| | | November 24, 2025 | | 
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A TV series from a film auteur | | Hu Ge in “Blossoms Shanghai.” Criterion Channel |
Dear Watchers,The Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai is one of the most celebrated filmmakers in recent history. Earlier this year, his masterpiece of longing, “In the Mood for Love” (2001), was ranked fourth on The New York Times’s list of the 100 best movies of the 21st century. But it has been over a decade since Wong has released a full-length feature. His last was “The Grandmaster,” about the martial arts legend Ip Man, in 2013. This makes the arrival of “Blossoms Shanghai” hotly anticipated among cinephiles. Created and directed by Wong, the 30-episode series about financiers in 1990s Shanghai debuted in China in 2023. It premieres on Monday at 8 p.m., on the Criterion Channel, with three new episodes arriving weekly. Based on the novel “Blossoms” by Jin Yucheng, the story takes place during a prosperous period in the 1990s after the opening of the Shanghai Stock Exchange. At the center is Mr. Bao (Hu Ge), a suave, enigmatic figure who has risen through the corporate ranks under the tutelage of his wise mentor, Uncle Ye (You Benchang). In the opening moments of the series, set against New Year’s Eve celebrations, someone tries to kill Mr. Bao. As he recovers, a new player pops up on Huanghe Road, the neon-lit thoroughfare where deals are facilitated by the women who run the luxurious eateries. (The food sequences are mouthwatering.) The glamorous and mysterious Li Li (Xin Zhilei) has opened an establishment and hopes to snare Mr. Bao as a client. “Blossoms Shanghai” is sumptuous and doused in vibrant color, and there are Wong hallmarks throughout. These include painterly imagery and erotic tension, particularly between Mr. Bao and Li Li. The score by Frankie Chan, who also worked with Wong on “Chungking Express” and “Fallen Angels,” is occasionally reminiscent of Nicholas Britell’s “Succession” soundtrack. But Mr. Bao wouldn’t stoop to the kinds of crass insults slung by the Roy family. As played by Hu, he is a smooth, gentlemanly figure beckoning you into the politics of a bygone era. Also this week | | From left, Gaten Matarazzo, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin and Noah Schnapp in the final season of “Stranger Things." Netflix |
- A 30th anniversary special for “Everybody Loves Raymond” airs on Monday at 8 p.m., on CBS, and will stream on Paramount+.
- “The Shuffle,” a documentary about the 1985 Chicago Bears’ song “The Super Bowl Shuffle,” premieres on Tuesday at 9 p.m., on HBO and HBO Max.
- A remastered version of the 1995 documentary series “The Beatles Anthology” includes a new episode about the making of the show. It arrives on Wednesday, on Disney+.
- The first four episodes of the final season of “Stranger Things” arrive on Wednesday at 8 p.m., on Netflix.
- The “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” will make its annual appearance on Thursday at 8:30 a.m., on NBC.
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