All Times Eastern. PBS programming varies regionally.

Monday, May 1

White House Plumbers
HBO, 9pm; also streams on HBO Max
New Series!
This five-part limited series is a satirical drama that goes behind the scenes of the Watergate scandal as Nixon’s political saboteurs, E. Howard Hunt (Woody Harrelson) and G. Gordon Liddy (Justin Theroux), accidentally topple the presidency they were zealously trying to protect … and their families along with it. Proving that history can sometimes be stranger than fiction, the series sheds light on the lesser-known events that led to one of America’s greatest political crimes. Lena Headey, Judy Greer and Domhnall Gleeson also star.

E! Live From the Red Carpet — Met Gala 2023
E!, 6pm Live
E! offers three and a half hours of live coverage from the famed Met Gala, the annual fundraising event held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City. The ball has become a favorite place for celebrity-watchers to view a who’s-who of stars arriving in glamorous fashions. The theme for this year’s dress code is “in honor of Karl,” befitting the Costume Institute’s exhibition celebrating the life and work of designer Karl Lagerfeld.

The Voice: “The Playoffs Premiere”
NBC, 8pm
The Playoffs are back, further bolstering the competition following the Knockouts. The 10 artists remaining across Team Chance and Team Blake hold nothing back as tough decisions are made when Blake and Chance can only each advance two artists to the live semifinals.

Special Theme: James Wong Howe
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
For the month of May, Turner Classic Movies is devoting Monday nights to legendary Chinese cinematographer James Wong Howe, who was known for his innovative filmmaking techniques and worked on over 130 films during the span of his long, successful career. First up is Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928), about a clown and a count who become romantic rivals in pursuit of a teenage circus performer. Following that is the Lionel Barrymore-led tale of a mysterious murder some believe was done by a vampire, Mark of the Vampire (1935). In Oscar-nominated The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), an Englishman on holiday must impersonate the king when his distant cousin, the rightful heir, is drugged and kidnapped. Finally, the Oscar-nominated mystery Algiers (1938) follows a thief who has escaped France and gone into hiding in Algiers. Nearly a dozen more Howe films, such as The Oklahoma Kid (1939), Dust Be My Destiny (1939) and The Strawberry Blonde (1941), continue into the following evening.

NCIS: “In the Spotlight”
CBS, 9pm
Agent Knight (Katrina Law) becomes a social media sensation after saving a mother and child from a potentially fatal car accident in the new episode “In the Spotlight.”

Fantasy Island: “Girlboss, Interrupted”
FOX, 9pm
The Island gives single mom Courtney (Katie Leclerc) the ability to read minds in order to impress her charismatic boss, Julia (Lauren Gaw), in the new episode “Girlboss, Interrupted.”

Undercover Underage
Investigation Discovery, 9pm; also streams on discovery+
Season Premiere!
Roo Powell and her team at the nonprofit group Safe From Online Sex Abuse (SOSA) are back for a second season of taking child predators off the streets using underage decoys. Season 2 features 16 arrests over its eight episodes, as the SOSA team works in tandem with law enforcement in Canadian County, Oklahoma.

A Small Light
Nat Geo, 9pm
New Series!
National Geographic’s limited series about Miep Gies, the Dutch woman who risked it all to shelter Anne Frank’s family, is a compelling and poignant story that manages to show Nazi-occupied Europe from a new perspective without oversentimentalizing or repeating similar hard-worn tropes from previous Holocaust-era productions. This eight-episode historical drama, which will air the following day on Disney+ and also features the great Liev Schreiber as Otto Frank, is one you’ll definitely want to watch.

The Good Doctor
ABC, 10pm
Season Finale!
Shaun (Freddie Highmore) and Lea (Paige Spara) head to the delivery room and everyone is there, except for one very important person.

That’s My Jam: “Mike ‘The Miz’ Mizanin & Alexa Bliss vs. Diallo Riddle & Bashir Salahuddin”
NBC, 10pm
Jimmy Fallon invites Diallo Riddle, Bashir Salahuddin and WWE stars Mike “The Miz” Mizanin and Alexa Bliss to compete in a series of music, dance and trivia-based games and musical performances, including the new game Bop Quiz.

Independent Lens: “Matter of Mind: My ALS”
PBS, 10pm
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neuromuscular disease with an average survival time of two to five years from diagnosis. In this intimate exploration, three people with ALS (aka “Lou Gehrig’s disease”) bravely face different paths as they live with this progressively debilitating illness.

Tuesday, May 2

Love Village
Netflix
New Series!
In this Japanese dating show, singles relocate to a house in the mountains to see if love might transpire in a tranquil and idyllic setting, away from the realities of the world. The aim is for participants to find their everlasting love by showing their real faces, crying, laughing and quarreling. Will the participant find their lasting love, and leave the house and village with that partner?

Jimmy O. Yang: Guess How Much?
Prime Video
Actor/comedian/author Jimmy O. Yang (Crazy Rich Asians) returns for his second Prime Video stand-up special, which marks his first global special. Here, Yang dives into various topics, including love languages, loser friends and negotiating with his Asian parents.

The Rookie
ABC, 8pm
Season Finale!
In “Under Siege,” the team realizes their division may be a target for a group of masked assailants.

Superman & Lois: “Forever and Always”
The CW, 8pm
Lois (Elizabeth Tulloch) and Clark (Tyler Hoechlin) dig deeper on Bruno Mannheim (Chad L. Coleman), including his connections to Hob’s Bay Medical Center.

Life Below Zero: First Alaskans
Nat Geo, 8pm
Season Premiere!
The docuseries returns for Season 2 with back-to-back hourlong episodes. First, in “Uncertainty of the Future,” the spring thaw brings new opportunities, as well as unforeseen dangers, to Alaska’s Indigenous people. Then, “Good Day to Be Indigenous” explores how Alaskan natives survive and thrive in extreme climates by following the lessons passed down through generations.

Night Court: “The Honorable Dan Fielding”
NBC, 8pm
Dan (John Larroquette) ponders his future after being offered the opportunity of a lifetime; Abby (Melissa Rauch) can’t find time for her fiancé, Rand (Pete Holmes), and her heart lands her in some trouble; and Olivia (India de Beaufort) makes it a personal mission to help Gurgs (Lacretta) pass the bailiff supervisor exam.

