The podcast where smart women talk about what they're watching — and not watching. Find us on your favorite podcast app! Email us TV tips: boobtubecast@gmail.com
Amanda Teuscher and Sarah Wides
Amanda continues her quest to watch every British panel show ever created, while Sarah ventures over to the (QUITE) dark side of the internet to take in all of HBO Max's Into the Storm. We come together to offer thoughts on the British import Staged, a very funny capsule of quarantine life (well...for celebrities)that tries, for better or worse, to depict our collective existential crisis. Shows Discussed: The Nanny, Into the Storm, Staged, Taskmaster
Yes, that's right, Amanda finally took Sarah's advice and watched Search Party. And now she's wondering what took her so long, because it really is as great as Sarah said. Why doesn't anyone ever *listen* to us?! If you haven't watched it yet, do yourself a favor and plow through all four seasons on HBO Max, then come back and join us for this episode. We're also talking about some more-serious shows (It's a Sin and Allen v. Farrow) and, briefly, the weirdness that was this year's Golden Globes. Shows discussed: Search Party, It's a Sin, Allen v. Farrow, the Golden Globes
Once again we disappeared for a few weeks, but really isn't it more fun this way? To never know *quite* when to expect us, dropping a few months worth of frantic viewing habits in your laps? Maybe things will get more consistent in 2021 - don't get your hopes up. This week, a shocking turn of events where SARAH likes the British (...ish) melodrama-comedy and Amanda explains why having fun is bad (KIDDING). In other hot news, Amanda touts Lupin, Sarah devours the new dark-as-night season of Search Party, and we come back together to agree that WandaVision looks dumb. Ah, some things never change. Shows Discussed: Bridgerton, The Flight Attendant, Fargo, Lupin, Search Party, WandaVision, Mr. Mayor
You are cordially invited to a very royal (or alternatively, British) podcast episode, in which we talk at length about how to wish someone a nice holiday during a pandemic, why Amanda has held onto a certain birthday card for years, and what American mothers liked about Princess Di. Oh! And TV. Lots of TV. We have a range of queen-....adjacent? shows that will a) get you riled up about royals AND Maggie Thatcher, b) make you think you understand chess (you don't), or c) get you riled up about imperialism. Plus a few gems are thrown in that will get you excited about soccer-football and scaffolding. Tuck in — we're covering a lot. Shows discussed: How To with John Wilson, I Hate Suzie, Ted Lasso, Great British Bake-Off, Would I Lie to You, The Queen's Gambit, The Crown, Queen Sono
Halloween, a full moon, the election, the Supreme Court....the Scaries Per Minute (SPM) (patent pending) rating for this week is off the charts. Luckily, Sarah and Amanda are back to distract you with a WEALTH of television they've been watching over the past month. From British comedy found only on YouTube to the new season of Fargo, plus wait - can you believe we haven't done an episode since the fresh episodes of PEN15?? Whoops. Please, close the FiveThirtyEight tab and watch an engrossing limited series instead, we beg you. Shows Discussed: The Haunting of Bly Manor, 8 out of 10 Cats, Lovecraft Country, Great British Bakeoff, The Repair Shop, Fargo, PEN15
No, not Sarah + Amanda (although that's also a heavenly match), but Netflix + yet another massively entertaining dating show. The streamer's Indian Matchmaking is certainly elevated from the likes of Love is Blind - it's a look at the work of Sima from Mumbai, a powerhouse matchmaker. The show has some dynamite personalities and is a fascinating look at a cultural tradition, the arranged marriage, that most Americans are probably unfamiliar with, but misses an opportunity to interrogate the biases of Sima and her clients. The Emmy nominations also came out last week and while God only knows what the show will actually look like this year, at least it's still fun to talk through the highs and lows. Shows Discussed: The Brokenwood Mysteries, Hannibal, Indian Matchmaking
