Hello, friends! It's week 10 of quarantine. How is everyone holding up? As I type this, the sun is shining in Boston and it seems spring may have finally sprung (for good).
Each Friday I have been sharing a list of six shows or movies you should check out this weekend. You can find all of the previous lists on my TV recap page.
Before we dive into this week's top six, I wanted to share a few things that are newly released or coming up:
- Today: The Great, a comedy starring Elle Fanning about the rise of Catherine the Great, is now available on Hulu
- Friday, May 29: The third season of my favorite food show of all time, Somebody Feed Phil, will be live on Netflix
- Friday, June 5: Season five of Queer Eye hits Netflix! Squeal!
Ok, now onto this week's list.
1. Dead to Me (Netflix) - I loved season one of Dead to Me (you can revisit my original review here) and couldn't wait to sit down and start watching season two. Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini co-star as Jen and Judy, two unlikely friends trying to cover up a murder.
Actor James Marsden returns in an unexpected way this season and Jen's son, Charlie (played by Sam McCarthy), gets more screen time. There is a particularly hilarious scene with Jen and Charlie's girlfriend, a self-proclaimed "micro influencer."
In the second season, both Jen and Judy have new love interests, which helps to advance the plot. Each episode ends on a major cliffhanger, which is one of the many reasons why I find it addicting!
2. Normal People (Hulu) - Last week, Hulu released Normal People, an adaptation of Sally Rooney's book by the same title. I have to begin by saying, I have not read the book.
Normal People is one of the most beautiful television shows I have ever seen. Truly. It's stunning on two levels: (1) the performances from the two lead actors, and (2) the cinematography.
Daisy Edgar-Jones plays Marianne and Paul Mescal plays Connell, two high school classmates who develop a clandestine relationship.
When they land at the same college, they intertwine again. The show follows them through several years of early adulthood, showing how their connection shape shifts over time.
The show is set in Ireland and the landscape feels like another main character. There is one episode that takes place in Italy that is so gorgeous and immersive, you will feel like you are sitting in the piazza eating gelato with them.
Normal People is raw and real in a way you don't often see in love stories. I am still recovering from all of the emotions of the final episode, but at some point, I will need to watch it again.
3. Mrs. America (Hulu) - I was worried about watching Mrs. America, because it centers around a woman fighting against the Equal Rights Amendment and I was concerned the subject matter would make me anxious, given our current President. I couldn't have been more wrong!
Mrs. America is about the quest to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and the women who led those efforts (for and against). Each episode focuses on the personal story of one woman - Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Bella Abzug, Shirley Chisolm - the list goes on.
There have been seven episodes so far, each new one is released on Wednesday. Watching these women fight for what they believe in is like a shot in the arm during these painful times. They are fierce and unrelenting. It's incredibly inspirational.
The cast includes Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Tracey Ullman, Uzo Aduba, Elizabeth Banks, Margo Martindale, Sarah Paulson and so many more.
I am likely going to do a stand alone review on this one, because there is so much to unpack!
4. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon) - How on earth did it take me until week ten to recommend The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel?! The show stars Rachel Brosnahan as Midge Maisel, a young woman separating from her husband and embarking on a career as a stand-up comic.
It was co-created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino, the famous duo behind Gilmore Girls. While this show has a completely different vibe (they traded present day Stars Hallow for Manhattan in the 1950s), it has the same female heroines and quick dialogue.
There are three seasons available and each one is packed with killer jokes, enviable fashion and family drama.
5. Red Oaks (Amazon) - Red Oaks is a show that no one knows about, but everyone should! It is set in New Jersey in 1984 and centers around the staff and guests of Red Oaks Country Club. It's like Dirty Dancing meets the episodes of Beverly Hills 90210 when they worked at the beach club.
The main character, David (played by Craig Roberts), is home for the summer from college and has taken a job as the assistant tennis pro. Things get interesting when he falls for Skye, the daughter of the club's president. Skye's dad is played by Paul Reiser.
There are three seasons of the show on Amazon and I am positive you will want to watch them all in a row. Here is my original review, which is basically a lovefest.
6. 7 Days Out (Netflix) - Do you miss going to events? Concerts? Broadway shows? Yeah, me too. 7 Days Out is the perfect cure for your blues.
It's a six-part documentary series that follows a group of people in the seven days leading up to something monumental. They feature the Westminister Dog Show, the Kentucky Derby, NASA's Cassini Mission, a Chanel Couture Fashion Show and more. Here is my episode-by-episode breakdown.
Each episode is a standalone, so you can watch them in whatever order you want.
OK! There you have it, this week's list. I'll be back next Friday with a fresh round of picks.
*Images courtesy of Unsplash, NBC News, Rolling Stone, Vulture, Mashable, The Hollywood Reporter and TV Insider.
