It’s been awhile, but the television and film offerings lately seem to be Very Good!
I really, really enjoyed the Black Twitter documentary on Hulu, especially that it was looking at recent history online through the lens of a powerful community and the people within it. Shana and I are going to review/discuss it here soon, but if you haven’t watched it, I recommend!
I tried watching this series on the 90s – Dark Side of the 90s maybe? It was boring and slow and plodding and dull and I stopped. So I’m looking for something I can half watch, and am very happy to take suggestions!
I checked in with the crew here at SBTB HQ, and they’re all watching neat stuff, too.
Elyse: I binged We Were the Lucky Ones on Hulu while finishing a knitting project. It’s based on a true story, about a family of Polish Jews who were all separated in WWII, but all managed to survive (I believe it was 22 family members in real life but the show focuses on a smaller group).
Amanda: Brian and I are watching season two of Mashle: Magic and Muscles. It’s an anime where this guy is born without magic and gets into a magical school but he’s just really strong, a little dumb, and super wholesome. Villains just wind up being his friends after he defeats them.
Sarah: Oh – based on the recommendation from Julia L in the comments, I watched the first of the Smithsonian’s series on Million Dollar Princesses.
Which led me to the PBS American Experience documentary called The Gilded Age, which talks a lot about the rise of the Labor movement in the US, and the enormous disparity between the wealthy and those in poverty.
It’s eerie to compare that time period to right now.
Tara: We’re one episode away from finishing Dead Boy Detectives and have been really enjoying it. Some of the queer rep is great, but we’re not in love with the sapphic rep. (I can send you spoiler tag info, if you like)
Sarah: Yes please! Spoiler tag info!
Tara: Here you go!
It’s a bury your (extremely problematic) gays situation. We see a side character have a very promising date, only for her to learn that her date is actually her stalker. The stalker chases her around with a cleaver, only to slip and somehow catch herself in the head with the cleaver.
Also, a friend has been nagging me for a few months to watch What We Do in the Shadows and they were so right. The second episode made me laugh so hard I was weeping at one point.
Tara: I love her so much. She might be my favourite.
Amanda: My favorite running joke is how she can’t pronounce the name Jeff.
Sarah: Anyone else have recommendations of things to watch?
Maya: Murder She Wrote!!!
Which obviously is so old, but whatever. Peacock has all the episodes and it’s perfect background watching because it’s a procedural.
Also, Sarah, Bluey is perfect half watching tv. If you aren’t giving it your full attention, then the always excellent work of the composer will carry you through and with all the kid giggles, it’s good vibes only—until you pay full attention to the right episode and then you might start crying.
Sarah: I have heard that Bluey will sucker punch your emotions!
EC Spurlock just sent me this link to the trailer for My Lady Jane, and I’m very intrigued:
Shana: I’m already on my second rewatch of the new season of Bridgerton. I’m sure that surprises no one! (NB: Shana is currently writing about it so get ready to discuss closer to when the second half arrives!)
I’m also finally watching The Flatshare series and really enjoying it. It’s missing some of my favorite characters from the book, and the secondhand embarrassment is tough, but I really like how they fleshed out Leon’s character.
I just finished the new season of Sister Boniface Mysteries and its cheerful irreverence continues to delight me!
Sarah: I’m sorry hold the phone there’s a Flatshare series??
Shana: Amanda mentioned it was coming to the UK years ago but I’d given up hope of seeing it…and then it popped up on Amazon Prime last week!
Sarah: OH MY GOSH. I am so excited!
What about you? Are you watching lately? What do you recommend?
Resident Alien! So funny!! Alan Tudyk is amazing in it. Highly recommended!
Sewing Bee series ten has just started! Adrianne Reviews is good on this, and on the Pottery Throwdown.
Total Boomer stuff, but when we’re not watching baseball, Mr. DDD and I have been working our way through the entire first run of “Perry Mason” (from the late-1950s through the mid-1960s). I love the set designs—especially how socio-economic class can be communicated by something as simple as wall hangings. Lots of skullduggery involving missing wills, deeds to supposedly unprofitable mines, shifty-eyed bookkeepers, and employees who cover up for their bosses. But on the other hand, some unexpectedly relevant topics—such as a female teacher accused of “getting fresh” with her male students (she hadn’t, of course, but the show was good at portraying the toxic combination of lies, bullying, and small-mindedness that can leave an innocent person condemned by public opinion). We also enjoy seeing future stars pop up: Leonard Nimoy was on a recent episode we watched; and not long ago, Ellen Burnstyn (acted under a different name) played the wife of a man accused of murder. And through it all, unflappable Perry Mason and his “confidential secretary”, the smart & ultra-competent Della Street.