Gina Lollobrigida Tribute
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
Legendary Italian actress Luigia “Gina” Lollobrigida passed away Jan. 16 at age 95, and TCM remembers her with a lineup of six of her films, encompassing her work in European cinema as well as Hollywood. The tribute begins with the 1961 romantic comedy Come September, costarring Rock Hudson, followed by the 1968 comedy Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell, for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination; the TCM premiere of the French comedy adventure Fanfan la Tulipe (1952); the crime thriller Woman of Straw (1964), also starring Sean Connery; the war film Never So Few (1959), costarring Frank Sinatra and Steve McQueen; and Hotel Paradiso (1966), a British comedy also led by Alec Guinness.

Lopez vs. Lopez: “Lopez vs. Bucket Crabs”
NBC, 8:30pm
An old grudge reaches a boiling point when George (George Lopez) is forced to work with a longtime business rival. Meanwhile, Mayan (Mayan Lopez) gets crabby when a stay-at-home mom makes her feel like a bad parent.

Neighborhood Wars
A&E, 9pm
If there’s one thing this series confirms, it’s that there are a lot of really odd people out there. In the first of tonight’s back-to-back new half-hour episodes, you’ll hear about a New York City homeowner’s ultrasonic rat sensor that is repelling more than just rodents, and a gardener who accidentally weed-whacks the neighbor’s flowers but faces swift retaliation. Then, in “My Neighbor Is Eating My Mail,” you’ll be shocked to learn about an Austin, Texas, homeowner who discovers just that.

The Rookie: Feds
ABC, 9pm
Season Finale!
In “Red One,” an internal investigation unit agent is drugged and buried alive in a desert outside of Vegas.

Gotham Knights: “Bad to Be Good”
The CW, 9pm
Duela (Olivia Rose Keegan) and Carrie (Navia Ziraili Robinson) seek answers about The Talon from Eunice (Veronica Cartwright), and Rebecca (Lauren Stamile) turns to Harvey (Misha Collins).

Accused: “Jessie’s Story”
FOX, 9pm
When all her attempts to discover the identity of her biological father hit roadblocks, a teenager takes extreme measures to uncover the truth. Bebe Wood, Betsy Brandt and Josh Hamilton star in the new episode “Jessie’s Story.”

1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed
HBO, 9pm; also streams on HBO Max
Through a series of insightful conversations, W. Kamau Bell explores the experiences of mixed kids and families in the San Francisco Bay area. The documentary was inspired by Bell and his wife, Melissa, wanting to get a better understanding of what life is like for their mixed daughters, who are navigating issues of identity in a world that often asks them to pick a side.

The Wall: “Bria and Matt”
NBC, 9pm
Married couple Matt and Bria from Philadelphia go head-to-head with the Wall.

My Grandparents’ War
PBS, 9pm
Season Finale!
In Season 2’s final episode, award-winning singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé explores her grandparents’ remarkable stories, which span World War II, the Mau Mau insurgency in Kenya and the fight for independence in Zambia. With her ancestors having been split across fault lines, Sandé faces a mix of emotions. “Both sets of my grandparents were involved in violent struggles in Africa,” she says. “One tasked with upholding the British Empire; the other trying to overthrow it.”

Will Trent
ABC, 10pm
Season Finale!
Will (Ramón Rodríguez) realizes the answers he seeks have been in front of him all along in the final episode of the season, “A Bad Temper and a Hard Heart.”

Home in the Wild
Nat Geo, 10pm
New Series!
Jim and Tori Baird thought their days of professional adventuring were over when their son Wesley was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder. But after learning from doctors that being immersed in nature could have a positive impact on his development, they take Wes and his baby brother on expeditions into the backcountry to see if an off-grid life would be not only possible but beneficial for their family. This half-hour series, beginning with back-to-back episodes tonight, follows their adventures.

Weakest Link: “You Two Are So Cute, It Makes Me Sick”
NBC, 10pm
An astrologist, a car salesman and a self-proclaimed British bombshell are three of the eight players looking to win life-changing money in this fast-paced trivia game.

Road Wars: Metal Meltdowns
A&E, 10:30pm
The bigger the rig, the bigger the rage when trucks make their way through traffic in this Top 10 countdown episode of Road Wars.

Wednesday, May 3

Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All
Disney+
New Series!
This four-part docuseries (all episodes available today) about singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran blends an exclusive, never-before-seen personal archive with interviews and compelling performances to reveal how his experiences have shaped him into the artist he is today.

Jewish Matchmaking
Netflix
New Series!
This series from the producers of Indian Matchmaking follows singles in the United States and Israel as they turn their dating life over to a top Jewish matchmaker. Will using the traditional practice of shidduchim dating help them find their soulmate in today’s world?

The Conners
ABC, 8pm
Season Finale!
As Mark’s (Ames McNamara) graduation approaches, he considers his relationship with his father in the final episode of the season, titled “The Grad Finale.”

The Flash: “A New World, Part One”
The CW, 8pm
As Iris (Candice Patton) receives word of a career milestone, Barry (Grant Gustin) is suddenly nowhere to be found.

The Masked Singer: “Quarter Finals”
FOX, 8pm
It’s a British invasion in the new episode “Quarter Finals,” in which the four remaining singers perform songs from across the pond. One will be unmasked at the end of the episode.

Married at First Sight: “What’s Our Safe Word?”
Lifetime, 8pm
In tonight’s new episode, things really heat up — on the pole and in the bedroom — for a couple who was still hoping for a spark to ignite. Others meet with friends and family for insights into whether their marriages can last, but one husband is willing to take it all off (his hair, that is) for his wife.

Restoring Galveston
Magnolia Network, 8pm
Season Premiere!
Ashley and Michael Cordray are back restoring homes in their own backyard of Galveston, Texas. They tackle outdated properties on the brink of destruction to preserve the island’s history and architectural styles. In tonight’s premiere, the Cordrays transform the attic of a camelback house into a cozy family space and build an outdoor sofa that even an epic Gulf storm can’t destroy.

Chicago Med: “Look Closely and You Might Hear the Truth”
NBC, 8pm
The fate of the hospital rests on the vote of an incapacitated board member; Archer (Steven Weber) helps a mother with a rare stem cell disease while Hannah (Jessy Schram) treats the woman’s pregnant daughter; and Charles (Oliver Platt) encounters a schizophrenic patient with a serious hearing impairment.

Nature: “Attenborough’s Wonder of Song”
PBS, 8pm
Famed naturalist David Attenborough presents seven of the most remarkable animal songs found in nature.

