It has been a great week for TV and movies. So many Fall shows returned, and all the streaming services are starting to roll out their holiday season movies. I am here for all of it!
Before we dive into this week's recommendations, here are a few upcoming things to look forward to:
- Today - My favorite gourmand, Phil Rosenthal, is back with season 4 of Somebody Feed Phil. Revisit my review if you haven't seen the show before! This is what I'll be watching all weekend.
- Wednesday, November 11 - This 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! Town & Country's November cover story is all about the three major stars of this season, written by royal fashion commentator Elizabeth Holmes. Read it here.
- Friday, November 27 - Virgin River will be back on Netflix with a second season! I loved this show back in March. I can't wait to head back to this tiny town.
Ok, now onto this week's picks.
1. The Baker & The Beauty (Amazon) - Back in June, I binged the American adaptation of the Israeli show, The Baker & The Beauty (see that review here). I didn't realize that the original show was even available in the States, but this week, I found it on Amazon! It was so fun to watch and compare the two.
In the US version, the baker, Daniel, and his family are Cuban and live in Miami. They run a bakery and Daniel's secret passion is food tourism. He is afraid to pursue his dream because he knows his father wants him to take over the family business.
In the Israeli version, Amos is the baker. He lives with his family in Bat Yam, where he is known for making the fluffiest, most delicious pita. His true passion is painting, which he also never pursues because of pressure from his father.
I am loving the Israeli version for a few reasons: (1) Amos is gorgeous, (2) I've been studying Hebrew through Duolingo for the last 265 days, so it's fun to see how much of the Hebrew I understand, and (3) The beauty, Noa, has a manager, Tzvika, who is played by Mark Ivanir, the Russian astronaut from the Netflix show Away.
There are two seasons available, with 10 episodes each. You can watch them with English subtitles.
2. This Is Us (NBC) - This week, This Is Us premiered on NBC with a two-hour episode. I was shocked to see that they chose to reflect the current times - COVID, social distancing, masks, Black Lives Matter protests and more. I am positive they had to rework the entire original script in order to make these updates.
What is so incredible about this show is that it gives you heartfelt moments, heartbreaking moments, and it always (always!!) keeps you guessing. This episode ended with an insane plot twist. I cannot wait to see how that storyline unfolds.
Welcome back, Pearsons.
3. The Voice (NBC) - Back in its early days, I used to be very loyal to American Idol. When The Voice premiered, I wasn't sure if I needed another singing competition show in my life, but boy did I. The Voice brings me to tears every single week. Sometimes it's the personal back stories, sometimes it's just the beauty of someone's raw talent.
This season, the celebrity coaches are Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani, John Legend and Blake Shelton. Kelly is my absolute favorite. I feel like we would be friends in real life. She gets very excited (often standing and screaming after a great performance) and she is such a super fan of music. She knows almost every song and always sings along in her chair.
Gwen Stefani puts heavy emphasis on the total package (singing, dancing, costumes, hair, etc.). John Legend looks for perfect pitch and tone. Blake Shelton almost always goes for country music artists and is known for pointing at his own head as he tries to encourage contestants to pick him over the other coaches.
The show airs on Monday and Tuesday nights on NBC.
4. Uncorked (Netflix) - At the recommendation of one of my best friends, I watched a movie called Uncorked. It stars Mamoudou Athie as Elijah, a young man with dreams of becoming a master sommelier. He works at his parents' BBQ joint, and moonlights at a wine store, where he tries to learn as much as possible from his boss.
Elijah's parents are played by Courtney B. Vance and Niecy Nash, who are both superb in their roles.
The story is set in Memphis and almost all the music is by Memphis-based artists.
While I didn't love the movie's ending, I did enjoy watching Elijah's quest. Warning: it will give you immediate cravings for BBQ.
5. Social Distance (Netflix) - A friend texted me about a show on Netflix called Social Distance. It's similar to Freeform's Love in the Time of Corona, except each of the episodes focuses on an individual person.
I must admit, it is very strange to see these pandemic times reflected back to us on television. On the one hand, it's comforting to see people following the rules, but it also takes away the escapism element.
There are eight episodes. My favorites were "everything is v depressing rn" and "Zero Feet Away."
There you have it! This week's list of must-sees. I'll be back next Friday with a fresh round.
*Images courtesy of Unsplash, Bustle, PEOPLE, Mercury News, Wine Spectator and Netflix.
