Our Scholars Gang (SchoGang for short) are agog for any movie that stars Mila Veintraub AND Paul F. Tompkins AND Chris Gethard AND Leslie Jones, so Comedy Central is making us very happy with their programming today featuring a movie by The Office writer/co-star Paul Lieberstein pondering a Dunder-Mifflin-esque group of co-workers and how they behaved when COVID-19 thrust them onto Zoom. There’s also a bevy of options for those who love crime investigating–both true and melodramaticized. Given the holiday, there should really be more programs about unions… but there sadly, aren’t.

BRAD’S PICK:
Out of Office [Comedy, 8p]
What if keeping your job meant you had to help your boss save his marriage? So is the premise of this new Comedy Central movie. This film may gather attention because it’s from the executive producers of The Office (Ben Silverman and Paul Lieberstein). You had me at starring Milana Vayntrub. It also feature an amazing cast beyond this including Ken Jeong, Leslie Jones, Paul F. Tompkins, and Oscar Nunez (from that other show). 

KATHERINE’S PICK:
The Murders Before the Marathon [Hulu]
Produced by ABC News, this series examines a 2011 triple homicide in Waltham, Massachusetts. Bungled by the police, journalist Susan Zalkind wonders if the murders could have prevented the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing had it been investigated properly. Police think Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who committed the bombing with his brother, committed the murders. 

JASON’S PICK:
The Bad Seed Returns [Lifetime, 8p]
I’m not generally one to pick a Lifetime movie. Mostly, it’s because the above comedy was taken, but it’s also that I’m a sucker for this… franchise(?). This latest take on William March’s 1954 novel about the world’s worst babysitter was pushed back from May, so probably this is terrible, but if you’re considering watching this, do you really care?! 

BUT, WAIT, THERE’S MORE:

• Being truthful to Orange is the New Black highlight Laverne Cox is probably always a good practice. Grammatically ambiguous titles aside, If We’re Being Honest with Laverne Cox gives the charming actress and model a chance to host some of her famous fellow celebrities for relaxed chats on, logically, E!
• Titles like Murders at the Burger Joint is why we should never write this hungry. Well, as we gain five pounds, we’ll also speculate that this Investigation Discovery special is probably about killings… at a hamburger restaurant. More specifically, it’s about a 1978 multiple murder at a Burger Chef in Speedway, Indiana.
• Adventure athlete (apparently a thing) Jimmy Chin looks into what makes a person look at dangerous, death-defying situations and say, hey, that’s the sport I want in my life. While it’s not our thing, mostly, Nat Geo’s Edge of the Unknown with Jimmy Chin looks quite beautifully shot and could be a unique portal into a niche mindset.
• Acorn is usually not home to movies from the Lifetime-Hallmark Vortex, but we must admit the title Recipes for Love & Murder sounds like it would fit in that universe. As it stands, this new British title is not the new adventure of Agatha Raisin, but expect the same spirit to pervade.