Chet Hanks, of All People, Is the Breakout Star of Netflix’s ‘Running Point’

This week:

• The Oscars could actually be good this year.

• Chet Hanks, actually amazing actor?

• My new The Traitors queen.

• The internet is not being kind to Katy Perry.

• New favorite comedy scene.

Chet Hanks, Breakout TV Star

I tuned into the new Netflix comedy Running Point because of how much I like its stars.

Kate Hudson’s sparkling charisma cut with bitter sarcasm is my entire life vibe, and it’s a treat to see her showcase it across 10 episodes of a series. Drew Tarver’s hilariously self-loathing performance on The Other Two is an obsession of mine. Plus there’s Justin Theroux, Max Greenfield, Brenda Song, Jay Ellis, and more—an entire roster of actors who elicit a reflexive “oh, hey, I love them!” response when they show up in a project.

But Chet Hanks? This performance, specifically his likability in this show, took me by surprise.

For the uninitiated, Hanks is the son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, whose celebrity presence is polarizing, to say the least. He’s a self-appointed “black sheep” of the Hanks family whose career has been dotted with as many controversies as projects on his IMDb resume. He also has a catalog of rap music. The songs are…interesting.

He’s also, apparently, grown into a remarkable character actor.

Running Point puts his reputation to great use, casting him as an insufferable, ego-driven basketball star on the show’s fictional version of the Los Angeles Lakers: an athlete and aspiring rapper who peacocks with juvenile misogyny and lack of respect for authority. Of course, Running Point is a 10-episode series, so that initial introduction to his character—which, to be fair, is quite humorous in its own right—grows into a much more complicated portrait of a broken guy struggling to break free from his arrested development.

Hanks is undeniably a highlight of Running Point. Who’d have guessed?!

A New Queen Rises

It seems that every week on The Traitors, a new cast member emerges from the shadows to be the episode’s reigning star. There was admiring the deviousness of Boston Rob, then admiring the hunky charm of Dylan Efron. Carolyn Wiger delivered one of reality TV’s all-time great speeches. And now, perhaps unexpectedly, it’s former Bachelor Nation star Gabby Windey who emerged from the ashes of certain doom like a poised, underestimated phoenix.

We don’t want to spoil too much, but if you watched, you know that her performance at the most recent roundtable was as epic as it gets on the show—not to mention featuring maybe the most shrewd gameplay of the season.

Gabby, I wasn’t familiar with your iconic status. I’ve been corrected.

They’re Sending Who to Outer Space?

Katy Perry is among the utterly random roster of notable women who are heading to space and, oh my, Katy, I hope someone has deleted the internet from your phone. If not, you may want to stay up there, because it’s brutal.

I Guffawed at This Abbott Moment

Abbott Elementary continues to deliver some of the best comedy on TV. Case in point, this recent scene, in which Sheryl Lee Ralph’s Barbara got absolutely roasted by one of her youngest students. Guest Emmy nomination for this tiny diva.

What to watch this week:

The Last Breath: You won’t believe that this is a true story. (Now in theaters)

Running Point: We celebrate Kate Hudson, and we celebrate breezy, watchable comedy. (Now on Netflix)

Beyond the Gates: The first new soap opera in 26 years! (Now on CBS)

What to skip this week:

Riff Raff: Why are so many famous people in this very bad movie? (Now in theaters)

Love Is Blind: The more I read about this new season, the more I feel like we need to end this show. (Now on Netflix)