‘Queer as Folk’ in New Orleans & More Pride TV, Jan. 6 Committee Hearings, ‘Staircase’ Finale

Queer As Folk

They’re here, they’re queer, and a new community of LGBTQ+ characters is telling their story in the third iteration of Russell T Davies’ groundbreaking 1999 series, which originally chronicled the lives (and sex lives) of a group of friends in Manchester, England. A Showtime version, set in Pittsburgh and running for five seasons, began in 2000. The latest and most diverse series to date introduces a colorfully raunchy cohort of gay, lesbian and non-binary friends and frenemies who are bonded by loss in the wake of a tragedy echoed by recent headlines. (A warning advisory will appear before the first episode.) Standouts include activist and disability advocate Ryan O’Connell (Netflix’s Special), Sex and the City refugee Kim Cattrall as his mother, Eric Graise as a disruptor throwing shade from his wheelchair, Big Sky’s Jesse James Keitel as a trans hedonist whose new twins present a challenge, Hacks’ Johnny Sibilly as a lawyer caught in several triangles and Devin Way as an emotionally immature med-school dropout. All eight episodes of the first season are available for binge-watching.

The Staircase

First an acclaimed true-crime docuseries, then a docudrama that includes the documentary as a plot point, all leading to the final chapter, where lawyer David (Michael Stuhlbarg) argues for a retrial in 2011 as the Peterson family rallies around Michael (Colin Firth). Six years later, Michael faces another hearing where more answers to this puzzling case could be addressed.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

How many alien love affairs does Enterprise Captain Pike (Anson Mount) harbor in his past? A fair question, because he was a mere lieutenant when he encountered the alluring Alora (Lindy Booth) from the non-Federation planet Majalis years earlier. They memorably reunite in another strong episode when the ship rescues Alora and a holy child known as the First Servant from an attack. The closer Pike gets again to Alora as she prepares the child for a ritual Ascension on her planet, the more he begins to suspect a dark side to her otherwise progressive homeland.

Soul of a Nation

Cara Delevingne hosts a new installment of the ABC News series, taking a broad view of the LGBTQ+ experience and what it means to identify as a member of the community in today’s society.

The January 6 Hearings (ABC, CBS, NBC, most cable news networks, 8 pm/ET): In the first night of televised public hearings that have been likened to Watergate, the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol will begin to lay out its findings. The focus of Thursday’s session is expected to include a thorough timeline of the riot and the attempt to subvert a peaceful transfer of power. Notably, Fox News will counterprogram with its regular talking-head lineup, covering the hearing “as news warrants.” (Fox Business will air the live hearings instead.)

More Pride Month highlights:

• Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration (streaming on Netflix): Billy Eichner (of the upcoming movie Bros) hosts what is described as the largest gathering ever of LGBTQ+ comics, with performers including Margaret Cho, Tig Notaro, Sandra Bernhard, Wanda Sykes, Bob the Drag Queen, Sam Jay, Marsha Warfield, Judy Gold, Joel Kim Booster, Scott Thompson—and Rosie O’Donnell as the closer, leading the group in song.
• The Book of Queer (streaming on discovery+): Margaret Cho narrates the second chapter of this historical survey, focusing on artists and scientists including Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Ma Rainey, Alan Turing and Sally Ride.

Inside Thursday TV:

• Walker (8/7c, The CW): Austin Nichols, who played ringleader Clint in the first season, directs an episode in which a bad day for Cordell (Jared Padalecki) gets worse when his kids get caught up in some traumatic business and his brother Liam (Keegan Allen) turns to the family’s sworn enemies for help.
• Heartland (8/7c, UPtv): A break-in at Heartland Ranch stirs up painful memories for patriarch Jack Bartlett (Shaun Johnston), who’s haunted by flashbacks of his alcoholic father in an emotional hour.
• The Ipcress File (streaming on AMC+): More intrigue in the stylish 1960s-era spy thriller as agents Harry Palmer (Joe Cole) and Jean Courtney (Lucy Boynton) head to a Pacific atoll to witness neutron-bomb testing. CIA officer Maddox (Ashley Thomas) has another agenda: turning Jean against Harry, who’s being set up as a Soviet spy.
• Asteroid Rush (streaming on Curiosity Stream): A two-part documentary special explores the science behind fictions like Netflix’s Oscar-nominated Don’t Look Up (about an extinction-event asteroid collision). The first episode looks at technological innovations intended to help Earth avert disaster by diverting giant asteroids, and the second reveals how scientists are attempting to study these space rocks for clues to Earth’s creation and the formation of the solar system.
• Dr. Delirium & The Edgewood Experiments (streaming on discovery+): An alarming documentary exposes a little-known experiment by the U.S. Army Chemical Corps from 1955 to 1975, using soldiers as guinea pigs to test mind-altering chemical warfare agents at Maryland’s Edgewood Arsenal facility.
• Catching a Killer (streaming on Topic): An award-winning U.K. docuseries takes an immersive approach to depicting five different murder investigations from start to finish. The first two self-contained episodes drop Thursday, with three more to follow weekly.