TV: ‘Ponies’
We’ve been inundated with spy shows for the last little while. What makes this new one (on StackTV) delightful are its leads: widows-turned-operatives Beatrice and Twila, portrayed with verve and wit by Emilia Clarke of “Game of Thrones” and Haley Lu Richardson of “The White Lotus.” However unlikely it might seem, the women are parachuted into 1970s Moscow, where it’s hoped their gender — and hence their status as “persons of no interest,” the ponies of the title — will make them invisible to the KGB, including menacing agent Andrei Vasiliev (Russian actor Artjom Gilz). — Debra Yeo
Movie: ‘The Rip’
You know we’re living in a strange new world when a movie starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (and Golden Globe winner Teyana Taylor) with a reported $100-million budget goes directly to Netflix without any theatrical play and little advance promotion. And it turns out to be good. Like, really good. The leads play members of an elite Miami police squad that stumbles on $20 million hidden in a cartel house. Is there a traitor among them? What do you think? Writer-director Joe Carnahan (“Narc”) nimbly handles the potentially confusing reveals and stages a few unbearably suspenseful sequences. What a nice surprise. — Doug Brod
TV: ‘WWE Unreal’ and ‘WWE Monday Night Raw’
I confess to a deep-seated obsession with wrestling docuseries, so I was elated when WWE gave a peek behind the kayfabe curtain with “WWE Unreal” (Netflix), which shares the ups and downs of pro wrestlers along with how the promotion crafts their legendary storylines. Tune in to the new season for behind-the-scenes access to stars like Seth Rollins and Canadian Chelsea Green. Want more wrestling action? Monday’s “WWE Monday Night Raw” takes place right here at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena and airs live on Netflix. — Briony Smith
Music: Third Reprise’s ‘Memory’
I thought I could go the rest of my life without having to listen to yet another cover of “Memory,” the 11 o’clock, tear-down-the-house solo from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats.” Then I heard Third Reprise’s R&B and soul-inspired rendition, featuring the incandescent Amanda Barise, with a voice that summons the spirits of Aretha Franklin and Etta James. It’s “Memory” sung as if Grizabella, no longer that haggard feline shunned by her community, is instead a lioness with a roar that could silence the African savannah. This cover was the gateway drug that led me to discover the brilliant work of the New York ensemble that serves up genre-bending twists to classic Broadway showtunes. Be sure to also check out their funk cover of “What I Did for Love” (from “A Chorus Line”) and their pop-rock version of “I’m Not That Girl” (from “Wicked”). — Joshua Chong
