What to watch: Stormy Daniels pleads her case in intimate documentary

When asked to describe herself near the top of this documentary, adult film star Stormy Daniels is blunt. “I’m the idiot who can’t keep her mouth shut,” she says. Daniels never comes across as an idiot. But the film, produced by Minnesota-born Erin Lee Carr and directed by Sarah Gibson, does paint her as a naive victim of politicians, lawyers and journalists. Daniels doesn’t get a free pass; it’s easy to infer from the film that she only fooled around with Donald Trump in hopes of securing a spot on “The Celebrity Apprentice.” And she’s less than charitable toward her third husband. But this is mainly a sympathetic portrayal of a figure who won’t be going away anytime soon. Monday, Peacock

Mankato-raised filmmaker Jimmy Chin and his wife, E. Chai Vasarhelyi, the team behind “Nyad” and “Free Solo,” kick off this docuseries about top-notch photographers with a tribute to Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier, a couple following in the footsteps of Jacques Cousteau. Even those not interested in their climate-change mission will be dazzled by up-close-and-personal shots of sharks and stingrays. Future episodes shine spotlights on the fashion world’s Campbell Addy and science enthusiast Anand Varma. 7 p.m. Monday, National Geographic.; Tuesday on Disney+ and Hulu

Those who already idolize Simon won’t learn much about his past in this two-part documentary, although it’s always fun to see clips from his “Graceland” tour and revisit his bickering with Art Garfunkel. There are so many moments from “Saturday Night Live”
that you’d swear he was once a cast member. The only fresh twist is footage that director Alex Gibney gathered from the recording sessions for “Seven Psalms,” in which Simon sweats the smallest details while struggling with hearing loss. 8 p.m. Sunday, MGM+

Wisconsin gets a “Chef” season before Minnesota does, and the state makes the best of it with a tantalizing opening course. In the first episode, competitors take over Milwaukee’s Lupi & Iris restaurant to see who can whip up the best soup and chicken dishes. Future episodes will take place in Madison. Despite the setting, there is only one Wisconsin chef in the mix — and no Minnesotans competing. 8 p.m. Wednesday, Bravo; Thursday on Peacock

This is yet another Frida Kahlo biography that’s more fascinated by her personality than her paintings. You can sort of see why. Kahlo’s story, which includes a near-death bus accident and numerous affairs with celebrities, is engrossing. But you never get to fully appreciate her artworks, often jazzed up here with animation reminiscent of Terry Gilliam’s work for Monty Python. Prime Video