📺 Nothing but my gay intuition
Hi friends. Obi-Wan Kenobi has secured its place as Disney+’s biggest debut thus far, with 11.2 million views in its first weekend. In this week’s edition, Jess and Jenni watch things that make them v happy and we bring in our first ever guest reviewer (a Star Wars super fan!) to weigh in on the new series.
In today’s edition:
Heartstopper
Prehistoric Planet
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Anne with an E
— Jenni Cullen and Jess Spoll
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Where we each choose a recent-ish show to review and feature every week.
If you need a big boost of dopamine, try… Heartstopper
Keywords: LGBTQ+, rom-com, teens
Watch if you like: Love Simon, Atypical, Sex Education
Jess’s Rating: A-
The best way that I can describe this show is by telling you that I felt pure joy while watching it. Even when things got tough for the characters, it’s the kind of show where you know that everything will be ok in the end. If you could use that sort of positive energy in your life, I highly recommend that you binge this ASAP (it’s a 4 hour watch in total).
Heartstopper follows two teens, Charlie and Nick, at an all-boys school in England. Charlie fits the nerdy kid stereotype and has been bullied at school for being gay. Nick is a popular kid that has been dubbed the “rugby king” by his classmates. They form an unlikely friendship when they are sat next to each other in class, and Charlie finds himself with a crush on Nick, even though he is seemingly straight.
The series is based on a comic book, and there are cutesy little cartoon decorations that sometimes pop up on the screen. It’s a bit weird but I’ve decided that it adds to the adorableness of it all. Ultimately this is a predictable watch, but that doesn’t detract from the story like it normally would for me. It’s irresistibly heartwarming, emotionally intelligent, and believable. I wish they’d made shows like this when I was growing up.
Length: 30-min runtime, 1 season / 8 episodes
Watch on: Netflix
If you’ve been waiting for a live-action Land Before Time, try… Prehistoric Planet
Keywords: dinosaurs, David Attenborough, nature documentary
Watch if you like: Planet Earth, Alien Worlds, Walking with Dinosaurs
Jenni’s Rating: B+
I am feeling SO MUCH JOY watching this show about what our planet was like 66 million years ago. The series maintains the structure and key elements of Planet Earth — i.e. the incomparable David Attenborough narrating as we follow different species and their daily interactions in vivid and gorgeous detail — but instead of gazelles or flamingos, it’s friggin’ dinosaurs.
I don’t know how they did it, but somehow, the team behind Prehistoric Planet has perfected the CGI dinosaur to such a degree that I frequently forget I’m not watching real documentary footage. It’s obviously hard to know exactly how accurate of a depiction we get, but the creators used a healthy mix of the latest scientific data and speculation and the result is very, very cool.
If you stan a nature documentary and Planet Earth is your gold standard, run don’t walk to your Apple TV account. Prehistoric Planet is such a soothing watch and with only 5 episodes, perfect to binge through during this weekend’s thunderstorms.
Length: ~40-min runtime, 5 episodes total
Watch on: Apple TV+
Sometimes a show debuts that isn’t really our cup of tea, but that we want to spotlight. In these cases, we have a guest reviewer provide their take.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi is the newest limited series set in the Star Wars universe. It follows Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor, reprising his role 17 years later), one of the few remaining Jedi, while he is in hiding from the Empire and is haunted by nightmares of the past. This series takes place between the events of Revenge of the Sith (Episode III) and A New Hope (Episode IV).
If you’re a casual fan, like Jess, read her review to decide if you’d like this show. If you’re a Star Wars super fan, then check out Alan’s (Jess’s dad’s) review to see how the series stacks up.
Length: ~45-min runtime, 3 episodes so far with new episodes each Wednesday
Watch on: Disney+
I’ve seen all of the Star Wars movies except the prequel trilogy, and I (mostly) enjoyed them. And yes, even though I haven’t seen the only movies that the titular character is actually in, I wanted to give this series a shot.