We've got a monster episode for you, so chances are you've seen at least one of the shows we're talking about. If not, well, there's a real range of recommendations to choose from, though you'll probably need HBO. Or is it HBO Go? Wait — HBO Max, that's the one. But, uh, not Peacock. Teenage girl skateboarders. Unsolved mysteries (some of which seem pretty solvable). Moose-meat preservation. Michaela Coel and Matthew Rhys. This episode has a lot going on, unlike Sarah and Amanda. Shows discussed: I May Destroy You, Perry Mason, Betty, Unsolved Mysteries, Alone, 30 Rock
We're back, and better than ever! Or at least the same as ever! Sarah has emerged from the experience of giving birth with strong opinions about the last two seasons of The Sopranos, and Amanda found Hulu's The Great to be, well, pretty great. HBO's Run and Netflix's Never Have I Ever get mixed reactions, and then we talk about a whole bunch of other shows we watched in our hiatus, including the surprisingly awesome second season of Netflix's Dead to Me. Warning: things get a little spoilery! Shows Discussed: The Sopranos, Run, Never Have I Ever, The Great, Normal People, Insecure, Mrs. America, The Wine Show, Dead to Me, What We Do in the Shadows
We're three for three here — three episodes in on three new seasons of television, which is an absolutely fascinating fact if weeks of self-isolation has given you the Brain Scramblies, too. Sarah and Amanda talk about the first three eps of the new season of Insecure, the first three eps of the hilarious new season of What We Do in the Shadows, and the first free eps of HBO's brand new show Run. Our next episode won't be till after a certain Boob Tube host has a baby, so please wish Amanda well as her friend Sarah prepares to grow her family! Shows discussed: Insecure, What We Do in the Shadows, Run, Broadchurch, Never Have I Ever, The Great
Quarantine, week....could be four, could be fourteen, who's to say anymore? COVID remains bad for essentially every aspect of life except for television consumption, so we've still got you covered there. Amanda takes a dive into the world of British competitive pottery throwing (I mean have you ever heard of something MORE Amanda?), Sarah catches up with Pamela Adlon's always-brilliant Better Things, and then we discuss our mixed reactions to Hulu's highly touted adaptation of Little Fires Everywhere. Apologies for some sound issues with this episode due to an overheating computer (more little fires! Get it?), we're all just DOING OUR BEST, OKAY? Shows Discussed: The Great Pottery Throwdown, Motherland: Fort Salem, Better Things, Babylon Berlin, Little Fires Everywhere
Well, this episode was a long time coming thanks to a certain Boob Tuber's uploading failure (Amanda, we're talking about Amanda). But the good news — and let's be honest, we could all really use some good news — is that there might be another episode coming sooner than usual, thanks to the enormous amount of staying-inside-and-watching-telly we're both doing. We hope everyone is staying safe and spending almost as much time on calls with friends and family as they are watching TV. And since our business just so happens to be being on a call and discussing TV, we're here to talk about what we're planning to watch while we physically distance and self-isolate, from old favorites to new shows to old ones we never watched. Plus, we have some catching up to do! Shows discussed: The Outsider, High Fidelity, High Maintenance, Love Is Blind and so, so, so many more.
