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What to watch this weekend: ‘The Punisher,’ ‘Search Party,’ Elizabeth Smart Lifetime movie

From Marvel shows to dramatic Lifetime movies, there's plenty to watch on TV this weekend.
 
Courtesy of TBS. Alia Shawkat as Dory in Search Party.
Courtesy of TBS. Alia Shawkat as Dory in Search Party.
Published Nov. 17, 2017

GRIEF AND GUNS: THE PUNISHER

Marvel fans first saw Marine veteran Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) in Netflix's Daredevil series. The brutish anti-hero finally gets his own series with The Punisher, exploring what he did after helping Daredevil (Charlie Cox) defeat the Hand and his bloody stint in prison. In the Marvel comics, Punisher is a character who, well, punishes evil-doers. He's one of the few good guys who actually kills people. The new Netflix series definitely doesn't feel like the others (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage). While the series focuses on defeating the various villains of New York City, The Punisher also delves into Frank's psyche. He's still a man overwhelmed by grief and a want for vengeance on the people who had a hand in killing his wife and children. The new series finds Frank presumed dead and doing mind-numbing hard labor for a construction company. But he can't say hidden long . The Punisher also features the return of reporter Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll, True Blood) and flashbacks to happier times with Frank and his family. Now available on Netflix.

Review: The Punisher packs a punch tackling grief and revenge

PARENTS ARE THE WORST: MARVEL'S RUNAWAYS

No teenager likes their parents, but what if they found out theirs were actually evil? Hulu's new series Marvel's Runaways answers that question with its ragtag group of teens who all find out their parents are actually part of a secret criminal group. "The Pride" is full of mob bosses, time-travelers, dark wizards, mad scientists, aliens and telepaths who are super-villains intent on controlling Los Angeles. The six children of these villainous couples (Rhenzy Feliz, Ariela Barer, Lyrica Okano, Gregg Sulkin, Virginia Gardner and Allegra Acosta) eventually find out they also inherited their respective parents' powers. Their task is now to figure out what their evil parents are after and a way to stop them before it's too late. Runaways is just another in a long list of new TV series based on popular Marvel comics. Midnight Tuesday, Hulu.

WHAT SHE SAW: I AM ELIZABETH SMART

It's been 15 years since the abduction of 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart by religious fanatic Brian David Mitchell. Nine months later, she orchestrated her own escape. The new Lifetime movie I Am Elizabeth Smart documents Elizabeth's (played by Alana Boden) terrifying ordeal from her own perspective. Skeet Ulrich plays Brian David Mitchell with Deirdre Lovejoy as his co-conspirator Wanda Barzee. In 2002, the two kidnapped Elizabeth and brought her to a hilly encampment where they starved her, drugged her, raped her and subjected her to bizarre rituals. I Am Elizabeth Smart aims to show how Elizabeth survived, and with the real Elizabeth Smart as producer and narrator, she confronts the misconceptions about her captivity and escape. 8 p.m. Saturday, Lifetime.

MILLENNIAL SATIRE: SEARCH PARTY

The TBS series Search Party was a breakout underdog during last year's fall season. Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development) stars as heroine Dory in this millennial comedy that blends satire with serialized mystery. Dory and her clueless, meandering friends are stereotypical tropes, and in the first season, they attempted to unravel the mystery behind their friend's disappearance. In the second season, they have literal blood on their hands. Fans will also find out quickly where the bodies are buried. Oh, and that missing friend? She was just hiding out in Canada. 10 p.m. Sunday, TBS.

UPCOMING STREAMING RELEASES

Friday: Longmire final season (Netflix), Mudbound (Netflix)

Sunday: Baskets Season 2 (Hulu)

Wednesday: Godless Season 1 (Netflix)

Nov. 23: She's Gotta Have It Season 1 (Netflix)

Nov. 24: Frontier Season 2 (Netflix), Fences (Amazon), The Big Sick (Amazon)

Nov. 29: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 1 (Amazon)

Contact Chelsea Tatham at ctatham@tampabay.com. Follow @chelseatatham.

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