The world of “Star Wars” is expanding yet again. This week marks the debut of “The Acolyte,” an eight-episode drama that, like “Andor” before it, breathes new life into a world that is perhaps even more familiar than our own at times. The series, the first two episodes of which are now streaming on Disney+, is set 100 years before the rise of the Empire and tells an original story that is full of action and hints at more sinister forces at work in the universe.
Emmy Award winner Lee Jung-jae leads the cast as Sol, an experienced Jedi Master who reunites with Osha (Amandla Stenberg), his former Padawan who left the Order years before, to stop her long-lost twin from using the dark side of the Force to kill the Jedi she believes are responsible for the tragedy that ripped their family apart. Before you dismiss the series because of the more humdrum live-action “Star Wars” shows Disney has been offering as of late, “The Acolyte” is the real deal, and it’s the awards contender to watch this weekend.
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Of course, if you cannot possibly sit through yet another adventure in a galaxy far, far away, other contenders include:
- “Sweet Tooth”: The third and final season of Netflix’s adaptation of Jeff Lemire’s comic has arrived at long last. It brings with it some much-needed answers as Gus (Christian Convery), the young human-deer hybrid at the center of the story, and his found family travel to Alaska in search of his mother (Amy Seimetz) and a cure for the plague that has decimated the human population. All eight episodes of the emotional final chapter are now streaming on Netflix.
- “Clipped”: If we live in a world in which Los Angeles can have two NBA teams, then we must also live in a world in which each team gets its own TV show dramatizing a major event in its history. In FX’s new limited series “Clipped,” the downfall of former Clippers owner Donald Sterling (Ed O’Neill) is chronicled after his racist remarks become public. Jacki Weaver portrays Sterling’s wife, Shelly, while Laurence Fishburne steps into the shoes of legendary basketball coach Doc Rivers for the six-episode series, which is based on ESPN’s “30 for 30” podcast “The Sterling Affairs.” The first two episodes are now streaming on Hulu.
- “Queenie”: Adapted from Candice Carty-Williams’ novel of the same name, Hulu’s new half-hour series stars Dionne Brown as a 25-year-old woman in South London who is rocked by heartbreak, an event that becomes the catalyst for her to embark on a long and winding path toward self-discovery — one that ensures she stops at all the wrong places along the way. All eight episodes are now streaming on Hulu.
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