A sad week, in Boob Tube-verse (yes, all the weeks are sad ones these days, yes we....get a little distracted by the state of the world): the end of Bojack Horseman. We spend a good chunk of this week discussing the highs and lows - nearly all highs, which are actually lows - but also make time for the mostly-entertaining true fraud doc McMillion$ and Netflix's terribly-titled Bonfire of Destiny. Shows Discussed: Bojack Horseman, Bonfire of Destiny, McMillion$, Last Week Tonight
At least, so far it looks like it's an evil, murderous doppelgänger in HBO's new series 'The Outsider.' What we are sure about is that we are NOT OK after the series finale of 'The Good Place.' We know you cried, too. But when we weren't creeping ourselves out or contemplating existential questions, we also checked out the new show 'Avenue 5' and the second season of 'Shrill.' Plus, we have a new addition to Amanda's trash corner! Shows discussed: The Good Place, The Outsider, Avenue 5, Shrill, Hart of Dixie, Flirty Dancing
Ms Wides discusses why you should watch 'Work in Progress,' and we all wonder about one of the great mysteries of our time — why Amanda watched all of 'The Witcher,' a show that 100 percent was not made for her. But don't worry; we're moving on from our labored emphasis of the letter W to also talk about 'The L Word' and the fictional, magical, beautiful world it inhabits. Plus, we put in a plug for a new docu-series about cheerleading, and finally talk about a little-known and under-hyped show called 'Succession.' (Yes, Amanda finally watched.) Shows discussed: The Watchmen, The Witcher, Work in Progress, The L Word, Succession, Cheer, [Zoe's Extraordinary Playlist]
Audio issues, rampant illness, malfunctioning software, it's the end of the year as we know it and we feel fine. That's right folks, a whole 2019's worth of television, and what the hell did we watch again? Amanda and Sarah will struggle to remember while they dish out awards for Best New Show, Best Outfit, Best Show We Watched That We Said We Wouldn't Watch, and also determine that "comedy" and "drama" are really just nonsense words that don't mean anything anyway. Shows Discussed: Too many to list
Sarah goes deep into the Bon Appétit Cinematic Universe (tm) and is, by the way, still riding a high from Chris Morocco liking her BA sausage and corn nut stuffing on Instagram. She continues the food theme by discussing Japanese anthology series Midnight Diner, and stays in Tokyo with the at-times sweet but probably problematic Queer Eye: We’re In Japan! Amanda shares her hunger for the Great British Baking Show: Holidays edition, and is keeping an eye on the Watchmen, a compelling show that is definitely not about X-Men, so maybe Sarah will give it a shot too. Shows Discussed: Bon Appétit...programming, Great British Baking Show: Holidays, Watchmen, Midnight Diner, Queer Eye: We're in Japan!
We have to get a few things out of the way before we talk about the promising first half to Bojack Horseman's final season. We watched a few episodes each of Living With Yourself, The Hook-up Plan, and Castle Rock, and they're ... fine, but we haven't gotten much further than that ("meh" things come in threes). But we have good things to say about Bojack, the final episode of the latest GBBO season, and polite murders in turn-of-the-century Toronto. Plus, tune in for some "breaking" TV news, and find out which streaming service we will NOT be getting. Shows discussed: The World Series, The Great British Baking Show, Castle Rock, The Hook-up Plan, Murdoch Mysteries, Living With Myself, Bojack Horseman
After Sarah takes a brief dive into the utterly bizarre Transparent Musical Finale, Sarah and Amanda discuss a number of women-fronted crime shows, including the UK's Scott & Bailey and Netflix's Unbelievable. A story about the investigation of a serial rapist told through a distinctly feminist lens, Unbelievable isn't without its flaws, but nearly everything about it feels revolutionary. Shows discussed: Unbelievable, Transparent, Detective Anna, Scott & Bailey
Check, check, 1, 2, 3 — Yep, Amanda's mic sounds way better this episode. Maybe that's why we went a little long — or maybe it's because the Emmys were this week and we have our usual measured takes. Sarah watched half of it, and Amanda watched none, but that won't stop of from being excited for PWB! We also talk about Undone, the new Amazon show using rotoscope animation. It's beautiful, funny, and hard to explain, so just trust us that you need to watch it, OK? Shows discussed: The 71st Primetime Emmys, Undone, Couples Therapy, Bluff City Law, The Connors
