SHOW OF THE WEEK: Normal People (May 27, CBC Gem)

Daisy Edgar-Jones as Marianne and Paul Mescal as Connell in “Normal People.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Hulu via CBC Gem

There’s something to be said for a literary adaptation that makes you eager to watch the next episode even when you’ve already read the book and have a general idea where the plot is going. That’s how I feel about the TV version of Sally Rooney’s bestselling novel of the same name.

Part of that could be down to the fact that Rooney co-wrote the series alongside Alice Birch, a story editor on “Succession,” but the lion’s share of the praise goes to young leads Daisy Edgar-Jones (“War of the Worlds”) and Paul Mescal. 

The book and show follow prickly rich girl Marianne and popular working class bloke Connell as they become secret lovers in high school in Sligo, Ireland, and then weave in and out of each other’s lives at college in Dublin and beyond.

Edgar-Jones and Mescal bring Marianne and Connell to gloriously complicated life, making the bond between them palpable and believable.

This is one of a number of interesting shows coming out of Ireland lately, including “Dublin Murders” (Sarah Greene and Leah McNamara from that series play small but significant roles in “Normal People”) and “Dead Still,” which I wrote about here last week. (To see my Toronto Star story on that show, go to thestar.com and search for Dead Still.)

Space Force (May 29, Netflix)

Steve Carell as General Mark Naird in “Space Force.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Aaron Epstein/Netflix

If you go into this comedy expecting a military version of bumbling boss Michael Scott from “The Office” you’ll be disappointed. Steve Carell, who created “Space Force” with “Office” co-creator Greg Daniels, plays Mark Naird relatively straight. He’s a highly decorated four-star general who’s rigidly devoted to duty, as well as his wife and daughter, but saddled with the daunting mission of putting “boots on the moon by 2024” – a directive delivered by the unnamed U.S. president via Twitter. The comedy is informed by real-life situations – a military space branch created by a president who delivers policy on the fly, a U.S. rivalry with China, a cosy relationship with Russia – that veer off into ludicrousness, such as the method, which I won’t spoil here, by which Naird and his team try to save a satellite that the Chinese have sabotaged. I only had time to screen two episodes and the characters didn’t quite gel for me, including John Malkovich as science adviser Dr. Mallory, Ben Schwartz (“Parks and Recreation”) as social media adviser Tony Scarapiducci, Alex Sparrow (“UnREAL”) as Russian liaison Bobby Telatovich and an underused Lisa Kudrow (“Friends”) as Naird’s wife Maggie. 

Raising the Dead: Re-examining Night of the Living Dead
(May 29, 9 p.m., Hollywood Suite)

Hollywood Suite pays tribute to the movie “Night of the Living Dead” and
to late director George A. Romero. PHOTO CREDIT: Hollywood Suite

If you’re a fan of horror movies and, in particular, the work of zombie godfather George A. Romero, you might enjoy this look back at his seminal 1968 movie “Night of the Living Dead.” In this Hollywood Suite original documentary, film aficionados reflect on how the movie about a zombie invasion revolutionized the genre and established a “zombie bible” for film and TV projects to come. Plus people who worked on the film, including producer and sound engineer Gary Streiner and Kyra Schon, who played child zombie Karen Cooper, reflect on the man himself. The doc will be followed by screenings of “Night of the Living Dead” and Romero’s 1978 followup “Dawn of the Dead.”

Rescuing Rex (May 30, 9 p.m., TVO)

Toronto resident Harrison and his dog Nigel, who was rescued in Texas and brought to Toronto by Redemption Paws. PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of TVO

I’d keep tissues nearby while you watch this documentary, which will alternately break and gladden your heart. It follows two rescue operations, Toronto’s Redemption Paws and Taiwan’s Mary’s Doggies, both of which do the difficult, heart-wrenching work of getting unwanted dogs off the streets or out of overcrowded shelters and into the arms of new owners in Toronto . Yes, the dogs in the doc by Leora Eisen will melt your heart (Nigel, above, was a particular favourite of mine), but the film doesn’t soft-pedal the human cruelty that lands these animals on the streets or in shelters, often after being abused, or the fact that not every rescue has a happy ending. It also airs on TVO June 2 and June 4 at 9 p.m., and can be streamed any time at tvo.org.

Odds and ends

I really wish I had been able to preview “The Walrus and the Whistleblower,” a new doc about Phil Demers, a former animal trainer who was sued for $1.5 million after speaking out about what he saw at the Marineland animal park in Niagara Falls. Alas, I never got a screener, but I’m sure it’s worth watching nonetheless. It airs May 28 at 8 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem as part of “Hot Docs at Home,” as well as on documentary Channel at 9 p.m.

CTV’s “Transplant,” which has become a hit here in Canada and will soon be seen in the U.S. on NBC, ends its first season May 27 at 9 p.m. I interviewed Laurence Leboeuf, who plays the driven Dr. Mags Leblanc, and will post that interview here later this week.

Also this week, two talent competitions begin new seasons on May 26: it’s No. 15 for “America’s Got Talent” (Citytv at 8 p.m.) and No. 4 for “World of Dance” (CTV at 10 p.m.). And if you like watching ridiculously fit people doing ridiculously hard things, Season 2 of “The Titan Games” begins on May 25 (Global at 8 p.m.).