Star of the Month: William Powell
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
Legendary star William Powell is remembered each Wednesday night this month with lineups of great titles (often running well into the next day) that range from his first screen performances to his final ones. It begins tonight, and runs into early tomorrow afternoon, with 12 films from the actor’s early work, spanning the silent era and into the early days of sound pictures. Leading things off is the 1932 romantic comedy/heist film Jewel Robbery, in which Powell plays a suave thief alongside Kay Francis as a baroness bored with her husband (“He stole her jewels — but that wasn’t all!” exclaimed the promotional poster for the movie). A few other titles of note in this extensive lineup: Manhattan Melodrama (1934), a crime drama also starring Clark Gable and Myrna Loy, with whom Powell would soon after begin famously costarring in the Thin Man films (you’ll see all of those next Wednesday); One Way Passage, another 1932 romantic pairing of Powell and Francis; Evelyn Prentice, another 1934 crime movie that pairs Powell and Loy, and also features Rosalind Russell in her film debut; and Powell’s second feature film, the Marion Davies-led silent classic When Knighthood Was in Flower (1922), in which he portrays French King Francis I.

The Goldbergs
ABC, 8:30pm
Series Finale!
In the final episode of the series, “Bev to the Future,” Barry (Troy Gentile) and Joanne (Beth Triffon) make a surprising decision to prove the seriousness of their relationship.

Not Dead Yet
ABC, 9pm
Season Finale!
The first season of this hit new show ends tonight with two new back-to-back episodes. In “Not a Fairytale Yet,” Nell (Gina Rodriguez) agrees to see Phillip, while Sam (Hannah Simone) and Lexi (Lauren Ash) have a joint birthday party for their daughters. Then, in “Not Just Yet,” Nell holds a dinner party at her house and Dennis (Josh Banday) must make a potentially life-altering decision.

Riverdale: “Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Three: Peep Show”
The CW, 9pm
At her wits’ end over Archie’s (K.J. Apa) recent actions, Mary (Molly Ringwald) turns to Uncle Frank (Ryan Robbins) to get him back on track.

Chicago Fire: “Take a Shot at the King”
NBC, 9pm
Boden (Eamonn Walker), Ritter (Daniel Kyri), Herrmann (David Eigenberg) and Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) work together to take down a local politician responsible for a chemical fire; after his aunt’s accident, Gallo (Alberto Rosende) worries about their future; and Brett (Kara Killmer) steps in to perform Dylan’s (Christopher Allen) magic show when he’s out of town.

NOVA: “Saving the Right Whale”
PBS, 9pm
The North Atlantic right whale is on the brink of extinction, but a handful of specialists are determined to help save it as they discover new secrets about the lives of these giants of the sea.

A Million Little Things
ABC, 10pm
Series Finale!
A tightknit circle of friends is reminded that friendship is a million little things in the final episode of the series, called “One Big Thing.”

Best Food Ever
Cooking Channel, 10pm
Season Finale!
Narrator John Goodman finishes up this mouthwatering season that counts down the country’s top 10 food destinations in a specific category, highlighting what makes them the best and exactly who is behind these delectable dishes, while also hearing from the foodies who help propel these establishments into the ranking.

Single Drunk Female
Freeform, 10pm
Two new episodes air tonight. In “Shiva,” Sam (Sofia Black-D’Elia) is at odds with Carol (Ally Sheedy) and her aunt (Molly Ringwald) while grappling with her own grief in flashbacks to her father’s shiva. Then, in “Darby,” Sam is forced to accept that she needs a new sponsor (Busy Philipps), though they get off to a very rocky start.

Chicago P.D.: “The Bleed Valve”
NBC, 10pm
Atwater’s (LaRoyce Hawkins) worlds collide when there’s a shooting at the building he owns in Burnside that leaves a child dead. He must confront his relationship with his father, Lew (Erik LaRay Harvey), as the brutal case forces them together.

Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories With David Rubenstein: “The Hollywood Sign”
PBS, 10pm
Explore the history of the Hollywood sign and learn how this Los Angeles landmark, which was erected in 1923 as a real-estate advertisement, went on to become an international symbol of fame, fortune and the American dream.

Thursday, May 4

Star Wars: Visions Volume 2
Disney+
Season Premiere!
Following on the Emmy-nominated success of its first season, the newest volume of Star Wars: Visions will continue to push the boundaries of Star Wars storytelling, with nine new shorts (all available today) from nine studios from around the globe. Employing the most captivating animation styles from a variety of countries and cultures, the second volume offers a dynamic new perspective on this storied franchise.

Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures
Disney+
New Series!
Happy Star Wars Day, and “May the 4th Be With You!” Disney+ celebrates with the premiere of this animated entry in the popular franchise that is set during the High Republic era. It follows Jedi younglings as they study the ways of the Force, explore the galaxy, help citizens and creatures in need, and learn valuable skills needed to become Jedi. All episodes stream on Disney+ beginning today. The first two episodes will be available this morning on Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD; episodes will then air Friday mornings on Disney Channel beginning May 12.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Netflix
New Series!
Follow Queen Charlotte’s (Golda Rosheuvel) rise to power in this six-episode prequel to Shonda Rhimes’ popular historical drama Bridgerton. It tells the story of how the young queen’s (India Amarteifio plays the regent in her younger years) marriage to King George (Corey Mylchreest) sparked both a great love story and a societal shift, creating the world of the Ton inherited by the characters in Bridgerton. Rhimes serves as creator, showrunner, writer and executive producer here.

Sanctuary
Netflix
New Series!
A gritty look into the underbelly of professional sumo wrestling — a world full of young men with ambitions for money, women, fame and power within a sanctuary that has a history of more than 1,500 years in Japan’s traditional culture and as a religious ceremony — this eight-episode drama follows a juvenile delinquent who becomes a sumo apprentice and finds himself on a collision course with a voiceless wrestler carrying a secret.

Bupkis
Peacock
New Series!
Pete Davidson wrote, executive produced and stars in this eight-episode half-hour comedy (all episodes drop today) that presents a heightened, fictionalized version of his real life. The series combines grounded storytelling with absurd elements from Davidson’s unfiltered worldview. The cast also includes Edie Falco as Davidson’s mom and Joe Pesci as his grandfather. Lorne Michaels, Davidson’s former SNL boss, is also an EP.

Young Sheldon: “A New Weather Girl and a Stay-at-Home Coddler”
CBS, 8pm
Mandy (Emily Osment) gets an exciting job opportunity and Sheldon (Iain Armitage) worries that he’s falling behind in the new episode “A New Weather Girl and a Stay-at-Home Coddler.”

Walker: “It Writes Itself”
The CW, 8pm
The boys head off for a camping trip while the ladies plan a relaxing day at the spa.

Flipping 101 With Tarek El Moussa
HGTV, 8pm
Season Premiere!
Real estate expert and busy dad of three Tarek El Moussa will teach novice renovators how to turn a profit and avoid the pitfalls most flipping newcomers face. The premiere episode features brothers Erik and Bryan, who have teamed up with their friend Mike to build a flipping empire. After their first two flips yielded middling profits that they split three ways, the trio is hoping for better results on their latest house in Los Alamitos, California.