Our bullshit, of course, being Australian mysteries and wry but warm British comedies. The Great British Bake-Off is back in session, complete with awkward innuendo and a contestant who somehow popped out of a Pacific Sunwear catalogue circa 1998! Our hosts revel in the absolute delight that is the UK's This Way Up (a big bonus: Amanda shares her Irish accent), but if you get homesick, Sarah heartily recommends On Becoming a God in Central Florida - a bitter but funny show about one of the most prolific American scams. Shows Discussed: The Great British Bake-Off, Ms. Fisher's Modern Mysteries, This Way Up, On Becoming a God in Central Florida
Oh, the show is about hunting MINDS, m-i-n-d ... that makes a lot more sense! But is it worth getting back into the game of tracking serial killers for a second season of Mindhunter? Sarah has the verdict. Amanda jumps back in the ring for a third season of GLOW, and is here to tell you that it's good if you JUST STOP BINGING EVERYTHING FOR GOD'S SAKE JUST SLOW DOWN—— Ahem. Plus, we check back in with the final season of Orange Is the New Black before stepping away from Netflix and jumping into the latest dispatch from Trash TV Town (though it's not actually that trashy). Join us for our latest episode and be very quiet; we're hunting mimes. Shows discussed: Mindhunter, GLOW, Orange Is the New Black, Blood & Treasure, This Way Up
Sarah is convinced that if last summer's HBO sleeper hit was Succession, maybe this summer's is Euphoria, an intoxicating (see what we did there?), glittery show about extremely cool teens. Will it make you feel old? Probably. Are there still feelings and experiences you can relate to? Also probably! Amanda checks back in with a previous pick of hers, Derry Girls, which has a new season out on Netflix. There are teens here too, but these ones are living in Northern Ireland during the Troubles of the 1990s, avoiding car bombs on the way to school. While maybe not as strong as the first batch of episodes, these ones remain hilarious and at times poignant, and will still have you reaching for the closed captioning button to decipher those accents. The pick of the week is clearly the premiere of HBO's A Black Lady Sketch Show, please put this podcast down and go watch it immediately, thank you. Shows Discussed: Euphoria, Derry Girls, A Black Lady Sketch Show, Detroiters
Sometimes, a show's second season don't end nearly as well as it starts, and you wonder, "Why didn't she destroy the train set earlier?" and also, "Why?" Sometimes, you aren't even sure whether you'll watch a show that's coming back after years away, but you wind up saying, "Hey, that was fun!" And sometimes, a show is the third season of Stranger Things and you're like, "I mean, I guess?" We've been gone a whole month, and in that time we've formed some Opinions about the latest installments of Big Little Lies, Veronica Mars and Stranger Things. Plus, Amanda has some very positive things to say about a certain reality show that is a perfect blend of class-based tension and pure Bravo-brand trashiness. Shows discussed: Big Little Lies, Veronica Mars, Stranger Things, Below Deck Mediterranean, Four Weddings and a Funeral
Ok it's easier to lose track of time as the days get longer, so it has been a full MONTH since we last talked TV, but my what a month it's been. Sarah hits you with micro-reviews of a few different shows and tries with a not-great amount of effort to get you into at least one of the new Black Mirror episodes. Amanda follows that up with a check-in on the less-buzzy second season of Killing Eve. Finally the spicy, spicy meat of this episode: the new installment of Big Little Lies, we're pleased to report it's just as meme-worthy and compulsively watchable as it was last year. Shows Discussed: Black Mirror, Tales of the City, When They See Us, Killing Eve, Big Little Lies
Some bad news this week: Sarah broke her promise and started watching Chernobyl, and ABC is definitely *not* bringing back that one show. We talk about the sadness of Jared Harris and the terrors of 1986, and then move from Ukraine to Laguna Beach. No, not to talk about that reality show; we're talking about the Netflix series Dead to Me, a show about grief and female friendship that is part thriller and part dark comedy. (Spoiler protections are in place.) But one place we're not going to go is 1990s Boston with Ben Affleck and a guy with a fake Boston accent. Shows discussed: Dead to Me, Chernobyl, Easy, Vida, City on a Hill
I mean, we'll see what the next six months throw at us, we're not ones to doubt the power of Peak TV, but....yes, it almost certainly is. We discuss the devastating genius of Phoebe Waller-Bridge's limited series, which will make you cry, laugh, and gasp all in the same scene (occasionally the same *sentence*). Seriously folks, don't sleep on this one. Sarah heartily endorses the second season of HBO's Barry, and Amanda has a revelation that will shock and embarrass us all. Shows Discussed: Fleabag, Barry, Catch-22
