'Jim Gaffigan: Pale Tourist'
Most comedians will open their sets with a few local jokes before sliding into road-tested material. Gaffigan goes one step further in this two-part special, dedicating his entire sets to whatever country he is performing in. Poutine takes the place of Hot Pockets in Canada; for his stint in Spain, he's got a hilarious bit about paella. What could have been just a stunt becomes a verbal feast. Tourism boards may shudder; everyone else will have a blast. Amazon Prime
Asleep at the Wheel
Ballrooms and dance halls may be temporarily closed but that doesn't mean you can't swing dance. Clear some space, grab your mate and crank up the computer to this dazzling band, livestreaming from Star Hill Ranch in Austin, Texas. Celebrating their 50th anniversary, these Western swing kings feature founder Ray Benson — a COVID-19 survivor — and co-lead vocalist/fiddler Katie Shore. It's at 7 p.m. Saturday, with on-demand for another week. $16, livestream.asleepatthewheel.com
'Akeelah and the Bee'
She's a meme and a star of movies for grown-ups ("Hustlers") but Keke Palmer may never top her childhood work as the title character in this sweet winner, in which a demanding coach (Laurence Fishburne) guides a girl's efforts to make it to the national spelling bee. For extra awesomeness, Angela Bassett plays her not especially supportive mom. Amazon, Hulu, iTunes, YouTube
'Late Night With Seth Meyers'
The talk-show host deserves all the accolades he gets for his stinging monologues — no one does a more withering impression of President Donald Trump — but the former head writer for "Saturday Night Live" can be engaging even when he's not talking politics. The new Seth Meyers Channel on NBC's recently launched Peacock streaming service features a continuous loop of his greatest moments, including reviewing "Game of Thrones" with Leslie Jones and day drinking with Rihanna, that will give you just the buzz you're looking for. Peacock
'Creative Black Music at the Walker Art Center'
While the rest of us were busy sorting our sock drawers, Walker Art Center curators were digging through their vault to create this bold and bracing multimedia project. The Walker has made a point of presenting cutting-edge Black musicians since 1963, when it brought sax colossus Sonny Rollins to town. This new archive includes video and audio of concerts by such jazz titans as Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor and the Art Ensemble of Chicago as well as renegade composer Julius Eastman and even poetry by Amiri Baraka: "we are not meant to be slaves/ it is a detour we have gone through and about to come out/ the tradition of gorgeous africa blackness/ says to us fight, it's all right, you beautiful/ as night …" walkerart.org/living-collections-catalogue
'Freedom Riders'
Stanley Nelson's superb documentary is a terrific way of honoring the legacy of John Lewis, who passed away last week. It pays tribute to the future congressman and other brave young Americans who boarded buses in May 1961 and ventured into the belly of the beast in the Deep South. Their stories get more and more painful as the journey goes on, reminding us of their often undervalued contributions to changing this country. Not to be missed. PBS is currently making this 2011 film available for free streaming. tpt.org
'Too Funny to Fail'
"The Dana Carvey Show's" decision to open with a scene of Bill Clinton breast-feeding dogs may have killed its chances for mainstream success in 1996, but the ABC comedy series stuck around long enough for the industry to notice cast members Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell. The two giants look back at their time on the cult classic with fondness and good humor in this fascinating documentary about how creativity is no match for network standards. The show's executive producer, Robert Smigel, and former ABC Entertainment chairman Ted Harbert also weigh in. Hulu
'The Twelve'
If we've learned anything from watching European TV dramas, it's the similarities of their spare, neutral-hued institutional spaces, and the general moodiness of everyone in the E.U. Is this Spain? France? Germany? Sometimes it's only the language that gives you a clue. It's mostly Dutch in the courtroom-drama series "The Twelve," because it's a Belgian production. The titular dozen are the jury members assembled to judge a controversial case and, of course, each has their own dramatic back story. It's not as if "Belgian TV" has any special reputation for American audiences, but Netflix's previous offering, the apocalyptic sci-fi miniseries "Into the Night," was ridiculously entertaining, and this solid, steady 10-ep series might make it two-for-two. Contains nudity and European damp angst. Netflix
Live at the Village Vanguard
America's oldest jazz club, New York's 85-year-old Village Vanguard, has been livestreaming concerts. There is a choice program this weekend with Ron Carter's Golden Striker Trio. Having played on more than 2,200 recordings, jazz titan Carter, 83, is the genre's most-recorded bass player. He'll be joined by distinguished guitarist Russell Malone and pianist Donald Vega. 8 p.m. Fri. & Sat. $10, villagevanguard.com
'Motherless Brooklyn'
It didn't make much of a splash last fall but Edward Norton's handsome melodrama is worth checking out as it debuts on HBO. The story is reminiscent of "Chinatown" — corruption in the planning of a big city (New York here), doomed romance, the lives of little people swept away by the rich. Fans of Jonathan Lethem's popular novel will note massive changes, but the re-creation of '50s-era Brooklyn is impressive, the new plot is absorbing, the cast (including Norton, Cherry Jones, Leslie Mann and Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is stellar, and the nonstop bebop on the soundtrack really sets a mood. Amazon, Apple TV, HBO