Don’t Sell My Baby
LMN, 8pm
Original Film!
High school senior Nicolette (Devin Valentina Cecchetto) has bounced around from foster home to foster home. When she finds herself pregnant by the school quarterback, she quickly falls into despair until her sympathetic teacher, Sandy (Fallon Bowman), takes Nicolette under her wing. But when Nicolette disappears after deciding against the idea of putting her baby up for adoption, Sandy begins to worry that the soon-to-be teen mom may have been taken against her will.

Law & Order: “Class Retreat”
NBC, 8pm
When a respected businessman is found murdered, his surprising connection to Cosgrove’s (Jeffrey Donovan) daughter helps the police make a break in the case. Price (Hugh Dancy) and Maroun (Odelya Halevi) disagree on how to proceed at trial when the defendant’s age brings up legal precedent they must follow.

TCM Spotlight: Weather in the Movies: “Stormy Weather — Part 1”
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
As crazy as the weather may have been lately in some places around the country, it pales in comparison with the cinematic climatic conditions that are often played up for dramatic effect, thanks to visual effects. Each Thursday night this month, Turner Classic Movies will devote an evening/early morning lineup to films that use various types of weather as key elements of their stories. This evening, and next Thursday, will be devoted to movies using perhaps the most awe-inspiring, frightening and potentially destructive of all types of weather: storms. The lineup begins with young Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) getting swept up by perhaps the most famous tornado in screen history (“It’s a twister! It’s a twister!”) in The Wizard of Oz (1939). After that, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall and Lionel Barrymore find themselves stuck in a hotel on Key Largo (1948) along with gangsters led by Edward G. Robinson when a hurricane rolls in. That kind of storm obviously features in the next title, The Hurricane (1937), a South Seas-set drama that culminates in a thrilling special effects-generated storm. That film was helmed by John Ford, who won an Oscar for directing the next film: 1940’s The Grapes of Wrath, set amid the devastating wind/dust storms of the 1930s Great Plains Dust Bowl. The lineup concludes early tomorrow with The Last Wave (1977) and Stalker (1979).

Ghosts: “Whodunnit”
CBS, 8:30pm
Sam’s (Rose McIver) podcast editor gives her one last episode to wrap up the story of Alberta’s (Danielle Pinnock) murder in the new episode “Whodunnit.”

Animal Control
FOX, 9pm
Season Finale!
In the Season 1 finale “Unicorns and Mountain Lions,” Frank (Joel McHale) takes the death of the precinct’s mountain lion especially hard.

Fix My Flip
HGTV, 9pm
Season Premiere!
In “A Beachside Rescue,” a father and daughter flipping duo have made small profits on past projects and are currently in a stalemate on how to finish a very pricey flip. Page Turner pushes them out of their comfort zone with design so they can finally turn some real money.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: “Debatable”
NBC, 9pm
Benson (Mariska Hargitay) tries to help a student after she’s assaulted on a field trip, and Fin (Ice-T) suspects a witness in the case may not be telling the whole truth.

Call Me Kat
FOX, 9:30pm
Season Finale!
In the Season 3 finale “Call Me a Donut Wall,” Randi and Carter (Kyla Pratt and Julian Gant) decide to get married at the courthouse, but things take a turn for the worse when Kat (Mayim Bialik) accidentally gets Randi’s wedding ring stuck on her finger.

City Confidential
A&E, 10pm
Tonight’s new episode, “Murder on Mirror Lake,” focuses on the quiet Sarasota neighborhood where a neighbor is found strangled to death. Detectives believe it’s the result of a long-held grudge against the silver-tongued car salesman, but they turn out to be dead wrong.

Good Trouble: “I’ll Take All the Blame”
Freeform, 10pm
Mariana (Cierra Ramirez) works to protect Evan’s (T.J. Linnard) interests; Alice (Sherry Cola) invites Murray (Garrett M. Brown), Morrie (Alan Blumenfeld) and Morty (Joel Brooks) to the Coterie.

Wild West Chronicles: “The Gold Rush Detectives”
INSP, 10pm
When gold goes missing from a safe in a remote mining town, Wells Fargo sends detectives Henry Johnson and Isaiah Lees to hunt down the culprits. Though the two men couldn’t be more different, they must learn to work together to crack the case.

Law & Order: Organized Crime: “Pareto Principle”
NBC, 10pm
The Feds call in Bell (Danielle Moné Truitt) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) when they suspect a gruesome murder could be connected to a string of bank robberies. After a DNA match is tied to a suspect with the perfect alibi, the team struggles to make a case against him.

Unicorn: Warriors Eternal
Adult Swim, 12am (late-night)
New Series!
Award-winning animator Genndy Tartakovsky is back with his latest series, which kicks off with two episodes tonight that will be available the next day to stream on HBO Max. The supernatural animated action series follows a team of heroes who reawaken to fight an ominous force throughout eternity. When the reawakening of the heroes manifests in the bodies of new unsuspecting hosts, they must find a way to protect the world against the prevailing darkness.

Friday, May 5

Silo
Apple TV+
New Series!
Created by Emmy Award-winning screenwriter Graham Yost, this 10-episode dystopian drama based on Hugh Howey’s postapocalyptic book trilogy stars Rebecca Ferguson as Juliette, an engineer seeking answers about a loved one’s murder in a giant underground silo where the last 10,000 people on Earth are forced to live, and follows her journey down the rabbit hole into a mystery that goes far deeper than she could have imagined. Also starring Tim Robbins and Rashida Jones. The first two episodes are available today; new episodes drop Fridays.

Taste the Nation With Padma Lakshmi
Hulu
Season Premiere!
Host Padma Lakshmi is back for a second season of taking viewers on a culinary adventure across America, exploring the rich and diverse communities that have so heavily shaped what American food is today. All 10 episodes drop today.

NBA Playoffs: Western Conference Semifinals
ESPN, beginning at 7:30pm Live
Two matchups from the Western Conference semifinals series air tonight on ESPN.

But Have You Read the Book?
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
Tonight’s Turner Classic Movies lineup ties in with the latest book from the network’s TCM Library publishing arm: But Have You Read the Book? 52 Literary Gems That Inspired Our Favorite Films by Kristen Lopez. As its title suggests, the book looks at 52 cinema classics and the literary works that served as their inspiration. Five of those titles will air on TCM this evening: Wuthering Heights (1939), the gothic romantic drama based on the novel by Emily Brontë; Mildred Pierce (1945), the film noir drama based on James M. Cain’s novel; To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), an adaptation of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel; Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), the musical comedy adapted from the book of the hit 1949 stage musical; and To Have and Have Not (1944), a romantic drama adapted from the novel by Ernest Hemingway, who offered contributions to the screenplay along with fellow literary great William Faulkner.

