It’s funny - the stupid virus has given many of us more time to spend in front of the TV watching our stories, but to be honest - the last week has felt a bit quiet. There’s a bit of attention around for Tiger King and Unorthodox on Netflix (both I need to catch up with), but most people I’ve spoken to are rewatching comfort TV favourites.
There are two new shows this week that I’m pretty keen to check out. I’ve actually already seen a few episodes of Tales From The Loop, which is a really unusual series launching today on Amazon Prime Video. It’s 8 episodes of stories that take place around a small town in the US that has a particle accelerator being operated underground. The result of this scientific research is that there’s a lot of strange phenomena routinely happening. What’s interesting about the show is that it doesn’t play too much in the sci-fi aspect of the series, but rather tells very grounded stories about the people who are impacted by all of this oddity. It’s low-fi, quiet drama.
If you’re after something a little bit more blatantly entertaining - Home Before Dark is a Nancy Drew/Veronica Mars style show about a teen reporter/investigator. The twist with the show is that the hero of the series is a much younger tween and the show isn’t for teens and above - this looks like it is very much made with an adult audience in mind. It looks like a lot of fun. The first three episodes drop on Apple TV+ today, with the rest of the series going out weekly.
Oh, and did you notice Community is now streaming on Netflix?
returning:
Save Me (s2), Harley Quinn (s2), Man With a Plan (s4), Siren (s3), Future Man (s3), Ducktales (s3), Nailed It (s4), Money Heist (s4)
new:
Tales From The Loop - Amazon Prime (US)
Stars: Daniel Zolghadri, Rebecca Hall, Paul Schneider
The townspeople who live above "The Loop," a machine built to unlock and explore the mysteries of the universe, experience things previously consigned to the realm of science fiction.
Watch:
Amazon Prime Video
Home Before Dark - Apple TV+ (US)
Stars: Mila Morgan, Brooklynn Prince, Kylie Rogers
A young girl from the big city uncovers clues to an unsolved cold case while visiting her father's small lakeside town.
Watch:
Apple TV+
Coffee & Kareem - Netflix (US) [Movie]
Stars: Betty Gilpin, Taraji P. Henson, Ed Helms
Twelve-year-old Kareem Manning hires a criminal to scare his mom's new boyfriend -police officer James Coffee - but it backfires, forcing Coffee and Kareem to team up in order to save themselves from Detroit's most ruthless drug kingpin.
Watch:
Netflix
Broke - CBS (US)
Stars: Pauley Perrette, Jaime Camil, Antonio Raul Corbo, Izzy Diaz
A trust fund baby who is cut off by his dad is forced to move in with his wife's estranged sister.
Watch:
CBS
Almost Paradise - WGN America (US)
Stars: Arthur Acuña, Nonie Buencamino, Christian Kane
A former DEA agent forced into early retirement runs a gift shop in in the Philippines.
Watch:
WGN America (US)
heads-up:
The general philosophy of the Always Be Watching newsletter is to point you towards movies and TV shows that are available for you to watch right now. But I noticed two films landing on Netflix (in Australia… check your local Netflix regions if you live elsewhere) this coming Sunday that I wanted to highlight. They are two of my recent favourite films and I think both are worth your time:
First Reformed - Ethan Hawke stars as a Priest who has a crisis of faith when confronted with the contrasting idea of an all-loving God and the climate catastrophe. It’s a deeply serious and gripping drama from writer/director Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver).
BlacKkKlansman - This is a Spike Lee joint about an African American police detective in the 70s infiltrating the KKK. While this is a laugh-out-loud comedy, the film is incredibly layered bringing together metatextual ideas that should have viewers interrogating their own relationship with film genre and race (it’s not delivered in a preachy way at all - but it should have you thinking about these ideas after).
