'Fate: The Winx Saga' and four other shows our TV critic is watching this week

January 22, 2021 at 6:07PM
"Bridge and Tunnel"
“Bridge and Tunnel” (KC Bailey/Epix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Tunnel of love

Edward Burns made a name for himself in the 1990s with a string of romcoms that insisted that pretty people have problems, too. The director/writer returns to that theme in "Bridge and Tunnel," a 1980-set series about recent college graduates who still haven't gotten over their childhood crushes. It's an engaging dramedy, even if you find it hard to sympathize with lovesick characters who all look like they just stepped out of a modeling agency.

8 p.m. Sunday, Epix

Pretty little witches

"Fate: The Winx Saga" goes after the same audience that was enthralled by the Harry Potter movies, but the less-than-magical episodes owe more to "Pretty Little Liars" than any adventures at the Hogwarts School. Its mostly female protagonists are more interested in hooking up with boys than saving the world.

Now streaming on Netflix

Good medicine

"Resident Alien," in which an extraterrestrial (Alan Tudyk) masquerades as a doctor in a small Colorado town, has a lot of fun story lines, including one in which Minnesota comic Alice Wetterlund plays a quirky bartender thirsty for love. But the biggest draw is watching Tudyk's character warm up to his human condition while learning to play basketball, dance and appreciate "Law & Order." His performance is out of this world.

9 p.m. Tuesday, Syfy

Need for speed

Preschoolers begging for a pet will only howl louder after watching "Go, Dog. Go!", an animated series based on P.D. Eastman's bestselling children's books. There's not much of an educational component in the episodes, but watching Tag and his four-legged friends race everything from blimps to mopeds to rocketed tractors makes for a good, harmless romp.

Starts streaming Tuesday on Netflix

How she's doin'

Wendy Williams' gift for self-promotion is on full display next weekend with a two-hour biopic, followed by a documentary, "Wendy Williams: What a Mess!" Both offer the same message: The radio/TV host is God's gift to broadcasting, who mainly slipped up because her man did her wrong. Ciera Payton is terrific as Williams in the movie, but even die-hard fans may find the whole four-hour pity party excessive.

7 p.m. Saturday, Lifetime

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Elisha Applebaum, Eliot Salt, Abigail Cowen, Hannah van der Westhuysen and Precious Mustapha in “Fate: The Winx Club.” (Jonathan Hession • Netflix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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Alan Tudyk on “Resident Alien.” (James Dittinger • Syfy/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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Wendy Williams: The MovieCiera Payton as Wendy Williams in Wendy Williams: The Movie premiering Saturday, January 30 at 8pm ET/PT.Photo by Ryan Plummer and Brendan George Ko / Courtesy of LifetimeCopyright 2021 (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
"Bridge and Tunnel"
“Bridge and Tunnel” (KC Bailey/Epix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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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