What to Watch This Week: May 10 to 15

From heroic first responders to ruthless winners at war, we round up the top 10 shows to watch this week

1. I Know This Much Is True – Sunday, May 10, 8 p.m. & 10:35 p.m., HBO Canada | Series Premiere

When a story opens on such a graphically intense and uncomfortable moment as the one in I Know This Much Is True, it’s hard to imagine many reasons to keep watching, but in the television adaptation of Wally Lamb’s best-selling novel, watching Mark Ruffalo depict a mentally ill man at his lowest point as well as how far a twin (also played by Ruffalo) will go to support his brother is every reason to keep your eyes glued to the screen.

In the hands of Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines director Derek Cianfrance, Lamb’s novel about brotherhood, mental illness and forgiveness becomes a six-hour exploration of the murky depths of an American family and its secrets.

2. Insecure – Sunday, May 10, 9 p.m. & 11:35 p.m., HBO Canada

Issa’s long-planned—and very important—block party finally comes to fruition… with a few surprises. Meanwhile, Tiffany gets a chance to take a baby break, Molly does her best to set aside a grudge and Kelli “entertains a gullible new boo.”

3. The Rookie – Sunday, May 10, 10 p.m., CTV & ABC | Season Finale

In the second episode of a two-part season finale, Nolan’s discovery goes much deeper than he ever expected and could put his life and career in jeopardy.

4. Barkitecture – Monday, May 11, Quibi | Series Premiere

Bachelorette alum Tyler Cameron and designer Delia Kenza head up the first-ever home design series devoted to canine clientele. Each episode finds the hosts working with obsessive “doggie parents” to build ridiculously opulent doghouses that redefine the notion of sitting in the lap of luxury.

5. 9-1-1 – Monday, May 11, 8 p.m., Global & Fox | Season Finale

Let’s all ring the bell, because it’s safe to say that Ryan Murphy has done it again. The mastermind behind such series as American Horror Story, Feud and Glee is also the producer of this outlandish first-responder drama and its spinoff, 9-1-1: Lone Star, proving that great storytelling is key to the success of any series—no matter what the genre. As this singular procedural wraps up its third season of bizarre, occasionally gruesome cases, fans can rest assured that there’s more story coming down the pike; in April, the broadcaster announced that both this show and Lone Star have been greenlit for new seasons, further bolstering Murphy’s status as one of the most powerful and prolific people in showbiz.

6. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy Vs. The Reverend – Tuesday, May 12, Netflix

It’s been more than a year since Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt ended its four-season run, but fans of the beloved comedy (created by 30 Rock‘s Tina Fey and Robert Carlock) are in for a treat this week.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend will see Kimmy (Ellie Kemper) face off once more against Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne (Mad Men‘s Jon Hamm), the lunatic cult leader and founder of Saviour Rick’s Spooky Church of the Scary Apocalypse, who kidnapped Kimmy and three other women and held them captive for 15 years.

This one-off episode will feature an interactive twist, using the same kind of choose-your-own-adventure gimmick that Netflix utilized in the groundbreaking 2018 Black Mirror: Bandersnatch episode. As a result, viewers will get to guide Kimmy’s choices throughout, with different outcomes occurring based on the decisions made.

7. The Happy Days of Garry Marshall – Tuesday, May 12, 8 p.m., ABC

When Garry Marshall died in 2016 at the age of 81, he was known predominantly for his work as a director, having helmed such films as Pretty Woman, Beaches and many more cinematic blockbusters. Not that these movies aren’t a fine legacy to leave behind, but prior to his theatrical exploits, Marshall first made a mark in primetime, having brought us big small-screen hits like Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy. This new special assembles an array of Marshall’s family, friends and cohorts both in front of and behind the camera to honour the man and tell their favourite anecdotes about working with him.

The guest list includes Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Richard Gere, Julie Andrews, Anne Hathaway, Chris Pine and more.

8. Survivor – Wednesday, May 13, 8 p.m., Global & CBS | Season Finale

Survivor is at an end again. And as usual, it’s ending with a supersized finale. Something that’s not quite so usual, thanks to the coronavirus, is this year’s post-finale reunion special. Starting at 10 p.m., for the first time ever, the contestants will assemble virtually, via the miracle of technology, to dish on and bicker about the season that was.

9. Celebrity Ghost Stories – Wednesday, May 13, 7 p.m. & 11 p.m., A&E | Season Finale

Taye Diggs fans are certainly used to seeing the actor on screen and stage, or even in a hosting gig thanks to two straight years emceeing the Critics’ Choice Awards. Tonight, he’s putting on a different guise: hunting ghosts with psychic-medium Kim Russo in the seventh-season finale of this spooky A&E original.

10. The Blacklist – Friday, May 15, 8 p.m., NBC; 9 p.m. Global | Season Finale

Family drama has been the name of the game for this espionage series, and between Red fooling Liz, Liz fooling Red and everyone’s true identities remaining ever a mystery, it’s gotten confusing, to say the least. Here’s hoping for more answers than new questions when the seventh season wraps this week.