Quarantine, week 12. Wowzah. I never thought we'd still be in this mode three months later, but here we are. I hope these weekly recommendation lists give you something small to look forward to during a time when so many of the wonderful things we had planned have been canceled.
If you missed any of the previous round ups, you can find all of them on my TV recaps page. Before we dive into this week's picks, here are a few new things to put on your radar:
- Today: The third season of my favorite food show of all time, Somebody Feed Phil, is live! I know what I'll be watching tonight
- Friday, June 5: Season five of Queer Eye will finally be available on Netflix. This time, the Fab Five head to Philadelphia, PA
- Friday, June 19: Padma Lakshmi, host of Bravo's Top Chef, has a new show called Taste the Nation, which will be available on Hulu
Now on to this week's list!
1. Amy Schumer Learns to Cook (Food Network) - During quarantine, comedian Amy Schumer and her husband Chris Fischer are sheltering in place on Martha's Vineyard. Fischer is chef. He worked at Babbo in New York City and eventually became the executive chef at the Beach Plum Inn & Restaurant on the Vineyard. He runs his family's farm, Beetlebung Farm, and wrote a cookbook about the experience of growing his own food. That book won a James Beard Award in 2016 for American Cooking. Basically, he's a big deal!
The show airs Monday nights at 10:00pm on the Food Network. For one hour, Amy and Chris cook and mix up cocktails together. Everything they make looks insanely delicious and, an added bonus, is easy to recreate!
It is well documented here on the blog that I have zero cooking skills, but even I feel confident I could successfully create these dishes. You can find all of the recipes right here.
Amy and Chris are hysterical together and every now and again you get to see their son Gene and their adorable dog Tatiana ("Tats" for short).
There have been three episodes so far, you can watch them on demand. There are five more to go and I can't wait for the rest!
2. Selling Sunset (Netflix) - Adam DiVello was the executive producer for Laguna Beach, The Hills and The City and now he's back with Selling Sunset. The show follows the brokers and agents of the Oppenheim Group, a luxury real estate firm in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, CA.
The broker / owners are twin brothers, Jason and Brett. They only have female agents (who they refer to as "the girls") and all of them are stunning. As you would expect, the heels are high, as is the drama.
One of the agents, Christine, has the most outrageous outfits and hairstyles. In season two, she also has a ridiculous, over-the-top engagement party that includes live zebras.
In addition to the cat fights, the show keeps you hooked with the jaw-droppingly gorgeous LA homes. You will wind up feeling an urgent need for an infinity pool.
Each episode is 30 minutes. There are currently two seasons, eight episodes each. I watched all 16 episodes in one weekend. I couldn't stop!
Season three is set to premiere August 7, 2020. The gossip sites have already reported that the season will include Chrishell's divorce from Justin Hartley, one of the stars of NBC's This is Us (he plays Kevin Pearson).
3. Homecoming (Amazon) - There was a ton of buzz for season one of Homecoming because it was Julia Roberts' first major project in quite some time. She starred as therapist working with military veterans in a pilot program called Homecoming. She became particularly invested in a patient named Walter, played by Stephan James.
James returns in season two, alongside several new cast members: Janelle Monae, Hong Chau, Chris Cooper and Joan Cusack.
This new season begins with Alex (played by Monae) waking up in a row boat. She doesn't remember anything about how she got there. In fact, she doesn't remember anything at all, not even her name.
Episode one begins at the end of the story. Episode two flashes us back to two weeks prior. Then, the story arc over the next six brings us all the way forward to that moment in the row boat.
Each episode closes with an "ah ha!" moment and will make you want to press "next." One tip: they show new information as the credits roll, so watch all the way until the end before moving on to the following episode.
Janelle Monae was fantastic in this part. If there are ever awards shows again, she should be nominated.
4. Battle of the Sexes (Amazon) - Watching tennis in the summer has always been a big deal in my family. My grandfather (my mom's dad) was a huge fan of the sport. If I close my eyes, I can still picture sitting next to him on the couch in their house in Jamaica Plain, listening to the sound of the ball being whacked back and forth, as he has gave me his very strong opinions on each player.
If you enjoy tennis, but you've never seen Battle of the Sexes, now is the time! It's available for rent on Amazon ($3.99). It stars Emma Stone as Billie Jean King and Steve Carell as Bobby Riggs. In September 1973, they play against each other in a match, where Billie Jean is determined to prove women are as talented as men. You can revisit my original review here.
Not only will this movie make you stand up and cheer, it may fill a tiny bit of the live sports void you're feeling right now.
5. Gossip Girl (Netflix) - There was a time I was so into Gossip Girl that I recapped it every week here on the blog. Serena, Blair, Chuck, Nate and Dan were a huge part of my life for six years.
If you didn't watch the show when it was airing live, you can indulge in all six seasons of Upper East Side drama on Netflix. There are so many reasons to tune in - friendship, romance, greed, Blair's headbands.
The experience of streaming the show will certainly be different than it was having to wait a week in between episodes (or a whole summer after a finale). We used to spend the entire week coming up with theories about who Gossip Girl was.
You know you love me. XOXO.
6. Hart of Dixie (Netflix) - Like Friday Night Lights, Gilmore Girls and Parenthood, Hart of Dixie is a show I re-watch in full about once a year. It stars Rachel Bilson (of The O.C. fame), Scott Porter (Friday Night Lights), Jamie King and Wilson Bethel as the residents of Bluebell, Alabama.
Bilson plays Dr. Zoe Hart, a surgeon who finds herself looking for a fresh start. She becomes the center of a delightful love triangle between the town's golden boy, George Tucker and the local bar owner, Wade Kinsella.
All four seasons are available on Netflix. If you've already watched all the Hallmark movies, this will scratch that itch.
There you have it! I'll be back next Friday with a fresh round of suggestions.
*Images courtesy of Unsplash, The New York Times, E! Online, Amazon, Slate, Digital Spy and TV Fanatic.