Were you missing anthropomorphic cartoon animals dealing with serious issues as much as we were? You're in luck, because Lisa Hanawalt, the illustrator and producer of Bojack Horseman, has a new Netflix series about two birds, Tuca and Bertie, and it's one of our favorites of the year. If you haven't watched it yet, well, nothing is stopping you (but we avoid "spoilers" anyway). And if a songthrush and a toucan's evolving friendship isn't weird enough for you, may we recommend the sketch comedy show I Think You Should Leave? We also talk Fosse/Verdon and, no joke, hoops. Shows discussed: Tuca and Bertie, I Think You Should Leave, Fosse/Verdon, NBA Playoffs
One of our favorite (but criminally under-appreciated!) shows comes to a satisfying end, albeit an end that Amanda managed to watch all out of order. Oh well, there's always the next Rachel Bloom project, hopefully coming to us sooner rather than later. What We Do in the Shadows continues to get better and better, and Killing Eve kicks off its second season with, well, a few murders obviously, but also an incredible guest turn from The Mighty Boosh's Julian Barratt (yeah he's probably been in other things since then, but we're American, how would we know?) Shows Discussed: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Killing Eve, Better Things, What We Do in the Shadows, The Chi, Abby
In case you can't get enough of the machinations of self-serving and occasionally inept politicians, Veep is back for its seventh season! We discuss why the show has remained a favorite (and maybe even a comfort?) during this particular political era, and Amanda also talks about another show well-suited to these times: Superstore, a workplace comedy that manages to be pretty honest about working-class issues. Plus, Sarah goes deep into The Case Against Adnan Syed, and we sink our teeth into the first episode of What We Do in the Shadows. Shows discussed: The Case Against Adnan Syed, What We Do in the Shadows, Superstore, Veep
This week, we bid farewell to Catastrophe, which is such an absolute gem of a show, one that has always been brutally, painfully honest but hysterically funny about the highs and low lows of marriage and parenthood. Then we say hello to a newcomer, Hulu's Shrill. We wish the series could have had more time to unfold, but it's a delight for many reasons, Aidy Bryant's performance and the unapologetic look at what it's like to be a fat woman just trying to live her best life, chief among them. Shows Discussed: Catastrophe, Shrill, Queer Eye, Last Week Tonight, The Act
TV isn't always easy (see: Leaving Neverland) but it can often provide valuable insight into the stories you didn't fully comprehend decades ago (see: Lorena). We talk about those two docu-series, but don't worry — we lighten things up with John Mulaney hosting SNL and a Broad City episode about meeting a Holocaust survivor (really, it's funny!). Plus, of course, we take some time to hate on shows we don't plan to watch. Shows discussed: Broad City, Lorena, Leaving Neverland, Mom, Saturday Night Live (hosted by John Mulaney), The Widow, Law and Order: Hate Crimes
Do you remember the "creaky door" sound of someone signing on to AOL Instant Messenger? What about, say, making out during the movie Wild Things? The band B*Witched? If the answer is yes, you definitely need to check out the first season of Hulu's Pen15, and if the answer is no....well, you should still watch this sweet, hilarious, cringe-worthy show about the exquisite hell that was seventh grade in the year 2000. Elsewhere in the tv-verse, Amanda signs off on Sarah's Kimmy Schmidt endorsement, and Sarah introduces you to a hidden gem on Comedy Central. Shows Discussed: Pen15, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Other Two
Sweet birthday baby! If you haven't yet watched all of Russian Doll, stop what you're doing and watch it (maybe even twice). Then come back here for our discussion of Netflix's new show starring Natasha Lyonne. Plus: Sarah discovers that serial killers aren't so nice, even the "allegedly" hot ones, and Amanda learns more about the Troubles in Ireland thanks to a TV comedy about teenage girls. Shows discussed: Russian Doll, Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, Derry Girls, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Masked Singer
