Stream: What to Watch this Weekend

Hello, friends. Happy Friday! It's snowing here in Boston. It's the good kind of snow - falls lightly, looks beautiful and doesn't take too long to shovel. 

I did a ton of streaming over the past week (particularly during the long weekend) and can't wait to share what I loved. Before we dive in, here are a few new things to look forward to: 

• 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 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. This is also the day the new Notorious B.I.G. documentary premieres on Netflix. It's called Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell. Watch the trailer for a little taste. 
• 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.
• Thursday, March 25 - Andy Cohen is hosting a new series for E! called The Story of Reality TV. It's going to cover the early shows (The Real World, Survivor), the MTV era (The Osbournes, Laguna Beach, The Hills, Jersey Shore), The Kardashians and of course, the Bravo empire. I couldn't be more excited! 

Last week, I recommended the show The Sinner and at that point I had watched seasons one and two. Since then, I watched season three (Matt Bomer joins as the key suspect) and I have to say, this third installment was the creepiest, scariest and most graphic. If the first two made you squeamish, definitely skip this one. 

Ok! Onto this week's top picks. 

1. To All the Boys: Always and Forever (Netflix) - Last Friday, Netflix released the third and final film in the To All the Boys I've Loved Before series, based on the books by Jenny Han. It's the closing chapter of Lara Jean Covey and Peter Kavinsky's story, and let me tell you, it was everything I was hoping for. In fact, it was so wonderful that I watched it Friday night and again Saturday night. 

A huge part of the reason why these movies are so engaging is because Noah Centeneo is cast perfectly as the high school crush. He looks and acts exactly like every girl's actual crush from this time of life. My crush (ages 14-17) was tall, had an amazing smile and of course, was on a sports team. Noah embodies "that guy" for so many of us. 

He and Lana Candor, who plays Lara Jean, have a ton of sweet moments together - watching a movie on her laptop (each with one ear bud in), sneaking away from their school trip to hit up a famous bakery, taking silly pictures in the photo booth at prom - it's just adorable. 

Beyond Lara Jean and Peter, I love Kitty, Lara Jean's younger sister, played with such wry humor by Anna Cathcart. I was also happy to see Trina get more screen time (Sarayu Blue), particularly her comically pep talk with Lara Jean about "enjoying" Peter. 

For me, the highlights of this particular film were the trip to New York City (so much nostalgia!) and the music. Whoever the music supervisor is deserves a prize. 

If you watched, I want to hear your thoughts! 

2. The Netflix Afterparty (Netflix) - When I finished To All the Boys, Netflix suggested I watch a show called Afterparty, which I had never heard of. It's hosted by David Spade and he (along with London Hughes and Fortune Feimster) interview the casts of Netflix's most popular movies and shows. There are episodes for To All the Boys, Bling Empire and Bridgerton. 

While nothing will top the Schitt's Creek, post-finale special, this does allow you to reunite with the casts (present day) and learn some behind-the-scenes scoop. 

3. Eat Pray Love (Netflix) - When I saw Eat Pray Love had been added to Netflix, I flipped with excitement. The 2010 movie is based on the book of the same title by Elizabeth Gilbert and it stars Julia Roberts as Liz herself. 

Somehow I didn't know or didn't remember that this movie was directed by Ryan Murphy. Yes, the same Ryan Murphy of Nip / Tuck, Glee and American Horror Story. 

In the story, Liz travels to Italy, India and Bali. Watching her eat fresh pizza in Napoli was torture! 

If you miss traveling as much as I do, this is a lovely, two-hour escape. 

4. Dream Home Makeover (Netflix) - One of my besties recommended I try this show on Netflix and I was hesitant right away because of the title. She assured me, "This is not Extreme Makeover: Home Edition like that show that was popular on ABC." Instead, it's a married couple, Shea and Syd, and their interior design business. 

Shea is the creative force and her husband, Syd, is the finance guy. They live in Utah, but work with clients all over the country. There are two seasons, six episodes each.

As someone who is currently decorating a home, I enjoyed seeing all of Shea's choices, creative uses of space and ways she added texture to otherwise neutral rooms. 

You can follow her work @studiomcgee on Instagram. 

5. Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (CNN) - Thank god I follow @Wine_Spectator on Instagram, or I never would have known about this new food show! Actor Stanley Tucci travels all over Italy, learning about the history of its most iconic cities, foods and wines. 

Tucci speaks Italian (which is fun to see) and in the first episode he eats traditional Margherita pizza and walks through the fields where the San Marzano tomatoes are grown in Napoli, dines on a mountain top on the island of Ischia and visits the lemon groves on the seaside hills of Minori. 

This really scratched my wanderlust itch. I felt like I was right there with him. You can watch every Sunday night at 9:00pm ET. 

6. The Real Housewives of New Jersey (Bravo) - The women of Jersey returned on Wednesday night and the first hour of this new season was explosive. Jackie hosted a birthday party for Evan (outdoors because of COVID) and Teresa decided that would be a good time to share a cheating rumor she heard about him. 

In addition to the party scenes, some new plastic surgery is debuted. Most notably, Margaret's face and Dolores' butt. 

The trailer for what's to come this season looks absolutely insane and I am here for it! 

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

*Images courtesy of Unsplash, Vulture, Orca Sound, KPBS, Studio McGee, PEOPLE and MLive.