The Articulate Hour
PBS, beginning at 9pm
New Series!
This program explores our complex world through a lens of arts, culture and science, and through conversations with artists, scholars and other great creative thinkers. Back-to-back hourlong episodes air tonight: “Partial Recall,” which delves into the landscape of our past in an examination of human memory, and “Together/Alone,” which discusses how we can balance our innate need to be members of a community with our desire to be alone.

Blue Bloods: “Fire Drill”
CBS, 10pm
Jamie (Will Estes) partners with the FDNY to find the arsonist responsible for a massive fire at an NYPD evidence storage facility in the new episode “Fire Drill.”

Saturday, May 6

Coronation of King Charles III
Various Networks, beginning at 5am Live
Today marks only the second telecast of a coronation! Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 coronation was groundbreaking, as it was the first ever to be televised, and it was watched by 27 million people in the U.K. alone, and millions more around the world. At the time, Prince Charles was the first child to witness his mother’s coronation as sovereign, as Princess Anne did not attend the ceremony, as she was considered too young. Today, King Charles III returns to a familiar ceremony; however, this time the attention is all on him. ABC, BBC America, CNN, FOX News Channel and NBC are among the networks covering the event.

Problem Spaces
Magnolia Network, 2pm; also streams on discovery+
New Series!
This series follows Houston-based DIY designer Fariha Nasir as she takes difficult spaces — odd-angled walls, outdated designs and areas that just aren’t working — and turns them into her clients’ favorite rooms. The series kicks off with back-to-back half-hour episodes.

Horse Racing: Kentucky Derby
NBC, 2:30pm Live
Look for Two Phil’s, Derma Sotogake, Angel of Empire and Forte to be among the top contenders in the starting gate at the 149th Run for the Roses today at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.

Handcrafted Hotels
Magnolia Network, 3pm
New Series!
In each episode of this series, see how hoteliers across America uniquely capture the character, history, nostalgia and charm of their hometowns. Tour these custom stays and meet the artists, craftspeople and designers who provide guests with a one-of-a-kind experience. The series begins with back-to-back half-hour episodes.

NBA Playoffs: Western Conference Semifinals
ABC, beginning at 3:30pm Live
The NBA’s Western Conference semifinals series continues with afternoon and primetime matchups today on ABC.

Into the Wild Frontier
INSP, 6pm
Season Premiere!
This docudrama that chronicles key personalities in exploring and developing America’s frontier areas returns for Season 3. In the premiere episode, after Anne Bailey’s husband is killed by Native Americans, she defies the social norms of the frontier and becomes a horseback courier, risking her life to race through hostile territory delivering vital supplies to isolated forts and settlements.

MLB Baseball
FOX, 7pm Live
Viewers will see either the Boston Red Sox at the Philadelphia Phillies or the Baltimore Orioles at the Atlanta Braves for FOX’s Saturday MLB regional game.

Chasing the Rains
BBC America, 8pm
Series Finale!
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John Frankenheimer directed this epic 1966 sports drama that is one of the greatest auto racing films ever made. Set in the world of Formula One, it follows the fates of four drivers over the course of a fictionalized season that concludes at the Italian Grand Prix. The technical achievements used to bring this world to life make the film a truly immersive experience, and it is as thrilling to listen to as it is to look at (it won Oscars for Best Sound, Best Film Editing and Best Sound Editing). Befitting the worldwide participation and appeal of its featured sport, it also boasts a terrific international cast, including James Garner, Yves Montand, Brian Bedford, Antonio Sabàto, Toshiro Mifune, Adolfo Celi, Claude Dauphin and Eva Marie Saint.

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Former SNL cast member Pete Davidson, who departed the show last year, returns for his first time as host. Davidson currently stars in Peacock’s new series Bupkis, which premiered on the streamer Thursday. He is joined by rapper Lil Uzi Vert, making his SNL debut as musical guest.

The post Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux Star in Watergate Satire ‘White Home Plumbers’ appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

On both: Jacket, shirt, and trousers, Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello; tie by Title of Work. Additionally on Theroux: Jewelry by Bulgari (18K pink gold B.zero1 earrings, 18K pink gold B.zero1 bracelet, 18K yellow gold and diamond B.zero1 rock ring, and 18K pink gold with black ceramic B.zero1 ring).

Mark Seliger

Woody Harrelson is being patient. It’s already early afternoon on a Tuesday and the longtime pot smoker and legal-weed advocate is not high—or, perhaps from his perspective, not high yet. Instead, he’s at a studio in Manhattan with fellow actor Justin Theroux for an Esquire photo shoot, and there are still hours to go in a very long day of press obligations, including an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. A clear mind wouldn’t be the worst thing. But he is keeping a joint nearby. First in his pocket, and then on a paper plate, out of the camera frame. Just in case. Ready for the right moment.

Even as he resists temptation, he manages to stay both philosophical and focused on the task at hand. “You never really can prepare for a day like this,” Harrelson says after a few hours. “I guess.” He shrugs, but an amused smile has spread clear across his face. The 61-year-old TV and film icon, with titles like Cheers, White Men Can’t Jump, and True Detective, knows how to soldier through a media blitz. Draped over his black Saint Laurent suit is a brandless fuzzy bath towel. Hotel slippers on his feet.

Harrelson and Theroux, wearing the same black suit and even the same robe just a few feet away, are promoting HBO’s excellent new Watergate comedy, White House Plumbers, out May 1. Directed by David Mandel, who spent years as a producer and showrunner of Veep, the new limited series retells the story of the infamous break-in from an entirely new vantage point: that of the burglars. Harrelson plays the “mastermind” of the operation, E. Howard Hunt, and Theroux portrays his maniacal comrade in paranoia, G. Gordon Liddy. (Paranoia over what? The threat of communism, most generally, and the dire threat of Democratic senator George McGovern being elected president, most illogically.) It is perversely funny. Hunt and Libby pursue what eventually amounts to four separate attempts to break into Democratic National Committee Headquarters. The show scores extra hard from the delight each actor takes in their role and the fact that, holy shit, this really happened.

Mark Seliger

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After a few different backdrops and a few thousand poses—at one point the photographer asks Harrelson to “relax your mouth” and he goes full slack-jawed, pretending to have fallen asleep—there’s just one shot left. And Harrelson and Theroux are bundling up. It’s a brisk, spring day in New York City, and they will plunge, clothes on, into the nearby hot tub. One problem: The water’s not hot. Not even close. The actors are going to freeze their butts off. “We’ll be glad that we’ve done it,” Theroux says fondly of that time, in the near future, when he’ll be warm again. Harrelson chuckles.

