Sex lives of the post-college crowd. Also: Should I be disappointed by a great TV drama that delivers everything you actually want from it?
Just a few quick thoughts to get you started on your TV options for the weekend:
Not Suitable For Work is the latest Mindy Kaling co-created TV show, alongside regular collaborator Charlie Grandy. He last worked with her as a writer on Sex Lives of College Girls and the rhythm of that show can be felt heavily in this one.
Fun fact about Charlie Grandy: His father is Fred Grandy, who I don’t need to tell you, played Gopher on The Love Boat.
The show is on the cusp of being an easy-to-watch young person drama, but the early episodes don’t quite connect with enough vibrancy or texture to justify their 40-ish minute runtimes. It’s the sort of show that might find that connection with the audience by the end of the season, so I’m sticking with it and hoping for the best.
It’s also worth noting that the show feels early 00s contemporary, meaning it is maybe more a show for older viewers looking back at the experience of being young rather than actually reflecting more modern sensibilities.Cape Fear follows in the footsteps of Presumed Innocent at Apple TV of early 90s adult thriller turned limited series. Like Presumed Innocent, the show is good, but doesn’t really stretch much beyond what you expect when you press play: It’s more or less the story you know from the film, complete with a strong cast and great writing. When your complaint is that the show gave you exactly what you expected and is pretty good, it’s hard to take such quibbles seriously.
Two Years Later is a romantic drama filmed in Brisbane and set in Brisbane. That is a rarity (it’s a city that attracts quite a bit of filming, but is almost never actually seen as itself).
And while, as a former local, it’s awesome seeing Brisbane as itself on screen, it also manages to be a really terrible decision for this show. Brisbane as a city actually lends itself very well to a romantic drama… the city has a lot of romance to it in a really earthy way. But the location battles against the premise of the show, which is about two potential lovers who have their early flirtation as bus friends interrupted by a two year COVID pandemic hiatus. Of all the cities in the world, why set this show in one of the cities least impacted by COVID lockdowns?
The casting also doesn’t help much with almost zero chemistry between the two leads and a miscast Phoebe Tonkin as a tech journalist.
Lots of odd choices in this show, undermining what should have been a sweet low-fi romance.
It is fun for Brisbane viewers to watch characters commuting to their CBD jobs on a bus with a South Bank background that keeps repeating itself as the characters inexplicably head to work in the direction of Milton, only to get off the bus at the new Kangaroo Point bridge. If you know, you know.
Returning TV
The Legend of Vox Machina (s04)
New TV
Not Suitable For Work — Hulu
Who’s in it: Ella Hunt, Avantika Vandanapu, Will Angus, Jack Martin, Nicholas Duvernay, Jay Ellis
What’s it about? Follows five work-obsessed twenty-somethings who strive for professional success and, if they have time, personal happiness, in Manhattan.
Cape Fear — Apple TV
Who’s in it: Amy Adams, Patrick Wilson, Javier Bardem
What’s it about? A happily married couple faces a growing threat when a notorious killer from their past, Max Cady, is released from prison and seeks revenge.
Two Years Later — Paramount+
Who’s in it: Brenton Thwaites, Phoebe Tonkin, Roy Billing, Heather Mitchell
What’s it about? The series follows Emily and Ryan in a post pandemic world after the world came to a halt, they reconnect after two years in a series of brief encounters and see if they truly love each other.
The Witness — Netflix
Who’s in it: Jordan Bolger, Jahsaiah Williams
What’s it about? With their 2-year-old as the sole witness to her murder, Rachel Nickell's partner fights to protect him amid a flawed investigation. Based on true events.
Teach You a Lesson — Netflix
Who’s in it: Kim Mu-yeol
What’s it about? When respect collapses in schools, unconventional inspectors arrive to set things right - with sharp, no-nonsense lessons you won't find in textbooks.
Tip Toe — Channel 4 [UK] | Binge [Aus]
Who’s in it: Alan Cumming; David Morrissey
What’s it about? A minor feud escalates into danger when Leo gives his next-door neighbour Clive his spare key. Leo fights to defend the safety of one of his bar staff, and Clive is searching for employment and realises that Leo might be the answer to his problems.
The Trio — SkyShowtime
Who’s in it: Aliette Opheim, Filip Berg
What’s it about? A troubled young man becomes a divine agent through a pact with a deity; his job is to protect the mortal realm from dark forces with a little help.
Doctor on The Edge — Disney+
Who’s in it: Lee Jae-wook, Shin Ye-eun
What’s it about? An elite plastic surgeon fulfills his mandatory military service as a public health doctor on an isolated, notorious island.
New Movies
Office Romance — Netflix
Who’s in it: Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein
What’s it about? A raunchy romantic comedy about a secret office romance and the trouble two workaholics get in when they start thinking with their hearts.
The Marked Woman — Netflix
Who’s in it: Candela Peña, Ana Rujas
What’s it about? When a woman is found in a shipping container with no memory of who she is, two detectives race to figure out her identity - and who wants her dead.
Mexico 86 — Netflix
Who’s in it: Diego Luna, Karla Souza, and Daniel Giménez Cacho
What’s it about? Audacity, madness, and pure Mexican ingenuity. In 1986, Mexico hosted the World Cup against all odds. How was this incredible feat achieved?
Milky Subway: The Galactic Limited Express — Netflix
Who’s in it: Yuzuki-san Chi
What’s it about? Six delinquents are tasked with cleaning a train as part of a community service program. But when the train suddenly takes off, chaos ensues.
That’s the newsletter for this week.
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