If you had told us seven, maybe even five years ago that John Cena would be one of our favorite working actors by 2022, we’d… well, we’d be at least mildly surprised. His quirky DC superhero gets its own series with James Gunn directing. And he’s just one of the stars you can see on your small (or perhaps relatively large) screen today in something new.

BRAD’S PICK:
Peacemaker [HBO Max]
John Cena’s take on the less than iconic DC character in The Suicide Squad was one of the best things about the film. And James Gunn isn’t done. Over the course of the pandemic he wrote a miniseries and both John Cena and HBO liked the idea. Over the top violence and an eagle named Eagly, what more could you ask for? Maybe an amazing opening credits sequence? Well, it’s got that too.

JASON’S PICK:
Wolf Like Me [Peacock]
First off, I’m there for anything that takes its title from my third most favorite TV on the Radio song. The creators of this rom-ish-com-ish (but also sci-fi-ish) series starring Josh Gad and Isla Fisher promise it’s “genre-bender” and recommend going in blind. So this is all I’m going to say about this.

FIONA’S PICK:
The Challenge All-Stars 2 [Paramount+]
Tonight our top All Stars are headed to the final! Will Nehemiah finally pull out the win? Will Janelle’s back be able to hold up long enough to make it through the physical challenges? Will Jonna and MJ surprise everyone and pull out a win? Time to find out. 

KATHERINE’S PICK:
Deadly Ex Next Door [Lifetime, 8p]
A woman happily moves to a cabin on the lake only to find her neighbor is the woman who stole her partner (and they’re married now!)… and is possibly lurking in the woods.

BUT, WAIT, THERE’S MORE:

• Alyssa Milano takes some time off from bravely trying to save democracy from itself (and a certain political party who seem hellbent to go full autocrat) to act in Brazen. The Netflix thriller features the Charmed star as a mystery writer who becomes embroiled in her own intrigue (don’t they always) when her sister, after summoning her to visit, dies and a secret is revealed.
• Netflix also brings us a pair of imports with banal names. The Journalist is from Japan and if we tell you it’s a thriller, that should give you a good idea of what it’s about–which is not to say its bad. Also a thriller of sorts, the Indonesian flick Photocopier follows the student Suryani as she tries to escape the web of a high school photo that has sent her life into a spiral.
• Those so-bleeping-funny animated animals return yet again for another season of Madagascar: A Little Wild on Hulu/Peacock. If you are unfamiliar, it’s the baby versions of the characters from the 2005 film.

• The latest reality dating show’s twist is the addition of offspring to the mix. My Mom, Your Dad takes single parents nominated by their charges to be transported to a well-appointed home where they will date the other parents as their kids watch and it’s hopefully not as creepy as that sounds. It’s on HBO Max.
• Take this show, replace the parents and children with internet-savvy teens and you pretty much have the idea behind Next Influencer, where the drama seems less about the content creators’ creations than about how the attractive people pair up romantically. Its third season debuts on Paramount+ today.
• While we’re not sure if when Jared Padalecki plays dodgeball, the balls dodge him or if in the beginning, he roundhouse kicked nothing and told it to get a job, but we are sure that his version of the famous Texas Ranger show Walker returns tonight on The CW. Famous “jokes” aside, Padalecki’s politics are better than his predecessor in that we have no idea what his politics are.