It was a great streaming + TV week, friends. I am energized about all the fall shows coming back and the movies premiering over the next few weeks.
It's pandemic week 33 and we've got 18 days until the election. There has never been a better time for some escapism, am I right?
Before we get into this week's picks, there is so much to look forward to this month and next. Such as:
- Tuesday, October 27 - This Is Us comes back to NBC with a two-hour premiere. I can't wait to be reunited with the Pearsons.
- Wednesday, October 28 - A new holiday movie starring Emma Roberts hits Netflix called The Holidate. You can watch the trailer here.
- 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.
- Friday, October 30 - My favorite gourmand, Phil Rosenthal, returns with season 4 of Somebody Feed Phil. Revisit my review if you haven't seen the show before!
- 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.
Now onto this week's top six!
1. Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: A Schitt's Creek Farewell (Netflix) - In last week's recap, I raved about the sixth and final season of Schitt's Creek, which was, in my opinion, perfect. I was so sad it was over that I was considering watching it for a second time, when Netflix recommended I might like this special.
I gasped! "What is this??" It turns out, the cast and crew filmed all throughout their final season and wrapped it up into a dream, 44-minute package for all of us to enjoy.
The special takes us behind the scenes of the final season - table reads, the first day back on set, and shooting of some of the most memorable moments (Ted & Alexis at Cafe Tropical, the final goodbye outside the Rosebud Motel, etc.).
In addition, we get to see Catherine O'Hara's costume fittings (squeal!) and hear from fashion and style reporters about her looks.
To me, the very best part was getting to see the original casting tapes. Alexis, Ted, Patrick, Stevie, Ronnie, Jocelyn - we get to see clips from all of them.
If you loved Schitt's Creek and you're not ready to part from the Rose family, this will help you cling on a little bit longer.
2. Deaf U (Netflix) - One of my besties sent me the trailer for Deaf U as soon as it was released and I immediately added it to my watch list. It's an eight-episode reality show about college students at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C., which teaches exclusively in American Sign Language (ASL).
I started watching at 9:30pm on a Friday night, thinking I would just watch the first episode and maybe the second. Well, I wound up staying up past midnight to watch all eight at once. Every single episode ended on a cliff hanger and I just had to know what was going to happen.
As a hearing person, I learned a ton watching this show. Cast members talk about the difference between being raised by hearing parents or deaf parents; how your childhood is shaped by whether you attend a school for the deaf or you are mainstreamed; the wide variety of approaches - sign language, lip reading, hearing aids, cochlear implants - it was all very eye opening.
As if that wasn't reason enough to watch, the show is full of drama! Cliques, romances, break ups, gossip - it is juicy! I challenge you not to watch it all in one sitting.
3. Filthy Rich (FOX or Hulu) - After I finished Deaf U, I needed something new to watch and Hulu suggested Filthy Rich starring Kim Cattrall. It airs on FOX and the first three episodes are available to stream.
Cattrall, best known as Samantha Jones on Sex and the City, stars as the matriarch of the Monreaux family, who runs a Christian cable TV network. In episode one, her husband dies in a plane crash, leaving her and her two children to keep the network going.
When it comes time to read the will, they learn he had three children outside the marriage.
This reminds me of Revenge, but give it a Southern drawl.
4. The Real Housewives of Orange County (Bravo) - At long last the OGs of the OC are back! Last week's premiere episode was everything I wanted it to be - an awkward make up between Kelly and Shannon, a good look at Shannon and Gina's new boyfriends, a tour of Braunwyn's new, ostentatious home and another dinner with Emily and Shane where it's completely unclear why they're married.
I did miss the crazy antics of Vicky and Tamra, but I have high hopes for the new cast member, Elizabeth.
5. Judy (Amazon or Hulu) - Last year, when Renee Zellweger won the Oscar for this role, I was sad I hadn't seen it in advance. I was overjoyed it became available to stream and settled into my usual corner of the couch to enjoy watching it.
For those who aren't familiar, the movie is about the final year of Judy Garland's life, where she moves to London to do live shows as a way to make money. Despite her incredible fame as a young woman, in her late 40s, she was divorced multiple times and broke.
Zellweger completely transforms into Garland. Her posture, her facial expressions, the sound of her voice (both speaking and singing). It was truly incredible.
Though the film is sad, the performance is stellar.
6. Hidden Figures (Disney+) - Disney+ continues to be a treasure trove of great movies. I was so happy to see Hidden Figures was available, which I loved when I saw it in the theater.
Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae star in the true story of three of NASA's brightest minds - Katherine Goble, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson.
This movie will make you laugh, make you cry and you won't be able to stop tapping your feet to the great music.
There you have it! This week's list. I'll be back next Friday with a fresh round.
*Images courtesy of Unsplash, Netflix, DCist, Hidden Remote, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Entertainment Weekly and 20th Century Studios.
