On this episode of Why Watch That:

TV SERIES PREMIERE

Mare of Easttown

Website: HBO

TV SNEAK PEEK

Jupiter’s Legacy 

Website: Netflix

MOVIE FIRST LOOK

Stowaway

Website: Netflix

Synopsis: In the near-future, a time when humankind is reaching for the stars, the Kingfisher rocket blasts off from Earth, propelling Hyperion’s MTS-42 for yet-another manned mission to Mars. Leading the team is MARINA BARNETT (Toni Colette), the ship’s commander, on her third and final mission to the colony on the red planet. Joining her is medical researcher ZOE LEVENSON (Anna Kendrick) and biologist DAVID KIM (Daniel Dae Kim), accomplished academics chosen from thousands of applicants who have rigorously trained for a journey that will see them spend two years away from their loved ones. In the course of their safety checks after docking with a miniature space station, Barnett makes a startling discovery: a stowaway. The man MICHAEL ADAMS (Shamier Anderson) is unconscious, his harness wrapped around a pipe attached to the CDRA (Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly) – Life Support. Damaging both Barnett’s forearm and the pipe the situation becomes an emergency. When Adams awakens to realize his circumstances — his sister Ava, who he looks after, is back on Earth alone, and there is not enough fuel to turn back — he gradually accepts the situation and joins the crew in what becomes a fight for their lives.

Release Date: Available via Netflix on April 22, 2021

Directed by: Joe Penna

Screenplay by: Joe Penna and Ryan Morrison

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Daniel Dae Kim, Shamier Anderson, and Toni Collette

Distributor: Netflix

Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Running Time: 1 hour 56 minutes

Rated TV-MA

MOVIE SNEAK PEEKS

The Water Man

Synopsis: Gunner (Lonnie Chavis) and his mother (Rosario Dawson) share a special bond. She supports his daydreaming and artistic pursuits, while his frequently-on-the-road father, Amos (Oyelowo), with whom Gunner shares a strained relationship, has other ideas about where his son’s interests should lie. Gunner and his dad attempt to smooth over their differences for the sake of the family, but when his mom’s sickness worsens, Gunner disappears into stacks of books on both science and the supernatural in search of possible cures. When Gunner and his rebellious friend Jo (Amiah Miller) go missing during their quest into the Water Man’s mysterious forest, Amos must immerse himself in his son’s world to find them and put his family back together.

Release Date: In theaters and via premium VOD on May 7, 2021

Directed by: David Oyelowo

Screenplay by: Emma Needell

Starring: David Oyelowo, Rosario Dawson, Lonnie Chavis, Amiah Miller, Alfred Molina, and Maria Bello

Distributor: RLJE Films

Genre: Adventure, Drama, Family

Running Time: 1 hour 32 minutes

Rated PG

Pink Skies Ahead

Website: MTV VMAs

Synopsis: Los Angeles, 1998. After dropping out of college and moving back home to live with her parents, Winona is diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Skeptical of her doctor’s opinion — she hasn’t had a panic attack after all — Winona carries on with her wild lifestyle. Only when things begin to truly unravel around her, does she reluctantly decide to see a therapist and face her truths.

Release Date: Saturday, May 8, 2021 on MTV and Pop TV as part of MTV’s Mental Health Is Health initiative

Directed by: Kelly Oxford

Screenplay by: Kelly Oxford

Starring: Jessica Barden, Marcia Gay Harden, Michael McKean, Rosa Salazar, Lewis Pullman, Devon Bostick, Odeya Rush, Evan Ross, Henry Winkler, and Mary J. Blige

Distributor: MTV

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Running Time: 1 hour 34 minutes

Rated TV-14