Stream: What to Watch this Weekend

Hello, friends. Happy Friday! I have Monday off for President's Day, so I am thrilled to be heading into a long weekend. 

There is so much good TV coming our way - movies too! Here are a few things to look forward to: 

  • Today - The third and final installment of the To All the Boys I've Loved Before is now available on Netflix. I am watching tonight with two friends (in my pod) and I couldn't be more excited. 
  • Wednesday, February 17 - This is a big day. The Real Housewives of New Jersey return to Bravo and Good Trouble comes back to Freeform. I have missed both of these shows terribly! 
  • Wednesday, February 24 - I follow Scott Porter on Instagram (Jason Street from Friday Night Lights and George Tucker from Hart of Dixie) and he shared that a new show he's in is coming to Netflix next month called Ginny & Georgia. It seems like a Gilmore Girls-type story of a young mom and her teenage daughter. 
  • Monday, March 1 - Crazy Stupid Love co-starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone hits Netflix. I love when these older rom-coms become available. 
  • Tuesday, March 16 - Michelle Obama's new cooking show, Waffles and Mochi, debuts on Netflix. It's for kids, but I will still be watching. Chef Samin Nosrat is featured, who I absolutely adore. 

Now onto this week's top picks. 

1. Framing Britney Spears (Hulu) - The New York Times produced a documentary for FX and FX on Hulu about the media scrutiny around Britney Spears throughout her career and the conservatorship she has been under for the past 12 years. The documentary is only one hour and 15 minutes, but it has made a huge impact, going viral on social media. 

Framing Britney Spears

In addition to clips of Spears' performing and being interviewed by giants like Diane Sawyer and Matt Lauer, are interviews with journalists, culture critics and attorneys who specialize in conservatorships. While no one from the Spears family participated, Britney's chaperone of nearly a decade, Felicia Culotta, did agree to share her story. 

I was excited to see Wesley Morris as one of the talking heads. He wrote for The Boston Globe for many years and now reports for The New York Times and co-hosts the podcast Still Processing

While none of this information was necessarily new, looking back on it now, nearly 20 years later, it's clear the microscope Britney Spears was under and how that dramatically altered the course of her life. Spears is actively challenging her father's role as her conservator and it seems that the groundswell forming around this documentary may help her to make a strong case for herself. 

If you haven't watched this yet, I highly recommend it. 

2. Firefly Lane (Netflix) - Last Saturday, I was searching for something new to watch and the number one show on Netflix was one I hadn't yet heard of called Firefly Lane. It's based on the book series by Kristin Hannah, that tells the story of two best friends, Tully and Kate. 

The girls meet in middle school, when Tully and her mom move in across the street from Kate and her family on Firefly Lane. Young Tully is played by Ali Skovbye (who is excellent) and Beau Garrett from Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce plays her mother, Cloud.

Adult Tully and Kate are played by Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke, respectively. They are polar opposites, but their life-long friendship always brings them back to each other. The show covers so many topics - dating, marriage, children, family drama, careers, losing a pet - the full gamut. 

Each episode jumps back and forth between present day and the years when the girls are in middle school, college and their first post-grad jobs. There are many amazing 1980s fashion, hair and makeup choices. 

Firefly Lane

Season one ended on a bit of a cliff hanger, so I hope they get green lit for season two! I must know what happened (those who have already watched know what I'm talking about). 

In the final episode, the song "This Woman's Work" plays, which has been making me cry since its famous scene in Love & Basketball with Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan. 

3. The Sinner (Netflix) - One of my best friends has been encouraging me to watch The Sinner for quite a while. I was resisting because I didn't feel in the mood to be scared (isn't the pandemic scary enough?!). But this week, I decided to finally start it. 

There are three seasons so far, each with eight episodes. The show stars Bill Pullman as detective Harry Ambrose. He has a knack for reading people and refuses to give up on cases until he's certain every stone has been turned. 

In season one, Jessica Biel co-stars at Cora Tennetti, a young woman who violently murders a young man on her town's beach. Detective Ambrose is convinced she's not a killer and there's a deeper explanation behind this violet outburst. Biel was nominated Golden Globe, Emmy and Critic's Choice awards for this performance. 

The Sinner

In season two, a young boy (13) poisons two adults he's traveling with, sparking an investigation into his life and the cult he's been raised in. I found this season much more terrifying than the first. 

Pullman is great in this role. He reminded me a bit of David Tennant in Broadchurch. If you like suspenseful murder mystery shows, this will definitely reel you in. 

4. All American (The CW) - All American is back for season three! I feel like The CW didn't promote this at all. I happened to stumble upon it will setting my DVR. If you are unfamiliar, this show centers around two rival, high school football teams in Los Angeles. 

Daniel Ezra plays Spencer James, the league's star player, and Taye Diggs plays his coach. My favorite character is Spencer's childhood best friend, Coop, played by Bre-Z. 

All American

If you loved Friday Night Lights, this helps to fill that void. The show airs Mondays at 8pm ET or you can watch it on demand. 

There you have it! This week's recommendations. I'll be back next Friday with a fresh round. 

*Images courtesy of Unsplash, Marie Claire, Hello Magazine, Vox and CNN

 

Molly Galler

Welcome to Pop.Bop.Shop. My name is Molly. I’m a foodie, fashionista, pop culture addict and serious travel junkie. I’m a lifelong Bostonian obsessed with frozen confections, outdoor patios, Mindy Kaling, reality television, awards shows, tropical vacations, snail mail and my birthday.

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