What to Watch the Week of March 17: Apple TV+’s Palm Royale Will Provide All the Summer Style Inspo You Need

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I haven’t been able to stop talking about Palm Royale since I first watched an advanced screener of the Apple TV+ series last fall, so I’m thrilled it’s almost out in the world for you to see (only a few more days, as it premieres this Wednesday, March 20).

The cast alone is worth signing up for Apple TV+ if you don’t already subscribe. For a refresher, it stars Kristen Wiig (brilliant in this role), Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Carol Burnett, Ricky Martin, Josh Lucas, Leslie Bibb, Kaia Gerber, Julia Duffy, Mindy Cohn, Bruce Dern, and more. They could all sit there and say nothing, and I’d still watch.

But thanks to a hilarious, off-the-wall scripts from showrunner, executive producer, and writer Abe Sylvia, all the aforementioned actors get to do their thing, and boy do they go for it. Add in the most glorious costumes, stunning hair and makeup, and breathtaking visuals, and you have the most exciting new series of the year. (Also, might I add, all the style and decor inspiration you need for summer.)

Until Palm Royale premieres, we have the newest episode of The Bachelor on Monday night, which is the Women Tell All. Aside from the WTA that aired during The Golden Bachelor’s inaugural season, I’ve never been too keen on these standalone specials that drudge up all the old news drama, but the good news is we’ll finally see the conclusion of last week’s episode. That means we’ll see more of Joey and Kelsey’s conversation as well as who he’s going to pick for the final two. My money’s on Kelsey and Daisy—but then again, ABC keeps saying if we think we know what happens, we don’t. So…stay tuned, as they say.

If you’re looking for something new to watch tonight, then I highly recommend the PBS Masterpiece series Alice & Jack, which stars Andrea Riseborough and Domhnall Gleeson. It’s a fascinating and frustrating case study in relationships, and I was all in after the first episode. Meanwhile, Call the Midwife also returns tonight (season 13!), so PBS is truly where it’s at this Sunday evening.

Finally, if you binged Peacock’s Apples Never Fall over the weekend, then check out my conversation with author Liane Moriarty and executive producer/showrunner/writer Melanie Marnich about all the changes from the book to the TV adaptation.

On that note, happy Selection Sunday and St. Patrick’s Day. I’ll see you back here next Sunday to preview The Bachelor finale and more.

Sunday, March 17Masterpiece: Alice & Jack (PBS): Here’s the synopsis for this highly addictive limited series: When Alice (Andrea Riseborough) and Jack (Domhnall Gleeson) first meet they’re bound by a connection so powerful it seems nothing can break it, but will their path lead them to a place of happiness and togetherness? Or will life and their own emotional complexities get in the way? Honest, intimate, and surprisingly funny, the series shows love in all its unexpected, technicolor, kaleidoscopic beauty. Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education), Aisling Bea (This Way Up), and Sunil Patel (Love at First Sight) also star. 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT on Masterpiece on PBS, the PBS App, PBS.org and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel

Call the Midwife (PBS): The British drama returns for its 13th season. We pick up in 1969, with Poplar coping with the popularity of home births under the auspices of the Sisters. The new season will also see stories of poor housing challenges and health issues for the nurses, midwives, and nuns of the Nonnatus House. Sundays, March 17 thru April 21, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS app.

Monday, March 18The Bachelor: Women Tell All (ABC): After tonight, only one more week until the finale. Remember, if you think you know what happens, guess again! (Well, at least that’s what ABC keeps telling us.) 8 p.m. ET/7p.m. CT and streaming the next day on Hulu

Photographer (National Geographic): The six-part docu-series from award-winning filmmakers Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi gets up close and personal with the the world’s most extraordinary visual storytellers. Ever wonder how photographers got their start? You’re in luck because each hour-long episode follows the life of an iconic photographer from their childhood and career beginnings to their present-day life and endeavors. 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT and streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.

An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame, and the Weight Loss Revolution (ABC): Oprah Winfrey hosts a sit-down conversation around the radical impact of prescription weight loss medications in this primetime special. “It is a very personal topic for me and for the hundreds of millions of people impacted around the globe who have for years struggled with weight and obesity,” Winfrey said in a statement. “This special will bring together medical experts, leaders in the space and people in the day-to-day struggle to talk about health equity and obesity with the intention to ultimately release the shame, judgment, and stigma surrounding weight.” 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT, and streaming the next day on Hulu

Wednesday, March 20Palm Royale (Apple TV+): The most visually-stunning series since The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Kristen Wiig should be a lock for the Emmys thanks to her hilarious portrayal of Maxine Simmons. Here’s the synopsis: “Palm Royale follows Maxine Simmons as she endeavors to break into Palm Beach high society. As Maxine attempts to cross that impermeable line between the haves and the have-nots, Palm Royale asks the same question that still baffles us today: ‘How much of yourself are you willing to sacrifice to get what someone else has?’ Set during the powder keg year of 1969, Palm Royale is a testament to every outsider fighting for their chance to truly belong.” Streaming weekly

Thursday, March 21NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament (CBS, TBS, TNT, TruTV): Who will be this year’s Cinderella story? And which number one seed will fall first? The best four sports days of the year start today. Noon ET/11 a.m. CT/9 a.m. PT

Diarra from Detroit (BET+): The eight episode series follows a schoolteacher who refuses to believe she’s been ghosted by her rebound Tinder date. Her search for the missing man pulls her into a decades-old mystery involving the Detroit underworld. As the case unfolds, her co-workers, friends, and lovers become unlikely allies as she falls down a dangerous rabbit hole. Diarra Kilpatrick stars as Diarra, and Morris Chestnut stars as Francois a.k.a. “Swa.” Streaming

Road House (Prime Video): Based on the motion picture screenplay by David Lee Henry and Hilary Henkin, the new iteration of Road House stars Jake Gyllenhaal in the role made famous by Patrick Swayze. Basically, ex-UFC fighter Dalton (Gyllenhaal) takes a job as a bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse, only to discover that this paradise is not all it seems. Billy Magnussen, Jessica Williams, Conor McGregor, and more star. Streaming

Friday, March 22Immaculate (Neon): Sydney Sweeney produces and stars in this edge-of-your-seat thriller. She plays Cecilia, an American nun of devout faith who embarks on a new journey in a remote convent in the picturesque Italian countryside. However, the warm welcome she receives quickly turns into a nightmare. The run-time is only 89 minutes, but your heart may not be able to take much else. In theaters

Shirley (Netflix): Regina King stars as trailblazer Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman in Congress who also ran for United States president in 1972. Lance Reddick, Lucas Hedges, Terrence Howard, and more also star. Streaming

Saturday, March 23Shifting Gears (Hallmark Channel): Katherine Barrell (Good Witch) and Tyler Hynes (Three Wise Men and a Baby) star in Hallmark’s Spring into Love original movie, which also marks the directorial debut of Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe. (Lowe is the first participant in Hallmark’s Make Her Mark Women’s Directing Program. Here’s the logline: After mechanic Jess (Katherine Barrell) reluctantly agrees to participate in a car restoration show, she is shocked to learn that her ex-boyfriend, Luke (Tyler Hynes), is her main competitor. 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT

Jessica Radloff is the Glamour senior West Coast editor and author of the NYT best-selling book The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series.