Docs on Mae West, Sammy Sosa and Roy Cohn among shows our TV critic recommends this week

June 12, 2020 at 4:51PM

Corrupt Camelot

"Game of Thrones" has inspired plenty of parodies, none as hilarious as the new stop-animation series "Crossing Swords," brought to you by many of the same warped minds behind "Robot Chicken." The good-spirited hero, Patrick, could be a distant cousin of "Rudolph's" Hermey the Elf, with visions of knighthood instead of a dentistry degree. Don't let the cute Weeble figures fool you; the blood flies as fast and furious as the jokes.

Now streaming on Hulu

Anger management

Now that you're done binge-watching "BoJack Horseman," gallop over to "F Is for Family," an animated series that's just as painfully funny. In the fourth season, perpetually fuming dad Frank (voiced by Bill Burr) mends fences with his estranged father (Jonathan Banks) — but not before throwing some epic tantrums. The action may be male-centric, but Emmy and Oscar winner Laura Dern stands out as the mother who has a few anger issues of her own.

Now streaming on Netflix

A grand slam

The "30 for 30" series continues its winning streak with "Long Gone Summer," a film about the 1998 battle between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa to be crowned home-run king. The documentary doesn't shy away from the steroids controversy, but director AJ Schnack is most interested in celebrating America's pastime. It's the next best thing to being back in the ballpark.

8 p.m. Sunday, ESPN

She done us right

Mae West wasn't your typical movie star or feminist. But "Dirty Blonde," the newest documentary from "American Masters," leaves no doubt that she was both. An eclectic array of stars, including Ringo Starr, Dita Von Teese and Candice Bergen, look back on the sex symbol's often misinterpreted legacy, reminding us why everyone wanted to come up and see her sometime.

7 p.m. Tuesday, TPT, Ch. 2

No sympathy for the devil

While "Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn" delves into many of the late lawyer's dastardly deeds, it keeps coming back to his prosecution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. There's a reason for that. Director Ivy Meeropol is the granddaughter of the condemned couple. Even as the documentary tracks Cohn's association with Joe McCarthy and Donald Trump, it's the filmmaker's interviews with her father that resonate most.

7 p.m. Friday, HBO

about the writer

about the writer

Neal Justin

Critic / Reporter

Neal Justin is the pop-culture critic, covering how Minnesotans spend their entertainment time. He also reviews stand-up comedy. Justin previously served as TV and music critic for the paper. He is the co-founder of JCamp, a non-profit program for high-school journalists, and works on many fronts to further diversity in newsrooms.

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Melissa Golden/The New York Times

It’s too soon to tell how much the immigration crackdown is to blame.