Worth Watching: ‘Ultimate Space Telescope,’ Phoebe Robinson’s ‘Trash,’ Thor Swims with Sharks, ‘Five Guys’ on a Date

Special

All the world’s eyes have been on the farthest reaches of the universe this week, when NASA revealed the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope. Ultimate Space Telescope, a very special episode of Nova, explores how this telescope was built and launched, with the goal to give scientists an opportunity to better understand the birth of galaxies and other secrets of deep space. It’s a real-life Star Trek that has captured the globe’s imagination.

Series Premiere10/9c

Don’t even bother trying to slut-shame Phoebe Hill, the creation of freewheeling comedian Phoebe Robinson (2 Dope Queens). She’ll beat you to the punch, and punchline, as the irreverent podcasting voice of Everything’s Trash, the podcast within a sitcom that follows Phoebe’s misadventures as a single lady enjoying sex in the city of Brooklyn. “I’m a messy b—h. That’s why you love me,” is her unrepentant response when her antics get out of hand. But when her more grounded brother (Jordan Carlos), a non-profit lawyer, announces a run for local political office, Phoebe’s foibles could have more damaging consequences. What’s a fun-loving cocoa queen to do? The series opens with back-to-back episodes.

Special9/8c

A highlight of last year’s SharkFest on National Geographic, this rebroadcast is a natural for a prime-time network spotlight, riding the formidable coattails of the release of Thor: Love and Thunder. Chris Hemsworth is in his native Australia studying the science of shark behavior after an upsurge in local shark attacks. With conservationist Valerie Taylor as his guide, the actor takes a deep dive into the world of sharks to learn of new technologies and measures that could help stem human-shark interactions. Followed, naturally, by two episodes of Shark Tank at 9/8c and 10/9c. Meanwhile, original episodes of this year’s SharkFest continue, including Shark Queens (9/8c, National Geographic), a study of the female of the species, exploring whether they or their male counterparts rule the ocean. Followed by Baby Sharks (10/9c), which tracks the survival instincts of newly born sharks as they learn quickly to fend for themselves.

Series Premiere10/9c

Adapted from a hit U.K. dating series, this experiment in made-for-TV real-life romcomedy sends five guys each week into a woman’s home as she embarks on serial dating while the guys fight for attention—and room on the floor to sleep. Over a week’s time, she’ll eliminate the guys one by one until she settles on The One. But as divorcee Mercy announces in the season opener, “If I find the [toilet] seat up again, I’m sending all of them home.” And for heaven’s sake, pick up your socks.

• Dr. Pimple Popper (9/8c, TLC): Dermatologist queen Sandra Lee kicks off a new season with a trio of clients plagued by wildly different skin issues, including one guy with a bump on his head and another with a growth where the sun don’t shine.
• Wellington Paranormal (9/8c, The CW): The New Zealand officers (Mike Minogue and Karen O’Leary) have their hands full when a meteor strike turns a neighborhood watch group into superpowered vigilantes.
• Streaming highlights include the season finale of Ms. Marvel on Disney+, the third season of Hulu’s animated space-alien-on-Earth comedy Solar Opposites, part 2 of South Park: The Streaming Wars on Paramount+ and the Netflix documentary D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?, about the legend of the skyjacker who parachuted into oblivion in 1971 with a fortune in stolen money.