Ideas flow from a variety of set-minders for how to make this dip less uncomfortable. Is there a kettle of hot water nearby? A stack of towels is readied just outside the hot tub. As Theroux accepts a barbecue lighter and his costar submerges, asking, finally, for his joint, the two have everything they need. Theroux, 51, laughs. “Do not inhale!” he shouts comically, out of duty to the duo’s long afternoon still ahead, then sparks the lighter. “Really, do not inhale!” he says again, setting fire to Woody’s joint. Harrelson thanks him by exhaling smoke in Theroux’s face. They both bust out laughing.

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It’s just the latest installment of the Woody and Justin buddy act. A few days prior, Esquire spoke with Harrelson and Theroux by Zoom. Harrelson beamed in from his home in Los Angeles, where he resides when he is not in his preferred base of Hawaii, while Theroux, the star of Apple TV+’s The Mosquito Coast and movies such as The Spy Who Dumped Me, joined from New York. Together, we talked about America’s love of a good second act, sleeping naked on airplanes, a certain viral Saturday Night Live monologue, why you won’t be catching Theroux toking up anytime soon, and the fact that both actors were raised by strong single mothers. This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

ESQ: Justin, how’s your mom doing? The last time you spoke to Esquire you talked about your relationship with her. At the time, she was struggling with Covid isolation and losing her husband.

JT: She’s fabulous. She’s happier than I am. The trait that my mom has, which I admire and I love, is that she’s curious. I can’t walk down the street with her without her pulling on someone’s sleeve and going, “Hey, those are nice shoes.” I don’t chat with people that much. But she zeroes in on people and things and subjects.

ESQ: There was a time after her divorce from your father where she really had to figure out how to support you and your siblings as a single mother. Were you rebellious during that time?

JT: I was resentful that she had made certain choices, but that’s all forgiven now. That was all through the eyes of a six-year-old, a nine-year-old, a twelve-year-old. She used to actually take me to work with her at The Washington Post; she used to stuff me under the desk when I was little. It was that classic, big editorial writers’ room that you see in all the movies with the typewriters, covered in cigarette smoke. I was thinking, Why am I not at my friend’s house or at a soccer game? But at the same time, they’re fabulous memories to look back on, too.

On both: Jacket, shirt, and trousers, Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello; tie by Title of Work. Additionally on Theroux: Jewelry by Bulgari (18K pink gold B.zero1 earrings, 18K pink gold B.zero1 bracelet, 18K yellow gold and diamond B.zero1 rock ring, and 18K pink gold with black ceramic B.zero1 ring).

Mark Seliger

ESQ: Woody, similarly, you were raised by a single mother. This seems like a real through line between your two stories.

WH: [Laughs]

JT: That explains a lot about us, Woody!

ESQ: No, no, I mean this positively. I’ve always enjoyed hearing both of you speak about your moms.

WH: It’s Herculean, what my mom did. The art of being a mother is already an extraordinary thing, but to be a mother who’s working full-time and figuring out how to keep everything going on a relatively small salary—she was a legal secretary, she wasn’t paid much—and all of us had our own eccentricities. You know, I had some problems. I had to be put in a special school that could deal with someone like me. And she managed to make that happen. But I do remember one time reading this letter she wrote to the government about taxes, that what little she had, they wanted. She has a great sense of humor, but you got what a tough, tough situation she was in. I admire her quite a lot.

ESQ: Who was the letter addressed to?

WH: To the U.S. government. One of the last lines was, like, “You’ve taken everything from me. Should I give up one of my chairs? One of my children?” She didn’t say children, but she had a funny term. Anyway, it made me laugh, and it also just made me feel such sympathy.

ESQ: When did some of that anger that, as you say, made you a tough kid at times, start to dissipate?

WH: I still feel anger and rebellion constantly, but now it’s more against the system that exists in our country than it is against a parent. But I started appreciating her more when I was getting towards ten, eleven years old.…Well, I rebelled against this new man she had in her life. I didn’t like him, and it’s too bad, because I really didn’t give him a chance. I took all of his clothes that he had at the house and threw them out on the lawn and then I ran away. I didn’t run that far, so they were able to find me. My aunt talked to me about “You don’t get the sacrifices your mother has made for you.” It was outside of my own little purview. That helped.

ESQ: Your mom created a space where you were allowed to keep the eccentricities that made you you, which has worked out well career-wise. Do you think about that a lot as a dad now?

WH: Absolutely. I want my kids to do whatever is going to make them happy. One works on our farm, and one is going to law school, and then the youngest one wants to be an actress, singer, performer, et cetera. For at least two out of three of those, I’d choose something else, but I love them for wanting to do these things and I’d do anything to support them.

Jacket, shirt, and trousers, Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello; tie by Title of Work; jewelry by Bulgari (18K pink gold B.zero1 earrings, 18K pink gold B.zero1 bracelet, 18K yellow gold and diamond B.zero1 rock ring, and 18K pink gold with black ceramic B.zero1 ring).

Mark Seliger

ESQ: Woody, what’s this I’m hearing about you and your good pal Matthew McConaughey now thinking you may be actual brothers?

WH: Well, it’s very much true. I learned from Ma Mac, Matthew’s mother, that she did have a relationship with my father for a relatively short period of time that coincided with the time that his father and mother were on a sabbatical, and with the time of Matthew’s, let’s say, origination. We haven’t done a test, but there are too many times that I think to myself, My God, the similarities! The things he does, the things he says—just the way he is. I’ve felt that for years.

ESQ: Justin, it looks like this is news to you.

JT: It is news to me! And I’m not going to lie and say that I’m ecstatic about this, because I will also posit this theory, that my father was alive at that same time that Woody’s mother was alive, and I can’t prove or deny that they didn’t know each other in some capacity. So this family tree may be growing before our eyes—and there have been many times where I’ve thought the same thing about Woody, that he’s this abusive older brother. Much older brother. The next time he sets a glass down or a fork, I am going to pair it against my own DNA to confirm what I suspect is the truth.

WH: [Laughs]

ESQ: I’ll be giving you the Esquire mailing address and I expect to see the results.

WH: That would make me happy.

Jacket, shirt, and trousers, Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello; tie by Title of Work.

Mark Seliger

ESQ: Woody, you’ve already released one movie this year, Champions. Now you’ve got White House Plumbers, and a handful of more things on the way. Do you always need to be working?