Let's talk about SE-ok, ok, we're not going to do the song. But this IS a week of sexy British comedy-dramas, or drama-comedies, or whatever the parlance of our times determines them to be. We talk about Netflix's "hit" Sex Education, which projects a fun fantasy world where male friends talk honestly about their sexual anxieties and '80s neon prints and shoulder pads are still all the rage. Then we come back down to earth to discuss "The Bisexual," Desiree Akhavan's sharp look at what it's like to blow up your life and try to navigate a shifting sexual identity in your thirties. Shows Discussed: Sex Education, The Bisexual, The Good Place, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Yes, we know award shows don't matter, but these days isn't it refreshing to get righteously indignant about things that don't matter? Among the eye rolls (Kominskyyyy!! *shakes fist*) were some real high points, so we're going to focus on those. We're back in the new year after a three week break, so we have some catching up to do. Sarah fills Amanda in on a choose-your-own-adventure Black Mirror episode (sounds suspicious), and Amanda tells Sarah about a new French rom-com series (sounds super-French). Shows watched: The Golden Globes, A Very English Scandal (sounds very English), The Hook-up Plan, Black Mirror's Bandersnatch, Escape from Dannemara
In which we comb back through 12 months of Google docs to answer the age-old question: what the hell did we watch this year, anyway? Only in the year 2018 can one have watched approximately 40 different television shows and still feel you've barely skimmed surface of what's actually out there. Stay tuned to find out what was the best of the best, what was the most disappointing, and what we're still never going to get around to watching. All that, plus the Best Use of a U2 Song in a Television Program. Shows Discussed: Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Americans, The Good Place, about 25 other shows
What does it say about us that we, like Eleanor Shellstrop, find John Travolta's egregious attempt to say Idina Menzel to be utterly hilarious? Or that we think parental neglect in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel could be well-served if it were handled humorously? From fantastic mid-season finales to intense Italian coming-of-age drama to fast-talking comediennes, this episode is full of women-led TV. Oh, and we also talk about a wonderfully strange man named Rahul. Shows discussed: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Good Place, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, My Brilliant Friend, The Great British Bake-Off, The Kominsky Method Plus: Golden Globe nominations!
Did you know there's an explicitly queer, body-positive, gender-fluid re-boot of She-Ra: Princesses of Power currently airing on Netflix? Well, Amanda knew, and she's here to tell you that it's not just wonderfully inclusive, it also has the benefit of being *good*. Sarah gives a "meh" and a "zuh?" to the new season of Room 104, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has an uneven start to its final season, but at least there are some all-time great songs to keep things moving. Shows Discussed: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Room 104, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Sometimes, the place you think is heaven turns out to be hell, and sometimes the place you expect to be terrible turns out to be, well, enriching, funny and ... charmingly/vaguely Canadian. It's an episode chock-full of likable people and hilarious characters, and we're not just talking about Sarah and Amanda. Plus, we're dreaming of traveling to good places with Samin Nosrat (and maybe letting her cook for us?). Shows discussed: Salt Fat Acid Heat, The Good Place, Schitt's Creek
Netflix doesn't have another Stranger Things installment to bore us with quite yet, so instead they've debuted two spooky new series just in time for our favorite time of year (and our first anniversary!)- The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and The Haunting of Hill House. How do they stack up? Well...let's say not all scares are created equal. In other demonic news: Alec Baldwin! Shows Discussed: The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, The Haunting of Hill House, The Alec Baldwin Show
There's finally one tiny bright spot on the network television landscape once again, and no, it's not God Friended Me (the actual name of a show currently airing on CBS) — it's The Good Place! Where my Tahani-Jason shippers at? Sarah gives an ... unenthusiastic endorsement to Netflix's Maniac, but Insecure ends the season on a high note after a mid-season shot of Beychella adrenaline. Shows discussed: Insecure, Maniac, The Good Place, God Friended Me
