Hi friends,
ICYMI: They’re rebooting Party Down, a sitcom that was ahead of time and thusly canceled before it could grow a proper following. But now that their once-unknown leads have become great-knowns, among them Adam Scott and Jane Lynch, the TV gods have granted them another life! Hopefully, it doesn’t devolve into an Arrested Development situation where ballooning expectations were quickly deflated by the nothingness of the reboot.
Speaking of cancellations and reboots, the sitcom Reboot, which I couldn’t stop singing praises about in this newsletter (sorry) was canceled this week. An ironic and deeply infuriating move, but I can’t say I’m surprised. I can only hope it’ll get, well, rebooted down the line.
I won’t keep you—here are the best things to watch this week. Have a nice weekend, everyone.
OUR TOP TV SHOW OF THE WEEK
Cunk on Earth
New on Netflix 🍅 rating: 100%
You may have seen viral videos of Philomena Cunk (Diane Morgan) floating around the internet; the pseudo-documentarist is known to ask actual experts stupid but funny (and sometimes even valid) questions about history that often leave her interviewees stunned and speechless. If you’ve been wondering where to stream full episodes of this mockumentary, I’m happy to tell you that the BBC production is finally on Netflix.
Cunk on Earth consists of five episodes that tackle the history of the world, beginning with ancient civilizations and ending in the Cold War. The brilliance of this show, really, lies in the reaction of the experts and intellectuals who take Cunk’s questions seriously and (amazingly) without breaking. Whenever a smile slowly fades or an exit is attempted is when I laugh the most. Lots have been said about Cunk but “ingeniously idiotic” takes the cake for me.
OUR TOP MOVIE OF THE WEEK
Pamela: A Love Story
New on Netflix 🍅 rating: 100%
I love when a misunderstood woman reclaims her narrative with her own words. That’s why I had nothing but love to give to the Sinead O'Connor documentary Nothing Compares (please see that if you haven’t yet!). That’s exactly what Pamela: A Love Story is too, a tell-all documentary told by Pamela Anderson herself.
The documentary bares it all—the scandalous sex tape, Anderson’s troubled past, the disgusting misogyny that continues to tarnish her career. She even touches on the Hulu miniseries made about her demise (which Netflix must feel so smug about). But this isn’t a pity party. Just the opposite, the documentary is a testament to resilience. “My life is not a woe-is-me story,” Anderson says at one point, and truly, this is an inspiring and humanizing story about a woman taking charge of her own life. An absolute must-see.
Top picks outside of Netflix and Amazon Prime
Imagine if the show Girls was Marvel-ized; that’s kind of what Hulu’s latest series Extraordinary is, but actually good. It has all the trappings of a quarter-life-crisis sitcom—broke 25-year-olds with big dreams and little prospects living under one roof—while also being set in a world where everyone develops a superpower by the age of 18. The British series follows Jen, a late bloomer who has yet to find her power. Having had enough of sucky jobs and boyfriends, she sets out to discover her power in the hopes of finally knowing more about herself. It’s a bizarre premise with an authentic core, and certainly worth checking out. Streaming on Hulu.
Take Me to the River: New Orleans is a thrilling documentary about the coming together of different musicians to make New Orleans the musical and cultural gem that it is. Like any good documentary, it explains the history of the city in fascinating detail and context, and while the editing could be smoother, Take Me to the River is delightful to witness. Your ears won’t be disappointed. Available for rent starting at $4.99 on AppleTV+.
New titles worth your time
You can stream the great films Begin Again, Call Me By Your Name, and The Founder on Netflix again. Apart from these returning titles, the new Mexican series Against the Rope, about a family’s relationship with lucha libre wrestling, is also worth checking out.
Meanwhile, over at Amazon Prime Video, noteworthy new arrivals include the Iranian film Children of Heaven, the searing documentary Food, Inc., the Sean Baker film Tangerine, the ‘70s roadie gem Almost Famous, and the animated Afghan-set film The Breadwinner.
Other gems new on Prime are the TV series The Night Manager, Vera, and season 2 of Harlem.
Great titles that will soon expire
On Netflix, the Bill Murray-starring dramedy St. Vincent expires on February 9, while the hit anime series One Piece leaves on February 11.
Over at Amazon Prime Video, February 6 is your last chance to watch the excellent Danish thriller A Hijacking and the stunning Japanese found-family drama Shoplifters.
That’s all for this week. This edition of the newsletter will be back on Friday, Feb 10.
Till then,
Renee