Streamingly: Volume 6

This is Streamingly, a modern day TV Guide with recommendations on what to stream across a variety of platforms.

I’m making some changes to the newsletter this month. In an effort to keep you on the pulse of what’s new, historically I’ve recommended some shows that premier after the newsletter is published and therefore, haven’t seen. As a result, I owe you an apology for The Gilded Age on HBO. It had the makings of a hit, and I know some of you enjoy it, but the New York Times got it spot on by referring to it as the “Dimestore Downton” Therefore, unless it’s a sequel, a new season, my holiday movie countdown, or stars Kate Winslet, I won’t include what I haven’t watched. However, I know my avid TV watchers and readers like Kim and Lila will think “old news” by the time they see the recs, so in an effort to keep my overachievers engaged, I’m including a brief list under each channel of upcoming shows that I’m excited to watch.

What I love right now is Janet Jackson, an authorized documentary about the singer/actor that’s streaming for free on Lifetime and A&E, or you can get it on Amazon Prime or Apple TV+ for a small fee. Please pray, chant, put out to the universe, whatever you believe, that this talented woman does a tour when her new album coming out later this year. I just can’t take more disappointment after Adele postponed. Note: I fully support her and she is everything.

In an effort to become more inclusive to those of you who like the sci-fi genre when it involves horror, I’ve recruited my neighbor Scott to screen shows for me because I’m too afraid. In the past, I’ve tried to get over this fear by watching American Horror Story and believing that my love of Sarah Paulson will overcome the terror, but it didn’t work. You can see Scott’s rec in Netflix below.

HBO is killing it this month with incredible original shows, and please read all the way to the end to learn about Amazon’s documentary on the debut of the Olympic sport of women’s wall climbing. Also, see the Oscar-nominated documentary Attica on Showtime. It’s unforgettable.

Today, 2/15, I have some good news and bad news. The bad news is that I went to publish this volume and logged in to find that everything I’d written over the past week was gone. Substack is supposed to auto-save every letter I type. So, I got up from my computer and started vacuuming and contemplating the future of Streamingly. After acknowledging that people like Kathleen and Rowanne really rely on me, I sat back down and started doing some digging. The good news is that there’s a neat little area of Substack that lets you go back to a given day and revert to that draft. I did it, here we are, and Streamingly lives on. Phew! Enjoy.

For the Newcomers

Welcome to Streamingly, the monthly list of what to stream and where to stream it, along with my humble recommendations. In short, shows I like. I feature a variety of them, from reality to drama to the occasional movie, and highlight both current shows and some that you may have missed while trying to navigate the labyrinth of streaming apps. In addition to having 44 years of experience watching TV, I started this newsletter because I’m nostalgic for the TV Guide that used to come in the mail each week, and I’m regularly asked by friends “What are you watching?” Close friends know that I keep a list on my phone because of menopausal brain fog, but it does save me from spending my first 15 minutes on the couch looking for something to watch. Heck, I even have to reference my own newsletter! So, give your remote, or fingertip, a break and subscribe. There are plenty of free streaming guides out there, but a comprehensive, timely list organized by channel and free of pop-ups is hard to come by.

Why not share this good news with your friends?

NETFLIX

Happy Valley: This BBC hit stars my favorite British actress, Sarah Lancashire, who you may remember me raving about in Volume 4 when I declared Last Tango in Halifax the best show of my adult life so far. This time, the same creator, Sally Wainwright, casts Sarah as a rough and tumble cop fighting drug related crimes in West Yorkshire (ironically nicknamed Happy Valley). She’s brilliant as usual while her character faces personal loss but carries on fighting crime throughout two seasons. My neighbor Debra gave me the hot tip that they’re currently filming a third season and below is a behind the scenes shot of Sarah getting advice from her stunt double.

Every time I watch a British cop show, I’m struck by how they manage to get the job done without guns, using stun guns and pepper spray instead. The thought, according to officials, is that guns do more harm than good. Imagine that. Only 12 bullets were fired by the few armed officers in Britain and Wales in 2018. In comparison, 1,147 people were shot dead by police in the United States the same year. I digress, but watch the first two seasons and I’ll let you know when the third premiers!

Downfall: The Case Against Boeing: There are exceptions to every rule and this is another to add to my list of shows I’ll include before seeing them, Ron Howard films. I haven’t seen this documentary because it premiers on the 18th, but it’s produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, directed by uber accomplished documentary film director and producer Rory Kennedy, and got rave reviews at Sundance. If you are at all afraid of flying, please don’t watch this expose on the negligence that caused two Boeings to crash five months apart. Check out the trailer here.

Archive 81: As I mentioned above, Scott is my sci-fi/horror reviewer here. A video archiver is attempting to restore damaged footage which reveals something involving a demonic cult. It’s based on a horror podcast of the same name and the show gets great reviews. According to Scott, the mystery ending sets us up for a second season.

I Can’t Wait to Watch! One of us is Lying on Feb. 18th

HULU

I’m sorry that I don’t have anything for you here, and yes, it’s intentional that I’m not including Pam and Tommy. I think the best that Hulu has to offer right now is Season 18 of Top Chef, so if you weren’t able to watch it last year on Bravo, binge away.

