Top TV picks for June 10-12: 'Voltron,' 'O.J: Made in America,' 'The American West,' 'The 70th Annual Tony Awards'

June 9, 2016 at 4:14PM
Mo Brings Plenty as Sitting Bull in "The West."- Photo Credit: Kris Connor/Getty Images For AMC
Mo Brings Plenty as Sitting Bull in “The American West.” (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

How the West was spun

Your interest in "The American West," an eight-hour history lesson that spans the years immediately following the Civil War, will depend on how much you trust actors to serve as tour guides. It's one thing to have Kiefer Sutherland play a gunslinger and quite another to utilize him, as this project does, as an "expert." Maybe that research for "Young Guns" was more expansive than I imagined.

9 p.m. Saturday, AMC

More than meets the eye

"Voltron: Legendary Defender" has been rebooted — and with good reason. The animated adventure series has everything a youth audience could crave: Young heroes recruited to save the universe, junior versions of "Star Wars" action figures, warships shaped like lions and just enough time between battles to crack jokes about passing gas.

Now streaming on Netflix

The real American crime story

"The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story," which will air in its entirety on FX starting at 1 p.m. Saturday, is high drama indeed, but it simply can't compare to the real thing. The proof is in the seven-hour documentary "O.J.: Made in America," which debuts on ABC before shifting over to ESPN on Tuesday. Director Ezra Edelman uses the sensationalized trial as home base for an exploration of race, celebrity and the media. The only thing missing is John Travolta sporting a pair of absurd eyebrows.

8 p.m. Saturday, KSTP, Ch. 5

Regards to Broadway

It doesn't take Nostradamus to predict that "Hamilton" will dominate "The 70th Annual Tony Awards," but that doesn't excuse you from watching TV's most entertaining awards show. Not only will viewers get to see a number from the landmark musical, but Barbra Streisand is scheduled to make an appearance, if only to see what all the fuss is about. James Corden, a Tony winner himself, hosts.

7 p.m. Sunday, WCCO, Ch. 4

Neal Justin

Netflix "Voltron: Legendary Defender"
Netflix "Voltron: Legendary Defender" (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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