Ice planet
Ridley Scott, 82, has made a career out of championing female protagonists, most notably Ripley in "Alien" and the title characters in "Thelma & Louise." "Raised by Wolves," for which he directed the first two episodes, gives us Mother (Amanda Collin), an android who will stop at nothing to fulfill her mission of raising humans on a distant planet after Earth becomes uninhabitable. The series, while visually stunning, lacks warmth and humor. You keep hoping Mother and her breed stumble across Matt Damon's astronaut from Scott's "The Martian" and borrow a cup of chill pills.
Now streaming on HBO Max
Stolen hearts
Con men in entertainment are usually portrayed as charming rogues, but good luck finding any redeeming value in Richard Scott Smith, the unwitting star of "Love Fraud." The four-part documentary reveals how Smith hoodwinked dozens of lonely hearts by promising his devotion while taking their savings. Filmmakers Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing don't disguise their glee in being major players in the attempt to bring him down.
8 p.m. Sunday, Showtime
Return visit
"Planet Earth: A Celebration" may have some fresh narration from David Attenborough and a new tune from Hans Zimmer, but it's really just a best-of special consisting of highlights from "Planet Earth II" and "Blue Planet II." No complaints here. Watching bottlenose dolphins bodysurf off the coast of South Africa and racer snakes slither after iguanas never gets old.
7 p.m. Monday, BBC America, AMC, Sundance, IFC
Hitting a nerve
Felipe Esparza fidgets so much during his stand-up special "Bad Decisions" that you worry he may bolt from the stage at any moment. But the former "Last Comic Standing" is brimming with confidence as he makes his way through tricky material about deadbeat dads, domestic abuse, kinky sex and homelessness. Available in both English and Spanish.
Starts streaming Tuesday on Netflix
Stable condition
The best thing about "Transplant," a medical drama that has already aired in Canada, is its presentation of a diverse hospital staff, which includes a Syrian immigrant (Hamza Haq) with the medical instincts of Gregory House. But Haq isn't equipped with the same zingers Hugh Laurie had at his disposal — and his co-workers aren't much help. They have little to do in the first few episodes besides battle bouts of depression and gawk at SuperDoc.
9 p.m. Thursday, KARE, Ch. 11
Neal Justin