I Can’t Wait to Watch! No Exit on Feb. 22nd

APPLE TV+

Suspicion: If you google this show, or have seen the ads like below, you’ll think that it stars Uma Thurman. I immediately thought, “Amazing!” and “Could this be her great comeback?” but after the first episode where it’s apparent she plays a minor supporting role, I knew a bait and switch had occurred. I’m not mad, though! The rest of the actors are talented, and the plot of this mostly British thriller where the child of a famous American is kidnapped unravels in a captivating fashion. It’s not going to win any awards from critics, but is highly entertaining.

I Can’t Wait to Watch! Severence on Feb. 18th

HBO MAX

Getting On: I’m taking you waaaay back to 2013 in this three season series that has the single funniest scene I’ve ever seen on TV. It’s a show about the dysfunctional staff of a hospital geriatric ward and stars Laurie Metcalf, Alex Borstein and Niecy Nash in comedic roles that are sometimes brilliantly improvised. There are three seasons and you don’t have to get too far to watch the above mentioned scene because it’s in the first episode. You’ll know what I’m talking about.

About Last Night: Ayesha and Stephen Curry are surprisingly delightful and funny as hosts in this new show where celebrities compete in a not so newlywed gameshow. I laughed out loud at some of the things that came out of the mouths of these seemingly reserved celebs. (It doesn’t hurt that there’s a full bar and they start each game with cocktail hour.) At least one comedian is included each episode for plan b comic relief, but it’s not at all necessary because everyone totally cuts loose.

The Girl Before: Based on a best selling novel of the same name, this series presents a deranged and sadistic architect, brilliantly played by David Oyelowo, who leases his minimalist home only to women who resemble his dead wife. The first tenant dies in the house under suspicious circumstances and the subsequent tenant looks so much like the first, and the wife, that at times I had to do a double-take. The home is an architectural wonder and a character itself with its big brother monitoring system and strict rules for living that take minimalism to an extreme. I’ve been accused of being a minimalist, but I don’t aspire to this level because I can’t live without my TV and Birkenstocks for every occasion.

Just Call Out My Name: and you know, wherever I am, I’ll come runnin….” If you missed the CNN special featuring greats Carol King and James Taylor, here’s your second chance to experience them together, or squared, because it’s that amazing. Spotify just sent me my “most listened to in 2021” playlist and five James Taylor songs are on it. My girlfriend is embarrassed for me, but “It’s Too Late” baby for me to change my taste in music.

Icahn the Restless Billionaire: Carl Icahn is one of the world’s most well-known billionaire financiers. He’s the controlling shareholder of his public company, Icahn Enterprises, and is considered one of the first to use activist investing as a strategy for hedge funds. Please watch this documentary, or read Wikipedia, to understand how deep Carl Icahn’s ties with Trump go and the corruption that occurred between the two during his presidency. (If you can stomach it)

I Can’t Wait to Watch! Free Guy on 2/23

SHOWTIME

Attica: Favored to win the Oscar this year for Best Documentary, this movie is a must-watch. We shouldn’t forget this horrible tragedy of racial injustice and the lasting affects it has on the lives of the inmates, and their families. The uprising was well documented in video and photographs both inside and outside of the prison and the images are so powerful. Warning that the film depicts graphic violence and will be disturbing to many, as it should be.

AMAZON PRIME

I Want You Back: I found this rom-com so charming and witty that I had to find out who wrote it. It all made sense when I learned that it’s the writing team behind This is Us (For those of you who've broken up with network TV, it’s a wildly popular and award winning show on NBC) A bonus is that it stars Scott Eastwood, son and look-a-like of Clint, and he does the “Squint Eastwood” throughout the movie. (Clint’s trademark eye squint from his Western film days) It seemed forced and uncalled for in a romantic comedy free of cowboy standoffs and in world where sunglasses are freely available. I did some research and it turns out that Clint had undiagnosed vision problems and didn’t see an eye doctor until later in life. He has since received treatment to correct his vision and the squint is gone. So, it appears the younger Eastwood is faking it, but we’ll give him a break because it can’t be easy to be the son of a star whose legacy almost impossible to match. I just realized that I didn’t explain what the movie is about, but see below and you’ll probably recognize the formula.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: The fabulous Rachel Brosnahan is back in season four of Amazon’s juggernaut original series. The third season didn’t end on a high note, as Midge was kicked off of Shy’s comedy tour for outing him as a gay man to an audience at the Apollo. Let’s see if Midge and Susie (Alex Borstein) can pick up the pieces starting February 18th.

The Wall Climb for Gold: I became aware of this documentary because my friend Michele is involved in the distribution, and I’m so glad she posted about it numerous times on Facebook because I finally got around to watching it. It missed the cutoff for this year’s Oscars, but I’m cheering for it be a contender next year. The sport of women’s climbing debuted at the Summer Olympics last year and this film follows a few international stars of this electrifying sport as they train, compete and experience the personal and professional challenges of Covid.

I Can’t Wait To Watch! Lucy and Desi Documentary by Amy Poehler on March 4th

Discovery +

(re)Motel: Like “re” model motels if you didn’t get that from the title. This series features hipster motels and their before and after stories told in short, 10-minute segments. I recognized a few that I’ve seen or stayed in, and for my Central CA friends, they feature Skyview in Los Alamos.