What to watch this weekend June 28, 2024: TV awards contenders

I hope you’ve worked up an appetite this week, because new episodes of FX’s culinary-themed comedy “The Bear” have arrived at long last. 

The highly anticipated third season of the Emmy-winning show, which is now streaming on Hulu, takes a beat with a dramatic premiere anchored by flashbacks before the second episode picks up in the aftermath of the emotionally tumultuous Season 2 finale, which saw the soft opening of the restaurant but the likely end of Carmy’s (Emmy winner Jeremy Allen White) relationship with Claire (Molly Gordon). Despite the super-charged atmosphere of the early episodes, this might just be the series’ funniest season yet. So take that, everyone who ever complained the show wasn’t actually a comedy!

The 10-episode new season comes on the heels of the first round of Emmy voting. While the Christopher Storer-created series is eligible this year for its second season, the fact it’s streaming new episodes now means the show, which again features attention-grabbing guest stars, will likely be fresh in voters’ minds once nominations are announced in mid-July. Regardless of whether or not you have a vote, “The Bear” is a gem, and thus the awards contender to watch this weekend.

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Of course, if that doesn’t sound appetizing, there are plenty of options on the menu this week. Other contenders include:

• “Land of Women”: Eva Longoria stars in and executive produces this Apple TV+ dramedy about a wealthy wine shop owner whose life in NYC is upended when her husband (James Purefoy) skips town after making some bad investments with the wrong people. Afraid for her life, she collects her aging mother (Carmen Maura) and teenage daughter (Victoria Bazúa) and moves to La Muga, the small town in Spain from which her mother fled years ago. A charming fish-out-of-water story that blends comedy, drama, romance and crime thriller, the cozy series is a welcome escape from the real world. The first two episodes are now streaming on Apple TV+.
• “I Am: Celine Dion”: Oscar nominee Irene Taylor directs this documentary film that offers viewers a peek behind the curtain as the famed French-Canadian singer lives with stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that has hindered her once prolific career. A carefully drawn portrait of an artist whose abilities have been diminished, it’s a moving look at the life of an icon. The 102-minute film is now streaming on Prime Video.
• “My Lady Jane”: Based on a series of YA novels, Amazon’s newest series is a historical drama with elements of action, fantasy, comedy and romance. With an anachronistic soundtrack and a sharp sense of humor, the bold and fun series tells the story of the strong-willed Lady Jane Grey (Emily Bader), who in real life was beheaded after a nine-day reign, but in the show embarks on an adventure all her own once she’s forced to marry the roguish Guildford Dudley (Edward Bluemel). All eight episodes are now streaming on Prime Video.

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