After some K-Drama duds I have been watching “Lovely Runner” on Rakuten Viki and it’s an absolute delight.
I am currently binge-watching international versions of The Traitors. I’m nearly finished season 1 of New Zealand, and then I will be watching season 2 of Australia. I like that (unlike the north american versions) they don’t feel the urge to cast a lot of reality show ‘celebrities’ (although I will admit to enjoying seeing Kuzie on my screen again on the Canadian version, and she had the *best* banishment statement).
After that, I may test my French by streaming Les Traitres Canada. And in a first, the same host does both the English and French versions in Canada. Personally, I just want to see some more of her over-the-top outfits.
Most of my watching is YouTube now (mainly sims 4 let’s plays, booktube and CausallyComics). I’m meaning to watch MHA season 7 soon. I also watched all of pokerface on a plane trip recently so looking forward to season 2
Oooh!! I am going to have me some good recs! Thank you very much bitchery!
I LOVED Lapataa Ladies on Netflix. It’s a two hour movie and is in Hindi, but don’t let that deter you. It’s funny, true-to-life-portrayal of the prejudices and issues prevalent, and also immensely uplifting.
Maamla Legal Hai is another absolutely full-of-heart, and funny, and poignant Hindi show that I ended up binge watching AND turning on the subtitles for because even though I am a native Hindi speaker from the Hindi heartland, I couldn’t understand some of the dialects and Urdu used in the dialogues. Again, an uplifting series to watch, and I truly hope there’s a second season!
I also enjoyed Crashing Eid, which was in Arabic, which I don’t understand and had to turn the subtitles on for!
My son and I are also slowly making our way through the animated show Hilda–we love its quirkiness, kindness, and the way it makes you think twice about right/wrong.
And I think STBT is where I first found out about “We Are Lady Parts” about an all women muslim punk rock group in UK, and I just loved the show. Have to give it a shout out because the second season is coming out this Thursday! Also, here’s a link to the interview with the creator that I enjoyed reading so much: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/26/arts/television/nida-manzoor-lady-parts.html?unlocked_article_code=1.vk0.exXy.tG3Knt7LZebb&smid=url-share (sorry, don’t know how to do html tags!)
@Steffi OMG I just finished Lovely Runner and this is now my second favorite K-drama romance (after Crash Landing On You). I was so invested in Sunjae and Sol’s happiness. I highly recommend it to everyone — it’s such a beautiful love story. I was really impressed by the leads, they found the perfect actors for the roles because I can’t imagine anyone but Wooseok and Hyeyoon for Sunjae and Sol. They were perfect.
We watched A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW which was deeply sad & maddening & satisfying. Also the new documentary on The Beach Boys and another on the Blue Angels flight team. Oh, and FATHER FIGURE, a road-trip comedy starring Ed Helms and Owen Wilson which I found not only funny but a good look at social messaging, toxic masculinity, and the value of coming to grips with problematic emotions.
Finally set up to watch Lessons in Chemistry! A must see.
Many years after reading Good Omens, I’ve finally watched mini series and I loved it! Season 1 is for the most part very faithful to the book, season 2 skirts close to fan service, but I’m a fan, so I also loved it (also naked Jon Hamm was an unexpected bonus). Season 3 probably won’t be released until 2026 and that makes me sad.
I also (finally) watched all of Broadchurch (clearly in a David Tennant mood), the first season is great, the other two are good, but get by on the incredible strengths of the leads (Olivia Coleman and David Tennant), but all in all, a really solid, heart wrenching look into what a single murder in a small British town actually does to the people who live there.
@Juhi, Lapataa Ladies was perfection!
@SB Sarah can you edit my previous comment to have the name ProfessionalLurker? Thanks <3
No problem! Done!
Caught up on the first two seasons of Fargo….and watched Bridgerton season 3 twice. I really enjoyed The Holdovers, Nyad, the new True Detective (both leads are amazing), and Masters of the Air. I’m finishing Under the Bridge which was good but not great. Next up: new season of Hacks — such a great show.
@Juhi – A new season of WE ARE LADY PARTS this week??!!! YAY! Thank you!