I’ve watched the 3 episodes that are available so far, and my takeaway is that I can’t see anyone enjoying this show unless they are a major fan of Star Wars. Since the plot of the series takes place between two existing movies, there is hardly any tension in the script — you already know what’s ultimately going to play out. I could imagine that seeing Ewan McGregor again is cool for people, but it doesn’t do anything for me. There are some good fight scenes, and neat scenery, but I’m not certain that I’ll watch the remaining 3 episodes.
Jess’s Rating: C
As a huge Star Wars fan, I was very excited when I first heard that Disney would be making an Obi-Wan movie. Out of the mess that was the prequel trilogy, Ewan McGregor’s performance as Obi-Wan Kenobi managed to be memorable and strong, so it made sense that they would bring the character back as part of the ever-expanding Star Wars universe. The planned film morphed into a TV show after the disappointing returns from Solo, debuting with two episodes on May 27th.
Through three episodes, I have been enjoying Obi-Wan Kenobi, and although I can poke a few holes in the events that have occurred thus far, those things have not detracted from the immersiveness of the show. If you tried to imagine the mindset and melancholy of the title character 10 years after the tragic events of Revenge of the Sith, you would end up right where McGregor plays him here. The supporting cast has been strong, and the story has been engaging. I have also seen first-hand that you don’t need to be a Star Wars fan to enjoy this show.* I look forward to seeing where the rest of the episodes take us.
Alan’s Rating: B
*Editor’s note: You’re going to have to decide who to trust on this one…
Where we highlight shows that have long-since ended or been canceled, that are well-worth digging back up.
Anne with an E (2017-2019)
Keywords: coming of age, Prince Edward Island, drama
Watch if you like: Little Women, Jane Eyre, Derry Girls
Jenni’s Rating: C+
I was not initially thrilled with Netflix’s darker adaptation of my favorite childhood story about a scrappy, smart, red-headed orphan growing up on Prince Edward Island in 1901. In fact, I actively told people not to watch it and instead to seek out the two-part Anne of Green Gables/Avonlea CBC miniseries from the ‘80s starring Megan Follows. (I still think you should go watch that, by the way, it’s iconic). Recently though, I’ve revisited Anne with an E, and am actually finding it more enjoyable the second time around. I wanted a show set somewhere idyllic — the eastern coast of Canada fits this bill quite nicely — and about compelling relationships, which this coming-of-age tale certainly provides.
Like I said, this adaptation is much grittier and over-the-top than my beloved cozy original, keying into violent flashbacks of Anne’s past in abusive foster homes and orphanages. It shouldn’t surprise me that every character now seems to have a tragic backstory (that didn’t exist in the books) or that there are far more action sequences and cliff-hangers in this series, since the writer and producer previously worked on Breaking Bad.
For die-hard L.M. Montgomery fans, I’d say tread lightly with this show, and don’t go in with too many expectations. For newcomers who want to see a clever young girl succeed in life (and eventually love) against a lot of odds, give Anne with an E a try.
— Jenni
Length: 44-min runtime, 3 seasons / 27 episodes total
Watch on: Netflix
Your shows, returned:
For all Mankind, Season 3: Premieres June 10 on Apple TV+
Peaky Blinders, Season 6: Released June 10 on Netflix
Fairfax, Season 2: Premieres June 10 on Amazon Prime
Evil, Season 3: Premieres June 12 on Paramount+
Love, Victor, Season 3: Premieres June 15 on Hulu
Rutherford Falls, Season 2: Released June 16 on Peacock
Upcoming new releases:
Queer as Folk: Premieres June 9 on Peacock
First Kill: Released June 10 on Netflix
Dark Winds: Premieres June 12 on AMC/AMC+
Becoming Elizabeth: Premieres June 12 on Starz
God’s Favorite Idiot: Released June 15 on Netflix
The Old Man: Premieres June 16 on FX/Hulu
Players: Premieres June 16 on Paramount+