Hump day recommendations, Aug. 7, 2024

Watch: “Tehran.” Yes, it’s a bit spooky watching a TV show about battles between Israeli and Iranian spies at this moment, but “Tehran” is a well-acted, continually suspenseful, award-winning series that offers multidimensional characters on all sides. Not surprisingly, seasons 3 and 4 are now on hold thanks to the show’s uncomfortable parallels with the current news. – Willis

Watch: “Laapataa Ladies.” Imagine that your wife gets exchanged on your wedding day. That’s the plot of “Laapata Ladies,” which means “Missing Ladies,” a film directed by Kiran Rao. Set in rural India, the film follows two girls who recently got married. Phool, 16, has never stepped out of her village, and Jaya has just finished high school and wants to continue her studies. While Jaya gets exchanged with Phool at the train station, Phool steps down at a different terminus. Watch this heartwarming film as the two girls survive, one at a train station, and one in an unknown family, while trying to figure out their ultimate destinations. – Suhani

Watch: “1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything.”This docuseries was released several years ago but feels incredibly timely. It’s about the year 1971 and the music it inspired — and how the music of that year shaped the times. So much of what happened in 1971 feels eerily familiar. It was the Nixon era and the height of the Vietnam War. Young people were out in the streets, furious over the war (among other things) and calling for sweeping societal changes. The soundtrack to this series is fantastic, and you’ll probably learn a lot, too. — John