John Mulaney Goes Live, ‘Abbott’ Does Karaoke, a ‘Mythic’ Emancipation Proclamation, ‘Moana 2’ on Disney+

Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney

“We will never be relevant. We will never be your source for news. We will always be reckless.” This was Emmy-winning comedian John Mulaney’s pledge upon announcing that last year’s experiment in freewheeling variety-talk would be returning to Netflix for 12 consecutive weeks. Happily, Richard Kind is back as his announcer/sidekick, with a format open to audience call-ins and blissful non sequiturs. Mulaney’s opening-night guest list is typically eclectic, including Michael Keaton, the legendary Joan Baez, SNL alum Fred Armisen, music from Cypress Hill and a visit from personal finance columnist Jessica Roy.

Abbott Elementary

When we heard that the Abbott Elementary staff was heading to a karaoke bar to let off steam, our first thought was: Please let Sheryl Lee Ralph sing! And while we consider which love duet may be awaiting Janine (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams), the outing is also eventful for Jacob (Chris Perfetti), who encounters an old friend.

Mythic Quest

Another strong stand-alone episode of the video-game workplace comedy focuses on that annoying influencer Pootie Shoe (Elisha Henig), who’s growing up fast and decides on his 17th birthday that it’s time to rebrand. He’s dropping the “Shoe” and the “butthole” rankings — or so he tells his beleaguered manager (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s Charlie Day, also an executive producer), who warns the lad, “The streets are littered with the corpses of teen streamers who tried to rebrand.” Henig stars in and wrote the episode, featuring Alanna Ubach as his long-suffering mom Shannon, who indulges her son only so far, when he lobbies for emancipation and reaches out to his distant dad, Ian (Rob McElhenney), for support.

 

Moana 2

The sequel to 2016’s animated hit got mixed reviews but strong box office as 2024’s third highest-grossing film, making its streaming debut. Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson reprise their roles as Moana and the demigod Maui, off on a new seafaring journey.

Good Cop/Bad Cop

The newest in a wave of comedic procedurals heads to the woods of Eden Vale, where a fledgling filmmaker is making a horror short based on a local urban legend, “The Butcher.” When the leading lady goes missing, sibling detectives Lou (Leighton Meester) and Henry (Luke Cook) investigate, though both are distracted by potential love interests.

INSIDE WEDNESDAY TV:

• Shifting Gears (8/7c, ABC): Riley (Kat Dennings) is shocked to find weed gummies in son Carter’s (Maxwell Simkins) pocket, but she’s even more surprised by her dad Matt’s (Tim Allen) advice.
• Survivor (8/7c, CBS): A classic returns with the blindfold immunity challenge, always good for a few laughs amid the bumps and bruises. But things get serious at tribal council for the losing tribe. Followed by The Amazing Race (9:30/8:30c), where the teams head to Osaka, Japan, and an Intersection at the Roadblock, which means a player from one team will work with a member of an opposing team to complete a challenge involving taiko drums.
• Wild Cards (8/7c, The CW): Max (Vanessa Morgan) pretends to be a psychic, conducting a séance to find the killer in her and Ellis’s (Giacomo Gianniotti) latest case.
• The Masked Singer (8/7c, Fox): Ernie Hudson drops by on “Ghostbusters Night” as Group B performs again.
• Married to Real Estate (8/7c, HGTV): Making beautiful homes together, Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson return for an eighth season of Atlanta-area home makeovers while raising three daughters. Their first assignment: freshen up a large property for a couple moving from their tiny New York City apartment.
• Chicago Fire (8/7c, NBC): If you missed the first airing in January, the One Chicago franchise repeats the three-way crossover involving a gas explosion and subway tunnel collapse. The story continues on Chicago Med (9/8c) and Chicago P.D. (10/9c).
• Chase’n (9:30/8:30c, MAVTV): A six-part docuseries profiles rising country-music star Chase Matthew, who balances his songwriting and performing life with a passion for fine-tuning engines.

ON THE STREAM:

• Temptation Island (streaming on Netflix): Four couples are separated and placed among sexy singles to see what happens next. Mark L. Walberg returns to host the cheesy, sleazy proceedings.
• Am I Being Unreasonable? (streaming on Hulu): The British comedy returns for a second season, with unfaithful Nic (Daisy May Cooper) something of a pariah as she shares a caravan with her sketchy fellow mom Jen (Selin Hizli).
• Love You to Death (streaming on Apple TV+): In the season finale of the mordant Spanish-language romcom, Raúl (Joan Amargós) decides to tell Marta (Véronica Echegui) how he really feels about her before heading into surgery.