Every Monday and Friday, Margaret offers hyperspecific viewing recommendations in our Watching newsletter. Read your most recent choices below and sign up for the Watching newsletter here.
This weekend I have … and time, and I am fragile
‘All creatures large and small’
When to watch: Sunday at 9 pm at PBS. (Check local listings.)
When someone in a gentle British period drama begs sincerely for another character to “give the boy a chance,” you know you’re about to make some sweater discoveries. “Masterpiece” is not immune to the mania to restart, and this new adaptation of the memories of James Herriot has all the wisdom and farm charm that one could wish for. James (Nicholas Ralph) finally gets a job as a vet in Yorkshire, where he learns a lot about animals and a little about people. If you are a PBS perpetual or if you are considering incorporating baggy pants into your winter wardrobe, watch this.
… an hour, and I’m fragile in a different way
‘Tiger’
When to watch: Sunday at 9 pm on HBO.
This excellent two-part documentary about Tiger Woods is rich and well-paced and, along with “Last Chance U” and “Cobra Kai”, completes “what’s going on with parents and sports?” so powerful that Freud could well have a show on ESPN. There are a ton of interesting and enlightening details here, but the document is even more intriguing as a meta-textual commentary on sex and gender roles, growth and change, and especially celebrity and intimacy. Part 2 is scheduled for January 17.
… several hours, and I’m a third type of fragile
‘Lupine’
When to watch: Arrives Friday, on Netflix.
For those who just want to let themselves go for a few hours, this animated French drama (in French, with subtitles or dubbed) is a perfect, serious, but not too miserable, intelligent spree in all fun ways. Assane (Omar Sy) is a huge fan of Arsène Lupine, the fictional thief genius created in 1905 by Maurice Leblanc – so much so that he even sets up a jewelry theft. But, like all the best robberies, it is not just a job: it is also revenge. If you like “Sherlock” or if you want something dark, but not violent, from one wall to another, watch this.