Extraordinary- hilarious show about a woman who never gets her superpower (everyone else gets one at 18). Season 1-2 are on Hulu. Awesome!
THE FLATSHARE?! Series, you say?
An unflinching and sobering binge is Netflix’s TURNING POINT: THE BOMB AND THE COLD WAR. My reactions were yikes and we will never learn, completely riveting.
Ooh… after watching season 3 of Bridgerton I finally went back and watched Queen Charlotte and I actually love it more than Bridgerton! It was so satisfying, especially the additional Lady Danbury backstory.
I just started the k-drama Hotel del Luna on Netflix. I’m in my horror-comedy phase right now (both reading and watching) and it was recommended on SBTB in the Horror Romance rec league. I’ve never taken the time to get into k-drama before, but I think this might be my gateway. Crash Landing on You and Its Okay to Not be Okay seem to be the most loved (and easily available), but I’ll take any other suggestions.
The other show I recently finished watching with the whole family was the UK Ghosts. I absolutely adored it, and it’s so much funnier and more poignant than the US version. It was also beloved by me, my husband, our teen daughter and our 9 and 11-year-old sons. Not too many shows get all of us excited to watch together.
I don’t have streaming anything, so I’m usually re-watching something I’ve seen many times on DVD. I just finished the first season of “The L Word” last night (again) – this show is a complete frothy fantasy, especially considering how rarely the characters seem to be at work in super-expensive L.A., but I think that’s why I enjoy it. I like seeing people who have time for relationships and drama because they don’t spend most of every day working. Also, Jenny is terrible. She is the worst. She’s a liar and a cheater. She’s this manic pixie angsty weirdo queer awakening girl who tries to be deep but just ends up being obnoxious and trite. The absolute worst. Hating her is fun.
Had a friend visiting for the holiday weekend and we found the 2019 series American Princess on Tubi (originally Lifetime). Manhattan lady catches her fiancé in flagrante just before their wedding and runs away to the local Renaissance festival to rethink her life. There is a lot of adult humor, FYI. My friend and I really enjoyed it!
Wait, there are people who haven’t watched BLUEY?!! Or watch it as background?!!! This is seriously THE BEST show. My godgranddaughter is a big fan. Sure, they market it as a kid’s show, but it is truly a love letter to the world. I can not tell you how many times I have dragged myself home from a crappy day at work and found my faith in humanity restored after a half hour of BLUEY episodes. Even the ones that make you tear up (Onesies, nuff said).
Anyone watching the assorted Hairy Bikers’ cooking shows? Delightfully unpretentious. I especially enjoyed the Bakeation and Route 66.
@ DonnaMarie (& everyone) – I call Bluey episodes “8 minute anti-depressants”.
Also, the opportunity to learn Aussie terms is a sweet bonus (a Pavlova dessert is quite the meringue-y treat, and a fluffy is – well, you’ll just have to catch that ep.). And I never, ever get tired of Dad’s dance moves in the opening.
It’s a shame that Disney Jr. surrounds Bluey episodes with really awful American, terribly animated crap. The difference in quality and entertainment value is stunning.
Count us as another Bluey fan! 8 minutes episodes of anti-depressant is exactly it!!
Also wanted to mention All Creatures Great & Small, the 2021 version. It is gorgeous!!
I recently discovered His Dark Materials on Max. Dafne Keen is a fascinating actress to watch as Lyra. And Ruth Wilson’s Mrs Coulter is so deliciously evil!
Midsommer Murders on Ovation. Yeah, there soooooo many commercials, but it’s fine. I’ve seen most of the episodes already, so I pick and choose. You can see Olivia Coleman, Henry Cavill and Orlando Bloom before they were stars. Note, some of the storylines haven’t aged well and the new episodes have gotten reeeeeeeally gory.
I don’t have any streaming services or internet at home, so I mostly watch movies and TV shows from my own DVD collection or borrow them from the library. I just finished rewatching the first season of “The L Word” yesterday. It’s such a frothy fantasy show – these characters have tons of time to hang out and go out and have relationship drama and most of them rarely seem to work, despite living in a very expensive city. Jenny is still the absolute worst.
Otherwise, it’s been the 1995 BBC P&P on repeat or the Hunger Games movies.
I just started watching the BLACK TWITTER doc on Hulu and am only on episode one, but I am enjoying it so far. It seems to be doing a good job of hitting early seminal moments. And I am especially gratified that it does a segment on Scandal which was the reason I joined twitter.