WH: I like the idea of not working, and it might have to do with my peak laziness abilities. But I like to not work. I don’t know why I do work, ever. In terms of working, I might be a middling journeyman, but in terms of not working, I might be the king of that.

ESQ: You have a very long résumé for someone who apparently enjoys not working.

JT: That’s total horseshit!

ESQ: Has to be.

JT: Can I compliment Woody? I’m not doing this because we’re talking near microphones, but I admire his work ethic in that he doesn’t take it seriously the perfect amount. I can be very high-strung. And Woody, who clearly does put in the work—I don’t want to say he is unprepared—he shows up and it’s like a fog rolling onto set and then the work just starts to happen and then he rolls away. On the weekend he’s on a bike ride and then he’s swimming naked in a pond. I’m making shit up, but he can be on a job and at the same moment be having a full life.

On both: Jacket, shirt, and trousers, Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello; tie by Title of Work. Additionally on Theroux: Jewelry by Bulgari (18K pink gold B.zero1 earrings, 18K pink gold B.zero1 bracelet, 18K yellow gold and diamond B.zero1 rock ring, and 18K pink gold with black ceramic B.zero1 ring).

Mark Seliger

ESQ: Justin, there is something oddly appealing to the way you play G. Gordon Liddy. Same could be said for a lot of your characters, from Allie on The Mosquito Coast to Kevin on The Leftovers to Tom in The Girl on the Train. You root for them despite your better judgment.

JT: It’s more fun to watch when someone’s got complications and flaws, even if the character doesn’t think they have those complications and flaws. I think Liddy would say he’s a pretty straightforward family, 1950s, clean-cut man. I don’t think he realized how eccentric he was.

ESQ: I suspect there was a decent part of your career, before people knew that you had this twisted sense of humor, where you were being pushed in the direction of leading-man roles. At what point did you say, “I gotta prove I’m not the guy for that”?

JT: It was just saying no to the right things and yes to the right things. Look, I think I made a bit of a slower road for myself because I never really had a breakout anything. It’s always kind of been like “Oh, there he is.”

ESQ: You came up with Philip Seymour Hoffman, running in the same New York circles. Talk about a master of portraying dark, twisted personalities. Was that part of your initial bond?

JT: We met doing a play together off-Broadway. He had done Scent of a Woman and a small part in Boogie Nights. He used to live on my street, so we’d see each other quite often and he would come over and I’d have a little stack of scripts. And I’d go over to his house, and he’d have a little stack of scripts. He was always getting these offers for “schlubby loser who opens the movie masturbating,” or whatever. I do remember him looking at my scripts going, “I’d like to get some scripts like this.” And I was looking at his schlubby-loser-masturbating pieces thinking, I’d like a script like that. But he was operating at a different level, earlier on, than any of our peer group. He had that capacity to go incredibly deep, and he was wonderful. Shame he’s not here to do it.

On both: Jacket, shirt, and trousers, Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello; tie by Title of Work. Additionally on Theroux: Jewelry by Bulgari (18K pink gold B.zero1 earrings, 18K pink gold B.zero1 bracelet, 18K yellow gold and diamond B.zero1 rock ring, and 18K pink gold with black ceramic B.zero1 ring).

Mark Seliger

ESQ: Something I found emotional in the series is that you see that Hunt really does feel torn between his politics and the fact that by not breaking with the plan, he fails his family. Woody, in your youth you canvassed for the Republican party. Went to the same college as Mike Pence. Did those experiences help you understand the paranoia Hunt was feeling?

WH: I understand it. And there’s still a fear of communism. We still loathe Russia. There’s still all the concern about the liberal agenda. I get how this mentality develops. I’m really, basically, a little bit of both. There are things that the liberals do that I think, What fucking idiots. And then there’s also conservative ideology that strikes me as odd. I consider myself, really, an anarchist.

ESQ: Do you mean that you believe in no government? Or is it that you do believe in government but you don’t like either side?

WH: Well, I’m probably more of a libertarian. I never see government work. It always seems to be working for the people who got you there. It’s businessmen working for bigger businessmen. It’s not businessmen working for their constituents. I think government just usually sucks…am I wrong? Even the social programs, they do it reluctantly, and they’re just always trying to gobble back what they can from the social programs.

ESQ: I don’t think you’re alone in feeling dismayed. You used to do a lot of public activism, but much of that has gone away. Is that related to these feelings?

WH: Yeah. I feel like they weren’t effective. You climb the Golden Gate Bridge to bring attention to the fact that they’re cutting down ancient redwoods in northern California. Well, so what if you succeed? They’ll go cut the trees down somewhere else. What would really succeed is making paper from some alternative product, something from the farmers…which, of course I did that for fifteen years and it just amounted to a huge waste of money. But I do think there are ways to be proactive about changing things, particularly environmental things. It really involves retooling the society and trying to get in where the problem starts as opposed to trying to clean it up later.

JT: See, this is where me and Woody disagree, because I’m always talking about plastic paper. We don’t have to cut down these redwoods. It’s a crazy idea!

WH: [Laughs]

JT: We make water bottles, we recycle them, we make paper. Then we make some more plastic if we need—I’m joking!

Jacket, shirt, and trousers, Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello; tie by Title of Work.

Mark Seliger

ESQ: Justin, listening to Woody talk about feeling disillusioned, do you feel like you get it?

JT: In different ways. I don’t know. It’s weird. God, I don’t consider myself terribly political. Being in the arts, I’ve been to my fair share of protests and made donations and done letter writing, but now I want to stay out of it and just do my work and hopefully that has an impact. I think, especially when it comes to humor or satire, I can do more if I stay in my lane.

WH: But you have, in your family lineage and in your life, spent time in D.C.

JT: I have. One of the reasons why I don’t think there’s some sort of big deep-state conspiracy is that I’ve been able to see that it’s not this big Oz that’s up there controlling things. Living and growing up in D.C., you realize these are just government workers. You pull the curtain back and people are just pulling small levers. They might be pulling them the wrong way and doing things you don’t want them to do, but the FBI is not a big, cool, dark room with tons of computer screens wrapping around the thing. It’s offices with cubicles and pencil holders.

WH: You don’t think the Dulles brothers were up to any kind of nefarious activities?

JT: They built a great airport. We could go down the rabbit hole, but I’m just not impressed. I agree with Woody on a lot of things. We’ve never really gotten into it as far as whether I’m an anarchist, but I don’t disagree with him about a lot of stuff.

Jacket, shirt, and trousers, Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello; tie by Title of Work; jewelry by Bulgari (18K pink gold B.zero1 earrings, 18K pink gold B.zero1 bracelet, 18K yellow gold and diamond B.zero1 rock ring, and 18K pink gold with black ceramic B.zero1 ring).

