What TV Shows Are You Watching?
Someone pinged me on here the other day to ask what I’m watching. Most people in my generation would say, “I don’t watch TV” and then stream shows on their phone or their laptop. Not me.
I watch TV on a big flatscreen, the way god intended. I watch it nightly, as a way to wind down from the day. But I only watch it after the kid goes down, which means, at most, there’s only time for between 30 and 90 minutes of TV each night.
So here’s what’s in rotation at the moment:
Carnival Row
This is the show everybody’s sleeping on. It’s a rich fantastical world—set in a 19th-century parallel universe. Extremely high design, ornate costuming, gilded-age style architecture. The worldmaking aspect of the show is immersive, like a baroque Game of Thrones.
But the story is what’s best about this show—racial, gender, and even class politics (!) are central to the plot, but featured in a way that’s just fully entertaining. A total fantasy world. Nobody makes content like this anymore. I watched the first season three years ago, and then for whatever reason the second season only just came out.
I’m telling you, if you’re into bare-knuckle violence, revolutionary and imperial politics, world-building shows, and/or historical fantasy, give this a chance. It’s so good that I may write a review of it at some point.
Poker Face
A review of the show in Jacobin magazine called it Knives Out for the working class. That’s pretty spot on. I loved Knives Out—it’s one of those comfort-food movies that I just put on in the background sometimes. And Poker Face does a good job of capturing that same murder-mystery procedural that’s so fun. Pacing is formulaic but in a good way. Acting is tremendous. Writing is clever.
Succession
I mean, this is what everybody’s watching, right? I love the dialogue in this show. I’m a huge fan of actor Jeremy “no chill” Strong. His character, Kendall Roy, is probably the most sympathetic character in the show, even though he’s addicted to making bad choices. And Connor Roy is a very loveable piece of shit that embodies about 80% of what’s wrong with America…and it’s hilarious.
I also just listened to an episode of the Know Your Enemy pod where they interviewed one of the show’s writers, and if you’re a fan of Succession it’s a must-listen.
The current season has a Trump-era vintage, which doesn’t feel great. But other than getting a peek into the eye-popping luxury of how the 1% live, there’s nothing about this show that makes you feel good. Its appeal, I think, is how disgustingly closely it tracks with our understanding of how media and politics works. Corruption and reactionary politics all the way down.
Bel-Air
I grew up on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The new remake triggers pangs of nostalgia for a hip-hop loving ‘90s kid. But this one’s a drama, not a comedy.
The first season started off replicating the Will Smith version beat for beat. Frankly, it was just ok. But the second season was fire—very dramatic, excellent character development, great soundtrack.
Predictably, the show has a bit of a class blind spot. Like the original show, they manage to somehow depict Will as a cultural fish out of water—a poor kid in a rich man’s world—without any kind of commentary about the reasons that kept people like Will down or the system that let Philip Banks collect his millions. But at least it’s racially aware, and I’m fully invested—looking forward to season 3.
Million Dollar Listing L.A.
Don’t judge! Yes, I’m disgusted by all the money and the gaudy sprawling estates and the absurdly petty dramas. It’s also a little surreal watching these real estate agents—who think they have superpowers—realize that in a down market they can’t sell shit. And after like 15 years, the show is finally starting to jump the shark a bit.
But I love all that California coastal scenery. And sometimes I just need to sit there and drool while the glowing screen washes over my zombified mind.
Stuff I’d Like To Watch But Haven’t Gotten To Yet
The Diplomat (Netflix—I suspect I’m not going to be as into this as I might’ve been in a previous life, but still curious)
Working (Netflix—the Obama docuseries that I’ve heard is really disappointing politically)
Dear Mama (Hulu—The Tupac docuseries that I can’t seem to find in New Zealand)
City on Fire (Apple-TV—Saw a bit of the first episode and can’t wait to see more)
Would love to know what else is out there that I might be missing. The entertainment ecosystem is so fractured now that it’s easy to overlook good stuff.