Wonder Woman Gal Gadot is back in action as secret agent Rachel Stone in a Netflix action thriller. Outlander reaches its midseason conclusion, while series star Sam Heughan reunites with co-star Graham McTavish for a new season of their Men in Kilts travelogue. A romcom with an international twist links the son of the first female U.S. president with a British prince.
Robert Viglasky/Netflix
Heart of Stone
Gal Gadot leaves her Wonder Woman costume in the closet, but participates in just as many high-flying stunts, as super spy Rachel Stone in an action thriller that introduces a covert Mission: Impossible style agency known as The Charter (as in: “When governments fail, the only thing left is The Charter”). Rachel’s cover is as a low-level MI6 techie, but when The Charter’s “Heart” is hacked by the sinister Keya Dhawan (Alia Bhatt), it’s time to shift into Save the World mode.
Starz
Outlander
The moment Outlander fans have been dreading has finally arrived: No, not the looming Second Battle of Saratoga, which will send Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) back to the front lines and cause Claire (Caitríona Balfe) no end of worry. It’s the midseason finale, with the remainder of Season 7 awaiting in 2024. (Oh, if only there were time-traveling stones to bridge the gap.) Elsewhere, in 1981, Roger (Richard Rankin) and Brianna (Sophie Skelton) search for kidnapped Jemmy (Blake Johnston Miller)—which portends another trip to the past for the desperate dad.
Starz
Men in Kilts: A Roadtrip With Sam and Graham
As consolation for those about to go into Outlander withdrawal, the travelogue starring Scottish actors Sam Heughan and co-star Graham McTavish sets its sights way Down Under for Season 2. Over four scenic episodes, the buddies explore New Zealand, starting with a trip down the mountainside, where they encounter an apex predator. Let’s hope it’s not wearing a red coat.
Prime Video
Red White & Royal Blue
This cross-pond romcom takes the cake—and not just because the amorous protagonists, American “first son” Alex (Taylor Zakhar Perez) and British prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine), are covered in frosting during a slapstick altercation at their initial and very public love-hate meet-cute. Based on the delightful novel by Casey McQuiston, adapted and directed by Tony-winning playwright Matthew López (The Inheritance), Royal Blue tracks the relationship between the bisexual son of the first female president (Uma Thurman) and the closeted prince, which could become a distraction to Madam President’s re-election bid as well as an international tabloid obsession.
INSIDE FRIDAY TV:
- Washington Week with The Atlantic (8/7c, PBS): The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg becomes moderator of the long-running and newly rebranded political public-affairs panel show.
- Secret Celebrity Renovation (8/7c, CBS): In a first for the makeover show, the design team of “Boston Rob” Mariano and Sabrina Sato decide the house in question is beyond repair—so a “Plan B” is put into action when comedian JB Smoove visits his childhood home in Plymouth, N.C. with hopes of restoring its former glory.
- Minx (9/8c, Starz): Life in the fast lane with a hot rock star and a fashion makeover distracts Joyce (Ophelia Lovibond) while publisher Doug (Jake Johnson), with an assist from “probationary secretary” Bambi (Jessica Lowe), prepares a flashy presentation for Constance (Elizabeth Perkins). Think Chippendales.
- All Up in the Biz (9/8c, Showtime, also streaming on Paramount+): As part of the ongoing 50th-anniversary celebration of hip hop, a documentary profiles the late “clown prince of hip hop” rapper Biz Markie.
- BET Her Live! Hosted by Yo-Yo (9/8c, BET Her): The hip-hop star gets personal with four pioneering women in back-to-back 30-minute interviews, featuring Lil’ Mo, Da Brat, 702 and MC Lyte.
- CMT Summer Sessions (10/9c, CMT): Tyler Hubbard performs new music from his solo album and hits from his time as half of Florida Georgia Line in a concert from the Sandy Creek Barn Amphitheater at Reynolds Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Georgia.
ON THE STREAM: