Earlier this week I watched the new HBO / Sky Atlantic drama We Are Who We Are. It is from Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino who is best known for Call Me By Your Name, but I was more drawn to his 2015 film A Bigger Splash. The show is about two teenage US army brats living on a base in Italy who deal with growing up, discovering who they are, etc. On paper, it doesn’t sound particularly revelatory. And admittedly, even watching it I wasn’t entirely drawn into the world of the show. But boy has this show stuck with me like few shows do. Since watching it on Monday, the episode has never left my mind. There’s another 7 episodes left. There’s something special about this show and I look forward to eventually articulating what it is that has had me so captivated.
It is airing on HBO in the US, but it has just been announced that it will air in Australia on SBS. A date is still TBA.
I haven’t seen it yet, but worth checking out is an interesting new HBO series called The Third Day. It’s structure is unique. There are three parts to this show:
- The first 3 episodes are “Summer” and focus on Jude Law’s character who is drawn to a mysterious island off the coast of Britain where he encounters strange islanders who are trying to preserve their lifestyle.
- The middle chapter, '“Autumn” is an episode filmed live that is labelled as an immersive theatre event.
- Then the series reverts back to pre-filmed episodes and follows a woman played by Katherine Waterston as another stranger visiting the island.
Both series are highly ambitious TV.
But I know most of you are just going to watch The Great American Barbecue Showdown on Netflix.
returning:
Criminal (s2), Baby (s3), Pen15 (s2), Taco Chronicles (s2), MeatEater (s9), Signs (s2), Keeping Up With the Kardashians (s18), Becoming (s2)
new:
Long Way Up- Apple TV+
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman, Taylor Estevez
Ewan McGregor and his friend Charley Boorman travel on electric Harley-Davidsons 13,000 miles through Central and South America.
Ratched - Netflix
Stars: Sarah Paulson, Jon Jon Briones, Cynthia Nixon
A young nurse at a mental institution becomes jaded, bitter and a downright monster to her patients.
Jurassic Park: Camp Cretaceous - Netflix
Stars: Raini Rodriguez, Jon Rudnitsky
Six teens attending an adventure camp on the opposite side of Isla Nublar must band together to survive when dinosaurs wreak havoc on the island.
We Are Who We Are - HBO
Stars: Jack Dylan Grazer, Jordan Kristine Seamón, Chloë Sevigny
Two American kids who live on a U.S. military base in Italy explore friendship, first love, identity, and all the messy exhilaration and anguish of being a teenager.
The Third Day - HBO
Stars: Jude Law, Katherine Waterston, Emily Watson, Paddy Considine
A man and a woman have their work cut out for them as they make separate journeys to a mysterious island off of the British coast.
Sing On - Netflix
Stars: Quinton Sampson, Tituss Burgess
In each themed episode, six contestants belt out the biggest hits from that genre while being judged by a vocal analyzer comparing their vocal performance to the original artist's.
The American Barbecue Showdown - Netflix
Stars: Kevin Bludso, Melissa Cookston
Food competition that follows the country's best backyard smokers and competitive barbecuers as they compete for the title of American Barbecue Champion.
The Last Word - Netflix
Stars: Natalia del Riego, Anke Engelke, Claudia Geisler-Bading
A story about a funeral eulogy speaker who loses faith in her work and tries to sabotage her husband's funeral.
Coastal Elites - HBO
Stars: Bette Midler, Kaitlyn Dever, Dan Levy
Five characters make confessions under quarantine that touch on their lives during the 2020 pandemic and living in a world of deeply divided politics.
That’s it for this week. Let’s be careful out there.
