Yesterday from the Always Be Watching home office in Sydney, Australia it was gloomy. Bushfires have been raging up and down the coast of New South Wales and the haze that had surrounded Sydney yesterday turned very dark. The air was difficult to breathe, the sun completely disappeared, and I started to feel my mostly-dormant asthma kicking in.

This is legit how the world was looking yesterday afternoon. And it only got worse after that:

After a full day of dystopia, today the world feels kind of closer to normal here at HQ. It’s still a bit hazy, but I can again see the sky and I’m breathing. Having experienced a bit too much reality yesterday, it is an ABSOLUTE PLEASURE to be able to escape the world with what is set to be a very full weekend of great TV and movies to watch.

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel returns for a third season, which would be enough to make my weekend, but then there is the debut of a new Noah Baumbach movie - the critically lauded Marriage Story. The release of Marriage Story on Netflix is one of several big name releases for Netflix that they actually gave a cinema release to. Right now I can wander up the road to a local indie cinema and see Marriage Story on a big-ish screen, or I can also watch it from the comfort of my couch.

Apple TV+ also launches its new drama series Truth be Told. Starring Octavia Spencer, the show is a murder mystery based around a true crime podcaster. With the launch of the show, it means Apple TV+ concurrently has running: The Morning Show, See, For All Mankind, Servant, and now Truth be Told.

Oh, and there’s also an original film debuting on Apple TV+ today. Hala is a film that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival about a teenage Pakistani American girl who struggles to balance her own desires with that of her family and culture. Right now it has 89% on Rotten Romatoes.

Considering that one of the key complaints about Apple TV+ was that it launched with such little content, I think it is noteworthy that this weekend I’ll be watching at least 5 or so hours of TV from it.

returning:

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel (s3), Tell Me a Story (s2), Project Runway ( s18), Vikings (s6), Making It (s2), Medici: Masters of Florence (s3), Midsomer Murders (s21)

new:

Marriage Story - Netflix (US)

Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Merritt Wever

Noah Baumbach's incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together.

Watch: Netflix


Hala - Apple TV+ (US)

Stars: Geraldine Viswanathan, Jack Kilmer, Gabriel Luna

Muslim teenager Hala copes with the unraveling of her family as she comes into her own.

Watch: Apple TV+

Truth Be Told - Apple TV+ (US)

Stars: Octavia Spencer, Michael Beach, Monique Capelta, Lizzy Caplan, Aaron Paul

A true-crime podcaster tries to solve the mystery surrounding a family patriarch's death.

Watch: Apple TV+

V Wars - Netflix (US)

Stars: Ian Somerhalder, Adrian Holmes, Jacky Lai

A doctor is pitted against his best friend when an ancient disease turns people into vampires.

Watch: Netflix