What to watch this week: Black Doves season 2 lands overnight, Prime Video's Muhammad Ali series is out, and Bass X Machina is on Netflix

Black Doves, season 2 (Netflix, Thursday)

All six episodes go up at midnight Pacific, which is 3 a.m. Eastern Thursday, so it'll be waiting when you wake up. Keira Knightley is back as Helen, the politician's wife who has spent years quietly spying on her own life for the Black Doves, and Ben Whishaw is back as Sam, the assassin who is the closest thing she has to a friend. Sarah Lancashire returns as Reed, the woman who runs the operation, and Andrew Buchan as Wallace, Helen's husband. (Netflix Life, Wikipedia)

The setup this time: Wallace is preparing to become Prime Minister, Reed becomes a target, and Helen and Sam end up back together on the same problem. That alone raises the stakes, because Helen's cover only works as long as nobody looks closely at the woman married to the most watched man in the country. New this season are Ambika Mod, who was so good in One Day, and Neve Campbell, along with Sam Riley and Sylvia Hoeks. Joe Barton still writes it. If you liked the first season for the dialogue between Knightley and Whishaw more than the shootouts, that's the reason to come back. If you haven't seen season one, it's six episodes and it holds up; watch it first.

The Greatest (Prime Video, out now)

Prime Video put out all eight episodes today. Jaalen Best plays Cassius Clay and then Muhammad Ali, with Omari Hardwick as his father and Giovanni Ribisi as his trainer, Angelo Dundee. Ben Watkins created it, and Lonnie Ali, his widow, is an executive producer, which is why Amazon can call it the first authorized scripted series about him. Michael B. Jordan's Outlier Society and Roc Nation are among the producers. (Amazon, TVLine)

Authorized cuts both ways. It means access to the family and the story told with care, and it also means you shouldn't expect it to be hard on him. What I'm curious about is how much time it gives the years outside the ring, the draft refusal and the three and a half years he lost at his peak, because that's the part of his life that still matters most and the part that's easiest to rush through to get to the fights.

Bass X Machina (Netflix, out since Tuesday)

This one came out Tuesday with very little noise. It's an adult animated steampunk Western from LeSean Thomas, who made Yasuke and Cannon Busters, animated by Studio Mir. Brian Tyree Henry voices Bass, a lawman inspired by Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves, the real Black lawman who arrested thousands of outlaws in Indian Territory in the 1800s and whose story got buried for a century. Henry is also an executive producer. Janelle Monáe and Tati Gabrielle are in the cast. If you like animation that's made for adults without leaning on shock, give the first episode a try. (What's on Netflix, TV Insider)

Also out this week

• Stick, season 2 (Apple TV, today): the first two episodes, then weekly.
• All's Fair, season 2 (Hulu and Disney+, today): the first three episodes.
• Taken: Natalee Holloway (Netflix, today): a three-part documentary.
• Mike Tyson: Return of the Mike (Netflix, since Tuesday), which pairs oddly well with The Greatest.
• North of North, season 2 (Netflix, Thursday).
• Awkwafina: The Unlikely Cook (Apple TV) and Funny Money: The Dane Cook Story (Netflix), both Friday.
• It Gets Worse (Paramount+, Friday), a new Showtime series.
• City of God: The Fight Rages On, season 2 (HBO Max, Sunday).

(TV Insider's November guide)

In theaters Friday

The wide openings are The Cat in the Hat, the animated version, which is the family pick; Godzilla Minus Zero, the follow-up to Godzilla Minus One, which is the one I'd actually go out for; Wild Horse Nine from Searchlight; Ramayana: Rise of a Legend; and Drummer Boy from Angel. A24's Club Kid and Apple's Being Heumann open in limited release. Theater dates can still shift by a week, so check your local listings before you buy. (Box Office Mojo)

If you only have time for one

Black Doves. It's six episodes, it's all out at once, and it's the best written thing on this list. Save The Greatest for the weekend when you can watch a few in a row, and put Godzilla Minus Zero on the calendar for a theater with a good sound system.

Verified November 4, 2026, from Netflix Life, Wikipedia, Amazon, TVLine, What's on Netflix, TV Insider and Box Office Mojo. Streaming times are US; Bass X Machina's episode count wasn't listed anywhere I could confirm.