THE ONES WHO LIVE – Rick and Michonne!! Not only have I watched it through twice, I went down a rabbit hole on youtube to watch reaction videos. There is one youtuber who takes the best reactors and compiles them into one. And he did it for all six episodes on the show. It was like watching the show a third time but with company! There were grown, tough men choked up at the end of that series. So happy. And it was basically a post-apoc romance novel. It hit every beat a good romance novel hit. Rick and Michonne give Kate and Curran energy in that show. Two alphas, who together are unstoppable.
That took me on a sci-fi/romance trajectory which took me to a FRINGE re-watch. I am halfway through season 2.
That gets a little heavy/trippy so I break it up with something lighter, EUREKA which I LOVE. I am just about halfway through season 3 of that one. One of the few shows that does an alternative timeline/show-reset just right.
@TinaNoir A Fringe rewatch is always a good idea. It’s one of those series that I can dip into at any time if it happens to be on (see also: Buffy, Quantum Leap and Stargate SG1). Fringe can also be classified as romance, for those of you who have never seen it, although it’s definitely a slow burn!
I have been watching the new adaptation of Rebus. On the BBC in the UK and I assume it will make it’s way into other territories. It’s got the backing and input of the author, Ian Rankin, and stars Richard Rankin (no relation) of Outlander fame as the titular cop. It’s nicely dirtied up with excellent characterisation of a conflicted but essentially good man. Scenery’s pretty good too….
Bridgerton natch.
My sister and I have been absolutely devouring Taskmaster since February. It’s literally impossible to feel sad while watching it and has been a much needed salve to a tough year. The horror we felt last Friday when we were totally caught up and realized we had to wait a WEEK for the FINALE.
Outside of the odd rerun, I avoided Little House on the Prairie because the books were formative if incredibly problematic but out of morbid curiosity I put the show on. It sure is a fascinating artifact of the 70s and yet… I’m still watching.
Delicious in Dungeon is a charming anime that’s part D&D adventure, part cooking show, two things I adore.
This is finally going to be the summer I watch the Sopranos.
Excited for the next episode of Delicious in Dungeon tomorrow. I’ve read the manga, and I THINK we might be getting to the Senshi’s Tragic Anime Backstory episode, which I am really looking forward to.
Aside from that, I’ve been sick so I’ve mostly been falling asleep in front of Midsomer Murders. Wake up, put on episode, fall asleep somewhere around the second corpse, repeat. I have no idea who dunnit.
On Hulu we’ve been watching The Glades, a cop show that doesn’t get gritty or gory, Modern Family for warm-hearted goofiness, Ghosts UK and Animal Control for more sweet humor, and MythBusters – always entertaining. Also lots of veterinarian shows on Disney plus and Hulu. Critter Fixers is our favorite!
Been binging a Dungeons and Dragons group on Youtube lately. Found the group Questkeep on instagram, fell for their homebrew world Altero. Now I’m deeply invested in their newest campaign, Eat, Slay, Love.
Mom and I are currently watching the British TV Series Thriller which was broadcast in the 1970’s. Even though the name is so nondescript, we’re really enjoying it, and we think the twists in each episode help the series live up to it’s name. Each episode is self-contained, but I think they might be in the same universe, and like @DiscoDollyDebb’s rewatch of Perry Mason, it’s been fun for mom to see who she recognizes when watching. This is the first time watching for both of us, although she was a teen when this first ran so she could have watched then and probably would have enjoyed it. We’re watching on Prime.
My partner and I are watching “Murder She Wrote” because it is the perfect blend of cosy and procedural right now. We’re also watching so-called season 10 of “The X-Files”, but dare I say I am missing Doggett and Reyes, which I am aware is heresy. I also whine until we skip anything to do with the alien storyline, which I am well aware is also heresy but I don’t care 😛
I’ve been watching WOULD I LIE TO YOU?, a fun British panel show. Panelists read out claims about their life and others question them to guess whether it’s true or a lie. It’s of course mainly a framework for funny people and their guests to say funny things. I love the moments when you can tell one of them (especially one of the regulars) really appreciates another’s joke.
I just finished season 5 of Star Trek Discovery (so sad it’s over), and over the last month watched the latest season of Call the Midwife, the last season of The Great, got caught up on Doctor Who (watched all the specials and are now into the new season), and finally watched all of Ted Lasso.