What’s New in Pop Culture: November 4-10, 2024
Releases this week in TV, Music, Movies & Games
TELEVISION
Monday 11/4: “Holiday Baking Championship” (Food Network; Bakign, Reality Competition)
Halloween is over, the thawing of Mariah Carey has commenced, and that means it’s time for an onslaught of Christmas-related programming, including this sweet show now on Season 11.
Monday 11/4: “Saturday Night Live Election Special” (NBC, Sketch Comedy, Political)
The 2024 election has brought us all to the brink of insanity. Before the results come in Tuesday, pour a tall one and relive some of “SNL”’s funniest sketches dealing with this unbelievable race.
Tuesday 11/5: “Game Changers” (Discovery/Max; Documentary, Gaming)
This new docu-series explores the origins of iconic games, both video and board — Pac-Man, Scrabble, Minecraft, Call of Duty to name a few — as well as how they impacted pop culture.
Thursday 11/7: “The Day of the Jackal” (Peacock; Action, Drama)
Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne and Bond vet Lashana Lynch star in this serialized adaptation of the 1970s thriller film about an assassin being chased across Europe by British intelligence.
Thursday 11/7: “Outer Banks” (Netflix; Drama, Adventure)
Netflix’s crazy-popular soap featuring hot young people hunting for treasure in North Carolina continues with Season 4B.
Saturday 11/9: “Arcane: League of Legends” (Netflix; Animated, Action)
It’s been three years since Season 1 of this stunning show debuted; now it returns for its second and final season. Even if you know nothing about League of Legends, watch this — it’s astonishingly good.
Sunday 11/10: “Yellowstone” (Paramount Network/Paramount+; Drama, Western)
Don’t expect Kevin Costner to return for the back half of Season 5; he’s left the show but Kelly Reilly and Wes Bentley will take the reins, and possibly keep this popular drama going into Season 6.
MUSIC
Friday 11/8: Whitney Houston The Concert for a New South Africa (Live, Historic)
This new release comes 30 years to the day of Whitney’s legendary performance to celebrate the end of apartheid in South Africa. The remastered tracks include many of Whitney’s biggest hits.
It’s a frankly dreadful week for new music releases, so check out one of these, I guess:
Friday 11/8: Ab-Soul Soul Burger (Hip-Hop/Rap)
Friday 11/8: Claire Rousay The Bloody Lady (Indie, Emo Pop)
Friday 11/8: State Champs State Champs (Pop Punk)
Friday 11/8: Jamey Johnson Midnight Gasoline (Country)
MOVIES
Friday 11/8: Heretic (Wide; Suspense, Thriller)
Hugh Grant stars as a seemingly kind old man who welcomes young religious missionaries into his home, and then torments them with a series of mind games and deadly traps.
Friday 11/8: Small Things Like These (Wide; Drama)
Oscar Winner Cillian Murphy and Oscar Nominee Emily Watson headline this Irish-set drama about a coal miner who realizes that the Catholic Church has been up to no good in his small town.
Friday 11/8: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Wide; Holiday, Comedy)
Judy Greer stars in this faith-based movie about a small-town Mom determined to help a downtrodden family find its faith via a church Christmas pageant.
Friday 11/8: Elevation (Wide; Thriller, Sci-Fi)
Anthony Mackie and Morena Baccarin star in this postapocalyptic thriller about a soldier and scientist forced to venture into an area populated by monsters that have massacred humanity. Fun.
Friday 11/8: Christmas Eve in Miller's Point (Wide; Holiday, Comedy)
Michael Cera’s holiday comedy, with a massive Italian-American family on Long Island reuniting and squabbling at Christmas. Featuring the children of Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. Really!
GAMES
Tuesday 11/5: Metal Slug Tactics (PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox S|X; RPG, Tactics)
The run-and-gun series from the 1980s gets a tactical RPG/roguelite remake as you use various weapons and vehicles to rout the rebel army.
Tuesday 11/5: Death Note: Killer Within (PC, PS4, PS5; Multiplayer, Social Deduction)
This new game combines the multiplayer mystery-solving of Among Us with the mythology of the popular Death Note anime series.
Wednesday 11/6: Planet Coaster 2 (PC, PS5, Xbox S|X; Simulator)
Go beyond rollercoasters by building your ideal amusement park, including water rides and other attractions, and share and collaborate with friends on your creations.
Thursday 11/7: Mario & Luigi: Brothership (Switch; RPG, Aventure)
It’s been nearly a decade since the last original entry in Nintendo’s brotherly RPG series. This time, control the Mario Brothers as they sail the seas to fix a broken world.
Thursday 11/7: Metro Awakening (PSVR 2, Quest 2/3, Steam VR; Adventure, VR)
This prequel to the postapocalyptic Metro series of books and games was created exclusively for VR, and features an entirely new story by the series creator. Expect fully immersive gameplay.
