While the world is pre-occupied with the huge cultural juggernaut that is Avengers: Endgame, with THE epic Game of Thrones episode on the horizon, there are a few low profile shows that seem targeted to impact with specific audiences this week.
The best of the bunch, in my opinion, is Hulu’s Ramy. It’s an incredibly smart and relatable comedy about a young Muslim man navigating the world of dating with all of the expectations placed on him because of his religious beliefs. Know that while he is commenting on his faith, the show is certainly not pious - it’s very human and earthy.
Gentleman Jack will also find a very loyal audience with its early-modern lesbian family drama.
Less well-received is new Netflix youth drama Bonding, which has already upset the dominatrix community.
A new Always Be Watching Podcast dropped this morning too, with Dan and Chris joined by our pal Maria Lewis. Up for discussion is Avengers: Endgame, but also Maria checked out new Amazon drama Hanna, Dan watched Netflix comedy My Husband Won’t Fit, and Chris watched Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse.
It’s a fun chat and you can find it via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS or at the Always Be Watching website.
NEW & RETURNING
These are the notable new and returning shows that aired this week - meaning you can go right ahead and stream them now…
RETURNING
Cobra Kai - season 2
Tales - Season 2
Jamestown - Season 3
She-Ra: The Princess of Power - Season 2
The Protector - Season 2
NEW
Bonding - Netflix
Stars: Zoe Levin, Brendan Scannell, Kevin Kane
After years apart, high school best friends Tiff and Pete reconnect in New York City only to discover they may not know each other as well as they used to. Tiff has a little secret: she is one of New York City's top dominatrixes. Knowing that Pete, a struggling standup comic, is in need of cash, she makes him an offer he can't refuse: to become a dominatrix's assistant.
[ Watch now ]
Chambers - Netflix
Stars: Sivan Alyra Rose, Griffin Powell-Arcand, Nicholas Galitzine
Consumed by the mystery surrounding the donor heart that saved her life, a young patient starts taking on sinister characteristics of the deceased.
[ Watch now ]
Ramy - Hulu
Stars: Ramy Youssef, Amr Waked, Mohammed Amer
Ramy, the son of Egyptian immigrants, is on a spiritually conflicting journey in his New Jersey neighborhood, pulled between his Muslim community that thinks life is a constant test, his millennial friends who think life is full of endless possibilities, and a God who's always watching.
[ Watch now ]
Gentleman Jack - HBO
Stars: Joe Armstrong, Jessica Baglow, Amelia Bullmore
Set in 1832 West Yorkshire, England and inspired by the true-story and coded journals of Anne Lister, this series follows her attempt to revitalize her inherited home, Shibdhen Hall. Most notably for the time period, a part of Lister's plan is to help the fate of her own family by taking a wife.
[ Watch now ]
