It's Friday, y'all. We made it. Another week of working from home, social distancing and virtual school in the books. This is week 31.
The temperature here in Boston is getting a little bit cooler, especially at night, which is making for excellent streaming weather. I like to sit in the corner of my couch, under my American Blanket Company fleece blanket, sipping almond tea and watching rom-coms.
As I have every week of the pandemic, I am sharing fresh picks for what to watch this weekend. If you missed any of the previous lists, you can find all of them on my TV recaps page.
In good news (remember good things??), a lot of shows are premiering or coming back in the next few weeks. Here's a look at the ones I'm most excited about:
- Today - Darren Star, creator of Sex and the City and Younger, has a new show called Emily in Paris. Lily Collins stars as Emily, an American who moves to Paris for a marketing job. The show is now available on Netflix (and it's what I'll be watching tonight!).
- Wednesday, October 7 - The Real Housewives of Orange County will be back on Bravo this coming Wednesday. This is the original location of the franchise and I still think it's one of the best. The sixth and final season of Schitt's Creek will also hit Netflix. Big day!
- Wednesday, October 14 - In two weeks, Moneyball, co-starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, comes to Netflix. The movie is based on the Michael Lewis book with the same title.
- Tuesday, October 27 - My aunt informed me that This Is Us is back on NBC on Tuesday, October 27. I wasn't sure how the show would shoot during COVID, but clearly they figured it out. I can't wait to be reunited with the Pearsons.
- Thursday, October 29 - Southern Charm comes back to Bravo! This show has been off the air for so long that I sort of forgot about it. I was planning a trip to Charleston, SC this year (which was thwarted by COVID) so this is as close as I'll get.
- Wednesday, November 11 - The is the premiere date for The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City on Bravo. This is a completely new city for the franchise and the trailers are bananas!
- Sunday, November 15 - Put this date on your calendar, The Crown returns to Netflix! They've released a few photos from the new season, including of actress Emma Corrin, who will be playing Diana Spencer. I am giddy with excitement.
Ok! Now onto this week's top six.
1. The Good Place, Season 4 (Netflix) - I have been waiting and waiting for the fourth and final season of The Good Place to hit Netflix and at long last, it is here. There are 13 episodes. Each is about 23 minutes, except the series finale, which clocks in at 53 minutes.
I am five episodes in and I am already sad it's going to end. Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, Jameela Jamil, D'Arcy Carden and the gang are such a joy to watch.
2. Michelle Buteau: Welcome to Buteaupia (Netflix) - It is well-documented that I'm hard to please when it comes to comedy specials. I compare everything to Hasan Minhaj's Homecoming King.
When I learned that actress and comedian Michelle Buteau would be releasing a stand-up special, I was intrigued. I loved her in Always Be My Maybe, Someone Great and Work It. She's been the sassy sidekick for a while now.
In this hour-long special she takes the stage in a gold sequin suit (love!) and talks about everything from dating to parenting to channeling her inner Beyoncé.
3. American Murder: The Family Next Door (Netflix) - I have no idea why I decided to watch this, since I don't normally like scary things, but I found myself completely sucked into this documentary about the murder of Shanann Watts and her two daughters in Colorado.
I didn't remember this story from the news, but apparently it was covered nationally for quite some time.
The documentary is produced by Netflix and they do an incredible job weaving together police footage, social media videos, text messages and more to create a timeline.
If you like Unsolved Mysteries, this is a very similar vibe.
4. 40 Days and 40 Nights (Amazon) - Remember Josh Hartnett? I forgot how gorgeous he is. That chiseled face! This movie came out in March 2002 (my senior year of high school) and is about a guy named Matt who takes a vow of celibacy for 40 days in order to get over his ex-girlfriend.
Of course, as soon as he makes that decision, he meets someone new. Her name is Erica and she's played by Shannyn Sossamon.
I loved this movie 18 years ago and it's still great. Cute, funny and will make you believe you can meet "the one" in a laundromat.
5. Marie Antoinette (Amazon) - I listened to director Sofia Coppola's interview on the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard this week and they spoke at length about Kirsten Dunst as one of her muses, and the experience of filming this movie in France.
Getting her behind-the-scenes take made me want to re-watch it! You can too on Amazon.
6. Look Who's Talking (Amazon) - This movie came out in 1989 and I remember watching it as a kid. It co-stars Kirstie Alley and John Travolta as new parents who are in totally over their heads. Their son, Mikey, is voiced over by Bruce Willis.
The baby's commentary is amazing. Amazon also has the two sequels: Look Who's Talking Too and Look Who's Talking Now.
There you have it! This week's list. I'll be back next Friday with more recommendations.
*Images courtesy of Unsplash, Film Daily, Entertainment Weekly, Film Daily, New on Netflix, Directed by Women and Mental Floss.
