TV picks for Sept. 20: 'The End,' 'Dead Lucky, 'American Vandal'

September 19, 2018 at 8:02PM
June 7, 1978 Sweet but nutty Marlon Borunki (Dom De Luise) is the first visitor Sonny Lawson (Burt Reynolds) sees when he wakes up in a hospital bed in "The End," a United Artists release.
Dom DeLuise and Burt Reynolds in the 1978 film “The End.” (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Lucky town

Rachel Griffiths ("Six Feet Under") sports a badge in "Dead Lucky," a four-part thriller in which her character is entangled in a series of crimes that are somehow interlinked. The series is set in Sydney, Australia.

Now streaming on Sundance Now

Exit laughing

Watching "The End," the 1978 comedy about death directed by Burt Reynolds, may seem like a morbid way to honor the recently deceased star, but I'm betting the actor would be tickled pink by the thought. As both a director and an actor, Reynolds was often more concerned with having a good time than making a classic. That set of priorities is well on display here.

9 p.m. This

Oh, crap!

The true-crime genre is once again the target of "American Vandal," which must be hoping to equal the attention it got for its much-buzzed-about first season. Producers seem to think the best way to assure continued success is to mimic the same formula. This time out, the student filmmakers investigate a prank that triggers schoolwide diarrhea. Pass the Pepto-Bismol — and the remote.

Now streaming on Netflix

Neal Justin

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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