What to watch this weekend August 2, 2024: TV awards contenders

Time is flying faster than Rhaenys fell to her death this season on “House of the Dragon,” which is to say, wow, somehow the Season 2 finale of the “Game of Thrones” spin-off is already upon us. 

Despite multiple clips leaking on social media earlier this week after what HBO referred to as an “unintentional release from an international third-party distributor,” the finale (airing Sunday at 9/8 on HBO and Max) is still the most anticipated watch of the weekend that isn’t related to the Summer Olympics. In the penultimate episode, Emma D’Arcy’s Queen Rhaenyra was last seen gathering an unconventional group of dragonriders — including a blacksmith and a drunk — to set the stage for the finale’s major conflict with Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), who fled to King’s Landing when he saw Rhaenyra’s growing forces. If you’ve read the source material, you likely know how this will end. But even so, the excitement of seeing it play out on screen makes “House of the Dragon” the awards contender to watch this weekend.

SEE Experts slugfest: Our first 2024 Creative Arts Emmy winner predictions

Of course, if you’re looking for something in a different vein, other contenders include:

• “Batman: Caped Crusader”: The latest animated series about the Dark Knight puts a noir spin on the beloved DC character. The series, which was initially developed for HBO before finally landing on Amazon, is produced by J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves and Bruce Timm. It’s a moody series with a pretty simple and familiar setup — Hamish Linklater’s Batman takes down villains in Gotham City — but it’s incredibly effective. The voice cast includes Jamie Chung, Diedrich Bader, Christina Ricci, Minnie Driver, Mckenna Grace, Krystal Joy Brown, Jason Watkins, Haley Joel Osment, Toby Stephens and many, many more. All 10 episodes are now streaming on Prime Video.
• “Futurama”: Elsewhere in animation land, we’re welcoming back the sci-fi show that will outlive us all. Following last year’s successful revival, the Matt Groening series is back for Season 12 with 10 episodes that feature plenty of new adventures and a guest cast that’s as impressive as the show’s longevity. This season welcomes Danny Trejo, Cara Delevingne, Tim Gunn, Bill Nye, Ana Ortiz, Kyle MacLachlan, LeVar Burton and Neil deGrasse Tyson, among others. The season premiere is now streaming on Hulu.
• “Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes”: And now for something completely different. HBO’s latest documentary is crafted using recently recovered audio interviews with Elizabeth Taylor, which were recorded in 1964 with journalist Richard Meryman. Director Nanette Burstein was also given access to the movie star’s personal archives, including home movies and personal photos. When combined with news footage and clips from Taylor’s films, the result is an intimate portrait of one of Hollywood’s biggest stars crafted through her own words. The film airs Saturday at 8/7c on HBO and Max.

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