This week, we're getting REAL. We're talking about the high points of season 5 of BoJack Horseman (which are sorta also the low points?) and how it, a cartoon about a deeply flawed male anti-hero, manages to be a perfect show for the age of #MeToo. Meanwhile, the second season of American Vandal makes us very glad we didn't have social media when we were in high school, and we make fun of a new medical drama that looks, well, really stupid. Listen to the end to hear a bonus Mr. Peanutbutter line, plus some wacky celebrity ages you might not have known, maybe! Shows discussed: BoJack Horseman, American Vandal, Forever, New Amsterdam
The Emmys had their all-time lowest viewership, and it's not hard to see why. The hosts were boring, the jokes were awkward, and — wait, how is that different from any other awards show telecast? Sarah has ... feelings about that Marvelous Mrs. Maisel sweep, while Amanda's mostly here for the snark, and, of course, to drag Game of Thrones. We talk a bit about our early reactions to American Vandal season 2 and Bojack Horseman season 5 (spoiler alert: they're both good). Shows discussed: The Emmys, American Vandal, Bojack Horseman
Is Sarah going to tell Amanda why Jessica Biel murdered that guy in 'The Sinner'? Is the season of 'The Great British Baking Show' that just arrived on Netflix still as charming and soothing with new hosts and a new judge? Can Sarah sing like Lady Gaga in the 'A Star Is Born' trailer? The answer to at least one of those questions is yes! Shows discussed: The Great British Bake-Off, The Sinner, Castle Rock
Everything we're watching right now is scary and sad — why is that? From the ravages of dementia (paranormal dementia?) in Castle Rock to the...whydunnit murder mystery The Sinner to the deeply unsettling ending to Sharp Objects, this week is not exactly awash in puppies and rainbows. At least there's Insecure, which might be in a bit of a slump, but still features the most attractive cast on television. In other news, what on earth is the reasoning behind reviving Veronica Mars for another season?! Shows discussed: Sharp Objects, The Sinner, Castle Rock, Insecure, Veronica Mars (but why?)
The Hulu show Castle Rock provides us with a lot of eerie set-up, a great cast, and some pointed commentary on the American private-prison industry. But come on, show, just scare the pants off of us already! This episode, we demonstrate both how little we know of Stephen King's work and how much we like saying "Skarsgård," and talk about a French spy series and an American crafting show. Shows discussed: Castle Rock, A Very Secret Service, Making It
This week, we're mainly talking about HBO's adaptation of Sharp Objects, and It checks our boxes for a)utter creepiness, b)hot detective, and c)Patricia Clarkson, but what does it all add up to? Also, Sarah and Amanda check in with the larger-than-life personalities of Pose and ... Desperate Housewives?(Yes, Amanda watched it; no, we're not kidding.)
It may surprise you to learn that We Have Some Opinions about the Primetime Emmy nominations, announced last week. Why the fork did they so overlook The Good Place? Do they know there are other shows besides Handmaid's Tale? Why is Stranger Things nominated for best drama? Is "Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" the most boring category? Award shows are pointless, so join us as we get mad and excited anyway. JUSTICE FOR JIMMY TATRO! Shows discussed: ALL OF 'EM
OK, we're not really pitting The Handmaid's Tale and Alias Grace against each other (well, maybe Sarah is), but we do think that Alias Grace is not to be missed. Don't make our mistake and not get around to watching it for another six months! The writing, acting, and directing are all incredible—and all done by women, would ya look at that! We also get into some of the more gag-inducing marketing tactics Hulu has employed to promote The Handmaid's Tale. YIKES.
What do women wrestlers in the 1980s have to do with women forced to endure rape and give birth while living in a patriarchal theocracy? We could probably make some important feminist comparisons, but for now we'll just say they're both the subjects of two second-season shows we're talking about this week. Let's talk about what it takes to survive a hellish dystopia, and also about having unexpected feelings about Marc Maron. Shows discussed: GLOW, The Handmaid's Tale, Alias Grace, Succession
OK, so they're rich white guys with problems, but at least they're REAL problems: Patrick Melrose is a drug addict who survived a traumatic childhood, and over on The Staircase (or is it The Suitcase?) Michael Petersen maaaay have killed his wife (but wait until you get a load of the alternative theory). Plus, is it time to throw in the towel on some of Netflix's revivals and long-running shows? Shows Discussed: Patrick Melrose, The Staircase, Arrested Development, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and ... Suits!