Mark Seliger

ESQ: Justin, there’s something I’ve been dying to ask you: Do you truly sleep on airplanes with no shirt on?

JT: This is a wild rumor.

ESQ: Let’s set the record straight.

JT: I said this on the SmartLess podcast, that I had recently gotten a call from my publicist where she said, “A tabloid is asking about you. They’re saying you’re a nudist on airplanes.” It was hilarious. And I was toying with the idea of issuing a statement, something funny like “Look, my body, my choice.” So I’m relaying this story to host Jason Bateman—I said, “Yeah, so I got this thing this week and they’re maybe going to run a story that I go naked on airplanes”—and he goes, “Yeah, but you do go naked on airplanes.” I’m like, “What?!”

WH: [Laughs]

JT: Jason and I had flown from Los Angeles to London on one of those twelve-hour-long flights overnight and he reminded me that after they had shut down all the lights and everything was quiet in the airplane—and we’re in little pods, we’re not in 38J—I had taken some clothes off. I think I took my shirt off and maybe my pants. But I was definitely wearing something under that. And I tucked in and went to sleep.

ESQ: Sure.

JT: Jason came over to me at one point and said, “Hey man, what are you doing?!” He was in the full pajamas—like, the slippers and a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. I’m like, “I’m going to sleep! No one is going to see!” And I had a blanket! So anyway, it was actually correct that I was essentially naked on an airplane, but not really naked.

WH, laughing: But are you missing the part of the story where you went and visited Jason and you were nude?

JT, *really* laughing: I’m missing the part of the story where I poured myself a gin and tonic and took it to the back of the plane and started chatting up other customers. I mean, look, if it’s a long-haul sleeping flight…I’m not going to fall asleep in my jean jacket!

On both: Jacket, shirt, and trousers, Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello; tie by Title of Work. Additionally on Theroux: Jewelry by Bulgari (18K pink gold B.zero1 earrings, 18K pink gold B.zero1 bracelet, 18K yellow gold and diamond B.zero1 rock ring, and 18K pink gold with black ceramic B.zero1 ring).

Mark Seliger

ESQ: Okay, but there is a big range of clothing options between sleeping in a jean jacket and sleeping shirtless.

WH: If I had Justin’s body, never would I put on clothes. I’d wake up in the morning and I’d say, “Well, okay, I’m ready to go.”

JT: You don’t put a tarp on a Ferrari on the street!

ESQ: Neither of you is a stranger to viral moments. How do you both approach reading the comments or engaging with fans and haters online?

JT: The Internet is like this really big high school, and why on earth would you walk around it checking every room and broom closet for the bully to kick your ass? I don’t linger.

ESQ: Justin, you’ve certainly experienced being inside the maelstrom of social-media users theorizing about your personal life, mainly in your divorce from Jennifer Aniston. What’s it like to be on the other side of that?

JT: There’s something to, once you’re out of that, where I want all of my relationships to exist within the four walls of whatever room we’re in. And I’m not trying to be evasive, but I talk to Jen—I don’t talk about Jen. People will always want to gossip and say things, but you have to find that balance. And having been in a public relationship, it’s much more fun not being in a public relationship. Me saying anything, even if it was something loving, it would just turn into a thing. So it’s a classic no-comment situation for me.

ESQ: Woody, what’s your relationship to the Internet?

WH: I don’t read it. It’s like when reviews come out for movies. I don’t look. Well, I did one time. I was in this play in San Francisco with Sean Penn in 2000. At one point, I was stretching in the place that I was renting there and there was an LA Times, and it had a picture of me and Sean on stage. I’d only been hearing, “Oh my God, the critics just love you! You’re going to be so psyched!” Well, it just so happened that the paper was open to the review, and I started reading it. Oh, it just went after me. It fucked me up for at least two, three performances. It’s a poison pill.

ESQ: But does anything ever get back to you, Woody? Like after your SNL monologue this winter that stirred up a lot of controversy. Does that register with you at all?

WH: Well, people told me it was, shall we say, trending. No, I don’t look at that shit. I feel like, “I said it on SNL.” I don’t need to go further with it…other than to say—well, no, I won’t. Never mind. That’s enough.…But it don’t change my life one bit. Not one bit, if the mainstream media wants to have a go at you, right? My life is still wonderful.

JT: I’ve had some real goes at Woody, and I can tell you, he doesn’t give a shit.

ESQ: Woody, you opened the Woods, your dispensary in L.A., last year. Any sense of disbelief, as an advocate for decades for the legalization of marijuana, that selling weed is now actually legal in this country?

WH: It’s surreal. I never thought that marijuana would be legal in any part of the country. War is lucrative, and the war on noncorporate drugs is no exception. So for that to have finally happened is mind-blowing, although the government takes deep cuts. In fact, the California government is destroying the legal side of this. It’s much more lucrative to sell weed illicitly. And customers would rather go illicit because it’s cheaper. It’s all because the government is so fucking greedy—but that shouldn’t take away from the fact that I’m very excited that it’s happening. It’s the most beautiful dispensary ever. I’m in L.A. right now, and I spent hours there yesterday. It’s great to be able to go out and smoke right there in the Ganja Giggle Garden. Justin doesn’t puff. He keeps his mind sharp. He’s very clear.

ESQ: Woody brings up a good point. What are your vices, Justin?

JT: A cocktail at night, occasionally. Weed is one of those things that can go south real fast for me. Like, if I have half of a five-milligram edible, I’ll have some giggles. If I have the other half, it could turn to tears and fears.

WH: Justin starts reaching for it and I’m like, “No, Justin. No!”

JT: It can quickly turn into an ambulance arriving and taking my pulse. [Mimicking a paramedic:] “You’re going to be fine.” Meanwhile, I’ve seen Woody high, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him where he can’t still get higher.

WH, laughing: That’s my vantage point, too!

JT: It’s incredible.

Story: Madison Vain
Photos: Mark Seliger
Styling: Bill Mullen
Grooming: Kumi Craig and DJ Quintero
Editor-in-Chief: Michael Sebastian
Creative Director: Nick Sullivan
Design Director: Rockwell Harwood
Visuals Director: Justin O’Neill
Executive Producer, Video: Dorenna Newton
Executive Director, Entertainment: Randi Peck

Madison Vain is the Digital Director at Esquire; a writer and editor living in New York, she previously worked at Entertainment Weekly and Sports Illustrated. 

The post Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux on ‘White Home Plumbers,’ Watergate, and What’s Subsequent appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.