It's pandemic week 37 (holy crap) and it's pouring rain here in Boston. The temperature is in the 40s, making it the ideal night to cozy up under a fleece blanket and stream.
As I have every week since early March, today I'm sharing new recommendations for what to watch. If you missed any of the 36 previous lists, you can find all of them on my TV recaps page.
Before we dive into this week's picks, a few things to look forward to:
- Sunday, November 15 - Only 2 more days until The Crown returns to Netflix. This is the fourth season and we'll finally get to see Diana. I am giddy with anticipation!
- 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.
- Tuesday, December 1 - Back in June, I talked about this cool series Netflix released called The Movies That Made Us. It featured Dirty Dancing, Ghostbusters, Die Hard and Home Alone. Each episode talked about the idea for the movie, how it was made, the on-set experience and the audience reactions. Well, now Netflix is debuting The Holiday Movies That Made Us. I know this will be great and super nostalgic!
Now onto this week's must-watch shows.
1. Southern Charm (Bravo) - I was a skeptic of this show for a very long time, until one of my best friends convinced me to watch from the beginning so we could enjoy watching live together every week. If you've never seen it, Southern Charm is about a group of friends who live in Charleston, SC. Some come from families who have lived there for generations, and others are transplants (lookin' at you, Craig).
While I watch, I'm constantly jotting down names of bars and restaurants I want to go to when I visit. I've never been and 2020 was supposed to be my year to finally plan a trip. The show provides some much-needed escapism, both from a travel perspective and from reality.
2. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (Bravo) - It was a big week on Bravo. The network debuted a brand new Real Housewives franchise and boy was it worth the wait! The previews for this first episode were bananas and I wondered if the first hour would live up to the hype.
It really, really did. These women have big personalities and even bigger party planning budgets.
I felt like my jaw was hanging down the entire time. Highly recommend!
3. Grey's Anatomy (ABC) - Sometimes I feel like the only person left who is still watching Grey's Anatomy. I have two besties who do, but it used to be everyone I knew! This week the show returned for its 17th season with a two-hour premiere.
When we return to Grey Sloan Memorial, the hospital is 100 percent focused on treating COVID patients. I knew the show would address the pandemic somehow, but this was very hard to watch.
The final moment of this episode was very unexpected and took my breath away. Just when you think, "You know what, maybe I don't need to watch anymore," Shonda sucks you right back in!
4. Inside Pixar (Disney+) - I stumbled upon this documentary series while browsing new releases on Disney+. There are five episodes and each one focuses on an individual member of the Pixar team.
I absolutely loved the second episode, which highlights Deanna Marsigliese, an illustrator and animator. She has incredible personal style and it's amazing to see where she finds inspiration and how that ultimately translates on screen.
I was blown away by Jessica Heidt, a script supervisor who developed a software to analyze how many lines are said by male vs. female characters, so she could work with each movie's team to achieve greater gender parity. Cars 3 was the first movie she applied this system to and the Pixar executives are now using it for every new film. How amazing!
There you have it! This week's top picks.
I am also watching another show on Netflix about a religious group that is known for many of its famous members. The documentary series features people have left the group, who are only now sharing the truths of their experiences. In the show, they discuss in detail how the members of this group torment anyone who speaks out publicly against them. For that reason, I am not naming names. If you're interested in this topic, hopefully I've given enough clues for you to find the show.
I'll be back next Friday with a fresh round!
*Images courtesy of Unsplash, US Weekly, Vulture, TV Fanatic, Week99er and Laughing Place.
