expecting Amy’ Should Be Required Viewing in All Health Classes” “…If you haven’t watched all three hour-long parts of the new docuseries Expecting Amy on HBO Max, please go do it now. Not only is it honest and real and heartwarming, it’s also required viewing. Or at least it should be, for all high school students in their health classes.” – Lea Palmieri, Decider “Both nothing and everything like what I was expecting” “…[Expecting Amy] is, in the best way reality TV can be, an unfiltered look into the day-to-day personality of a star outside of controlled environments like talk-show couches and red carpets. That is to say that on top of the important work, Expecting Amy is very funny, because Amy Schumer is very funny.” – Kevin Fallon, The Daily Beast Crave Audience Metrics Crave continues to have Canadians covered, delivering the best movies, TV series, and original hits all in one place. CANADA’S DRAG RACE holds the #1 spot for the third week in a row, with RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE ALL STARS following at #2. LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER claims the #3 spot and MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN joins the list at #7.  Here are the Top 10 programs being watched on Crave for the week of July 15 – 21:  

1. CANADA’S DRAG RACE
2. RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE ALL STARS
3. LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER
4. I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK
5. SOUTH PARK
6. PERRY MASON
7. MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN
8. SEINFELD
9. GAME OF THRONES
10. I MAY DESTROY YOU

What to Watch for the Week of July 23 – July 29 *All Programming Subject to Change  

• The season finale of RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE: ALL STARS drops on Friday July 24 at 9:30 p.m. ET. This spin-off on the mega-hit RuPaul’s Drag Race serves up a new twist as it pits queens from previous seasons in a wig-to-wig drag battle royale.

 

• The third episode of STARZ’s P-VALLEY begins streaming on Sunday, July 26. Set in the Mississippi Delta, this drama series tells the story of a little-strip-club-that-could. In this week’s episode, the Pynk’s annual carwash receives a visit from a surprising guest while Autumn’s past comes back to haunt her. Back at the club, souls are bared, and deals are negotiated in the private booths.

 

• HBO’s new documentary STOCKTON ON MY MIND premiere’s Tuesday, July 28 at 9 p.m. ET. At age 26, on the same day Donald Trump was elected in 2016, Michael Tubbs became the first African American mayor of his beleaguered hometown of Stockton, California, as well as the youngest mayor of a major American city. From filmmaker Marc Levin (HBO’s ONE NATION UNDER STRESS, CLASS DIVIDE) STOCKTON ON MY MIND follows Tubbs’ personal and political journey, exploring how growing up amid poverty and violence shaped his vision for innovative change.

 

• A new sports documentary from HBO, THE WEIGHT OF GOLD premieres on Wednesday July 29, at 9 p.m. ET. The documentary explores the mental health challenges that Olympic athletes often face. Featuring accounts from Olympic athletes including Michael Phelps, Jeremy Bloom, Lolo Jones and Shaun White, THE WEIGHT OF GOLD seeks to inspire discussion about mental health issues, encourage people to seek help and highlight the need for readily available support.

 

• The penultimate episode of HBO’s six-part true crime series I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK premieres Sunday, July 26 at 10 p.m. ET. In this week’s episode, as Michelle’s loved ones cope with her sudden death, her work to unmask the Golden State Killer lives on. After inheriting Michelle’s 37 boxes of case files, Paul Haynes and Billy Jensen work alongside Patton Oswalt, to finish her book.

 

• HBO’s gritty detective series PERRY MASON continues with a new episode on Sunday, July 26 at 9 p.m. ET. In this week’s episode, as Emily’s trial begins and a damning witness testimony takes center stage, Mason attempts to recover from a shaky start. Meanwhile, in their search for clues that might lead to an exoneration, Della and Strickland investigate a potential connection between Detective Ennis and Charlie’s kidnappers. Later, Mason considers betraying Drake’s trust to give his client an edge in court, and Birdy (Lili Taylor) urges Sister Alice (Tatiana Maslany) to scrap her Easter Sunday plan before it’s too late.

