📺 Our cold open
"Everybody is going to get to know each other in the pot."
Hey there. Welcome to the very first (!!) edition of Double Take. We’re Jess and Jenni, we watch borderline too much TV, and we have a lot of opinions. Every week we’ll provide our recommendations for what to watch on your streaming services.
In today’s edition:
Paranormal found footage
Wiz Khalifa in a top hat
An iffy spinoff
A sitcom to add to your rotation— Jess Spoll and Jenni Cullen
Take your pick
If you like Paranormal Activity and The Twilight Zone, you might like… Archive 81
Watch on: Netflix
Length: 1-hour runtime, 1 season / 8 episodes
Jess’s Rating: B+
If you’re like me, then your favorite kind of horror movies are more spooky than scary. Archive 81 fits this bill — light on jump scares, heavy on suspense and unsettling moments. The general premise is that this guy is hired by a shady businessman to restore decades-old film tapes that were destroyed in a fire. While restoring them, he sees some bizarre things. (The less you know going in, the better, I always say). It’s only 8 episodes and it drags a little around episodes 4/5, but overall it’s very bingeable. It’s the kind of show that you hope one of your friends is also watching so that you can talk to someone about the ending. It won’t change your life, but it’s a nice 8 hour distraction from the real world.
If you like Taylor Swift and The Great, you might like… Dickinson
Watch on: Apple TV+
Length: 30-min runtime, 3 seasons / 30 episodes
Jenni’s Rating: A-
I’m a sucker for well-written shows that have an achingly short, but satisfying lifespan (think Fleabag, Broadchurch, Please Like Me). This show is my latest find in this vein; I all but binge-watched the witty, odd, and earnest 30-episode package.
Dickinson is not your average period piece — it’s an anachronistic coming-of-age comedy. Hailee Steinfeld stars as the eponymous teen Emily Dickinson and is joined by a killer supporting cast and some really great guest stars (John Mulaney, Wiz Khalifa, Zosia Mamet, Nick Kroll…the list goes on). While the costumes and sets are historic, most of the language and music are decidedly contemporary. The show does an amazing job of using modern sensibilities and tone to give a poet who didn’t quite fit into her own time a place to live somewhere “in between”. All in all, Dickinson is weird, fun, and unabashedly itself. Check it out if you’re in the mood for some laughter with a side of imagination.
We watched so you don’t have to
How I Met Your Father
Watch on: Hulu, new episodes released every Tuesday
Length: 30-min runtime
Jenni’s Rating: D
Jess’s Rating: D+
If you, like me, watched all of HIMYM back in the mid 2000s, generally enjoyed it, but found the last few seasons difficult to push through...don’t get too excited. The spinoff sequel (no one asked for) is not very good.
How I Met your Father (HIMYF) premiered mid-January with Hilary Duff starring as Sophie, a hopeless romantic looking for her soulmate in NYC. It’s a familiar premise, slightly stale. I love Hilary Duff on principle and she and the rest of the cast are charming enough individually (Piz from Veronica Mars is part of the crew!), but together they have zero chemistry. And somehow all the jokes just feel…empty? Like an AI bot pooled all the existing sitcoms and built the shell of a comedy but forgot to add a soul.
It’s possible HIMYF will find its groove and become something better than it currently is, but until then, I can only recommend it as a background show.
— Jenni
Previously On
Where we highlight shows that have long-since ended or been canceled, that are well-worth digging back up.
Kim’s Convenience
Watch on: Netflix
Length: 30-min runtime, 5 seasons / 65 episodes
Jess’s Rating: A-
Jenni’s Rating: A
Kim’s Convenience deserves more attention than it’s received. It’s a wholesome and lighthearted ensemble sitcom about a Korean immigrant family living above the convenience store that they own. One of the main characters is played by Simu Liu (recent Marvel inductee, star of Shang-Chi), but it’s otherwise a relatively unknown show with an unknown cast coming out of Canada. I’d say this show is more heartwarming than laugh-out-loud funny, but it’ll definitely boost your mood, and it’ll broaden your horizons more than rewatching Parks and Rec for the 18th time will (just me?).
— Jess
Your shows, returned:
Ozark, Season 4 (Part 1): Released January 21 on Netflix
Raised by Wolves, Season 2: Premieres February 3 on HBO Max
Sweet Magnolias, Season 2: Released February 4 on Netflix
Rick and Morty, Season 5: Premieres February 5 on HBO Max and Hulu
Love is Blind, Season 2: Premieres February 11 on Netflix
Dollface, Season 2: Premieres February 11 on Hulu