Folks are hunkering down at home this weekend as the coronavirus pandemic forces us to give each other more personal space — and fewer handshakes. Plus, professional sports leagues, Broadway theaters, museums and other entertainment venues are grinding their schedules to a halt in an effort to stem direct contact.
Thankfully, there’s plenty to take one away from the coronavirus chaos on a homebound screen near you. Here are a few suggestions to keep you, your family and friends occupied as everyone rides out germ-agedddon.
“Gentefied”
Available on Netflix
Now’s the time to binge this 10-episode comedy, executive produced by America Ferrera (“Superstore,” “Ugly Betty”), that traces the hardships faced by a Mexican-American family in LA whose taco restaurant is threatened by the invasion of gentrification. With an audience score of 87% and a 90% critics rating (IndieWire calls it “charming”) on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s a relatable reminder of the power of positivity in all of us.
“Avengers: Endgame”
Available on Disney+
This final, three-hour blockbuster in the Marvel franchise offers near-perfect escapism, buoyed by plenty of action and emotion mixed in with messages of hope, determination, camaraderie and resurgence. Can’t ask for much more than that right now, can we?
“Big Time Adolescence”
Available on Hulu
Controversial “Saturday Night Live” cast member Pete Davidson plays Zeke, a 20-something pot-smoking slacker who stays friends with — and serves as an unfortunate role model for — the younger brother of his high school ex-girlfriend. Davidson is basically playing an even more troubled version of himself — one hopes — and will make you at least temporarily forget about the coronavirus chaos swirling around us and focus more on how good your own life choices have been.
“Friday the 13th”
8 p.m. Friday on SyFy; also available on Amazon Prime
With coronavirus fears saturating our brains, it’d be understandable if you didn’t even realize today is Friday the 13th. Well, here’s your reminder: Check out this classic, campy 1980 slasher spectacular about a serial killer who has it out for a bunch of randy teens — including one played by a then-boyish Kevin Bacon — at a spooky summer camp. There will be blood. (It will be followed at 10 p.m. by the 1981 sequel, “Friday the 13th Part II.)
90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days
8 p.m. Friday on TLC
Catch a new, two-hour episode today of the franchise spinoff that follows multinational couples who have three months to wed under the provisions of a K-1 visa. The official description says the episode includes “a bumpy start,” “a life-changing decision” and “a shocking discovery.” And these folks aren’t even married yet! Good times.
“Amazing Stories”
Streaming on Apple+
Two episodes are available so far from Steven Spielberg’s science-fiction anthology reboot, which dropped more than three decades after the original series. The newest episode, titled “The Heat,” centers on a couple of best friends “whose bond transcends the physical world as they follow their dreams after tragedy strikes.” It features E’myri Crutchfield (“Fargo”) and Tony-nominated actress Hailey Kilgore (“Once on This Island’). Also, stay tuned: Next week’s episode, premiering Friday, March 21, will feature actor Robert Forster, who died in October 2019 at age 78, in his final TV role.
“Twilight” marathon
Saturday on Freeform
Who says vampires only come out at night? Fill your Saturday with glittery, sexy vampires — including Robert Pattinson’s Edward, who hooks up with vamp wannabe Bella, portrayed by a dour Kristen Stewart — in the adaptations of the best-selling series of books by Stephenie Meyer. The marathon kicks off with “Twilight” at 11:30 a.m., followed by “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” at 2:30 p.m., “The Twilight Saga” eclipse at 5:40 p.m., “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1” at 8:40 p.m. and “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 2” at 11:20 p.m.
“All the President’s Men”
8 p.m. Saturday on Turner Classic Movies
The gripping 1976 film, depicting the Watergate controversy that took down President Richard Nixon, landed four Oscars, including one for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Jason Robards as Washington Post Editor Ben Bradlee. It also features Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as young, hungry journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
“More Funny Women of a Certain Age”
10 p.m. Saturday on Showtime
Need some laughs? This standup yuck-tacular, filmed at the Bell House in Brooklyn, is a followup to the 2019 special and features another lineup of female comics offering “uninhibited, outrageous comedy,” according to the network. Hosted by Caroline Rhea (“Sabrina the Teenage Witch”), it includes sets by Emmy nominee Carol Leifer (“The Larry Sanders Show,” “Seinfeld”) and transgender comic Julia Scotti (“America’s Got Talent”).
“Westworld”
Season 3 premiere 9 p.m. Sunday on HBO
“Breaking Bad” alum Aaron Paul joins the Season 3 cast of the sci-fi as a Caleb, a construction worker who is pulled into radical robot Dolores’ (Evan Rachel Wood) orbit when she abandons the fake, violent Old West and ventures into the real world. The show’s futuristic bend — if not its troublesome robots — will give you hope for a post-coronavirus world.