 

• SHOWTIME’s drama series THE CHI continues with an all-new episode on Sunday, July 26 at 9 p.m. ET. This week, Kevin’s birthday finds him in far from a celebrating mood. Ronnie takes his grandmother Ms. Ethel on a whirl back in time. Emmett goes on a cannabis run with Tiff while Douda’s campaign hits another speed bump.

 

• HBO’s drama series I MAY DESTROY YOU continues with a new episode Monday, July 27 at 9 p.m. ET. In this week’s episode, reeling from a demoralising development in the investigation, Arabella hatches a risky plan to “spark joy” and persuades Terry to bankroll it. After his own assault, Kwame challenges himself to explore the full spectrum of his sexuality.

 

• All-new episodes this week include; CANADA’S DRAG RACE (Thursday, July 23 at 9 p.m. ET); CROSSING SWORDS (Thursday, July 23 at 10 p.m. ET); DOOM PATROL (Thursday, July 23 at 9 p.m. ET); DESUS & MERO (Thursday, July 23 at 11 p.m. ET); RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE: ALL STARS (Friday, July 24 at 9:30 p.m. ET); ROOM 104 (Friday, July 24 at 11 p.m. ET); P-Valley (Sunday, July 26); PERRY MASON (Sunday, July 26 at 9 p.m. ET); LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER (Sunday, July 26, live at 11:00 p.m. ET, on-demand the following morning); DESUS & MERO (Sunday, July 26 at 11 p.m. ET); THE CHI (Sunday, July 26 at 9 p.m. ET); I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK (Sunday, July 26 at 10 p.m. ET); and I MAY DESTROY YOU (Monday, July 27 at 9 p.m. ET).

  Complete listings for the week of July 23 – July 29 *All Programming Subject to Change  HBO CRASHING, Season 2 – Season 3 (July 24) ROOM 104, *Season Premiere* Season 4 Episode 1 (July 24, 11 p.m. ET) PERRY MASON, Season 1, Episode 6 (July 26 at 9 p.m. ET) I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK, Season 1, Episode 5 (July 26 at 10 p.m. ET) LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER, Season 7, Episode 19 (July 26, live at 11:00 p.m. ET, on-demand the following morning) I MAY DESTROY YOU, Season 1, Episode 8 (July 27 at 9 p.m. ET) STOCKTON ON MY MIND *Documentary* (July 28 at 9 p.m. ET) THE WEIGHT OF GOLD *Documentary* (July 29 at 9 p.m. ET) Movies PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE (July 24) LAST CHRISTMAS (July 24) SHOWTIME THE CHI, Season 3, Episode 6 (July 26 at 9 p.m. ET) DESUS & MERO, Season 2, Episode 35 (July 23 at 11 p.m. ET) DESUS & MERO, Season 2, Episode 36 (July 26 at 11 p.m. ET) STARZ ADAM SANDLER’S EIGHT CRAZY NIGHTS (July 23) EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED (July 23) HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITECASTLE (July 24) PHONE BOOTH (July 24) THE LAST FULL MEASURE (July 24) THE CHANGE-UP (July 24) THE STING (July 24) JEAN OF THE JONESES (July 24) P-VALLEY, Season 1, Episode 3 (July 26) More Riveting TV to Watch CANADA’S DRAG RACE, Season 1, Episode 4 (July 23 at 9 p.m. ET) DOOM PATROL, Season 2, Episode 7 (July 23 at 9 p.m. ET) CROSSING SWORDS, Season 1, Episode 6 (July 23 at 10 p.m. ET) CRANK YANKERS, Season 5A (July 24) MINI! CHAINSAW RICHARD, (July 24) RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE: ALL STARS, *Season Finale* Season 5, Episode 8 (July 24 at 9:30 p.m. ET)