Couch Theater – Betty White Goes Wild!

“Betty White Goes Wild!” (PG) — Everyone’s favorite nonagenarian comedic actress would have reached 100 years old this month, and Disney+ had already planned to re-release her 2013 NatGeo documentary in celebration of the milestone. Now it’s being shown in tribute to a life well lived. In the special, Betty visits two California wild animal parks and spends time learning about all the varieties of big cats. One particularly unexpected and beautiful scene captures her remarkable ability to establish a calm rapport with a roaring lion that had the rest of her crew ducking out for safety. The lifelong animal lover and advocate was truly in her element in this show, and the joy the animals brought her is what makes watching it so pleasurable. (Disney+)

“Somebody, Somewhere” (NR) — This is one of those shows that when you watch the trailer and you just know it’s going to be your jam. Comedian/writer/cabaret performer Bridget Everett plays Sam, a no-nonsense 40-something woman who returns to live in her childhood hometown in Kansas. Experiencing the grief of losing her sister — and sorting through all her sister’s stuff — is just one of the weights bringing her down. By chance she gets acquainted with a former high-school classmate (played by Jeff Hiller) who introduces her to a rogue show choir full of misfits. There she finds a place to fit in and a much-needed reawakening of a dormant passion and talent. (HBO Max)

“Wolf Like Me” (NR) — Need a new series to get into but really don’t want a huge commitment? Try “Wolf Like Me” this week. The new romantic comedy is just six 30-minute episodes, all available on January 13. In it, Josh Gad (“Book of Mormon,” “Frozen”) and Isla Fisher (“Confessions of a Shopaholic,” “The Great Gatsby”) play Gary and Mary, a very newly acquainted couple who meet each other in the aftermath of a car crash. As tends to happen, both bring their own emotional baggage to the relationship; Gary is a widowed single dad, and Mary has some huge secret that is not immediately revealed but promises to be a big deal. Show creator Abe Forsythe has kept plot twists closely held secrets to maintain the element of surprise and promises a cliffhanger ending for every episode. (Peacock)

“Brazen” (TV-MA) — Alyssa Milano is seriously the hardest working woman in Hollywood, barely taking a break between projects, and she’s not slowing down yet. Her latest movie has her portraying Grace McCabe, a mystery writer and crime expert. When her newly divorced-and-struggling-through-a-custody-battle sister is murdered, Grace goes against a detective’s warnings and involves herself in the death investigation (very “Murder She Wrote,” right?). Things get really dicey when it’s discovered that her sister had a secret second life as a webcam performer, which may or may not lead to a suspect. The film is based on the 1988 novel “Brazen Virtue” by Nora Roberts, with a few 21st-century updates. (Netflix)

Photo Credit: National treasure Betty White’s work to be re-released as a tribute on Disney+.
Photo Caption: Deposit Photos

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