This weekend I have … a half-hour, and I love zingers.
‘Praise Petey’
When to watch: Friday at 10 p.m., on Freeform.
Petey (voiced by Annie Murphy) is a New York fashion girlie whose long-lost father has left her an odd inheritance: the cult he founded and led. Now it’s her turn at the helm, and she finds she likes being revered, even if the small-town vibes take a little getting used to. The show has the quick banter of “Harley Quinn” and the entertainment industry digs of “The Other Two”; it’s more like “Solar Opposites” than any of the teen-centric shows on Freeform. Two episodes air each week.
… three hours, and I want a grounded drama.
‘Pure’
When to watch: Now, on Amazon.
Marnie (Charly Clive) is like a lot of recent TV heroines: smart and depressed, a little stuck, living in London and struggling to find her way after college. She also suffers from intrusive and unwanted sexual thoughts — a nonstop X-rated ticker in the back of her mind that leaves her feeling poisoned and isolated, especially before she learns this is a form of O.C.D. “Pure” is not a misery parade, though; the characters are funny and the show is bouncy and vibrant, serious but not self-serious. If you like “This Way Up,” “Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope” or “Extraordinary,” try this.
… a few hours, and I like when things are the same but different.
‘Miracle Workers’
When to watch: Now, on Max (Seasons 1-3) and the TBS website (Season 4).
Season 1 of this inventive, absurd anthology comedy is set in a bureaucratic afterlife; Season 2 in the dark ages; Season 3 on the Oregon Trail and the current season in the “end times,” a warped desert where humanity scrounges for existence following “the boom.” But this is a snarky postapocalyptic world, one with all the same social anxieties we have now, like a New Yorker-cartoon version of “Mad Max.” Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Buscemi return, now playing a warrior who’s trying to settle down and the junkyard baron who gives him a job. “Miracle” is smart and surprisingly whimsical, a tricky blend but magical when done right. The show has the inglorious distinction of being the last live-action scripted show on TBS, so enjoy it while it lasts.