📺 Our first unpopular opinion?
Happy Thursday. It’s a big week for new releases: Atlanta Season 3 starts tonight, Bridgerton Season 2 and Pachinko premiere tomorrow, and the first episode of Moon Knight will be released on Wednesday.
In today’s edition:
Virtual dog therapists
A potato chip crime ring
Renée Zellweger as a neighborly murderer
Olivia Colman being incredible
— Jess Spoll and Jenni Cullen
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Where we each choose a recent-ish show to review and feature every week.
If you like a little dash of hope with your cynicism, try… Upload
Keywords: comedy, sci-fi, futuristic, satire
Watch if you like: The Good Place, Mythic Quest, Space Force
Jess’s Rating: A-
What do you get when you take the afterlife premise and upbeat humor of The Good Place and mix in the darkly futuristic themes of Black Mirror? You get one of the most unique comedies on TV.
Upload comes to us from Greg Daniels, the guy who adapted The Office for the US and co-created Parks and Rec. It’s set in a future in which the afterlife has been commercialized: if you have enough money, you can upload your consciousness into a virtual world. Those who can pay the big bucks get to live forever and even meet with their loved ones who are still alive, all while living in luxury.
The story begins with the premature death of Nathan (played by Robbie Amell from Life with Derek), who was developing a free version of the digital afterlife before he died. We then follow his post-death “life” in the luxurious virtual world, as he investigates his mysterious death and forms a friendship with his living customer service rep.
The second season of Upload dropped recently and it’s even better than the first. The digital afterlife premise is so fascinating and even when the plot doesn’t quite find its footing, it’s comedic and fun to watch. What I really enjoy about Upload is that it shows us a future that is at once inviting and a little scary — both a satirical look at capitalism and a vision of a world where we can be with our loved ones forever.
Length: ~30-min runtime, 2 seasons / 17 episodes total
Watch on: Amazon Prime
If you’re looking for your new favorite stereotype-crushing comedy, try… Reservation Dogs
Keywords: dry comedy, weird, charming
Watch if you like: Atlanta, What We Do In The Shadows, Derry Girls
Jenni’s Rating: A-
This show took a few episodes to fully pull me in, but now I’m hooked. Reservation Dogs follows four indigenous teens in rural Oklahoma who commit (and occasionally fight) light crime in order to save enough money to get off the Rez. We find out a few minutes in that there was once a fifth member of their group who died about a year ago and had big dreams of moving to California. Now, to honor him, it’s the gang’s dream too.
The general vibe of Reservation Dogs is understated and very funny, with just the right touch of dramatic weight for balance. The best parallel I can draw is to Atlanta. The tone of both comedies is remarkably similar, and each centers an underrepresented community in a way that does not gloss over the aspects that make their lives difficult, but also doesn’t glorify their trauma.
I haven’t seen a series this original that knows exactly what it is in a long time; although, with Taika Waititi (What We Do In the Shadows / Hunt for the Wilder People) as one of the creators, I shouldn’t be surprised. This one of a kind, semi-episodic, character-driven sitcom would be oh-so-easy to watch in one 4-hour sitting. But bear in mind that the official release date for season 2 (sometime this year!) is still TBD, so you might want to savor it a bit.
Length: 30-min runtime, 1 season / 8 episodes
Watch on: FX / Hulu
Where we try to prove that you shouldn’t blindly trust the average Rotten Tomatoes score.
The Thing About Pam
Keywords: true crime, docudrama
Watch if you like: American Crime Story, Dirty John, The Jinx
Average Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 48% critics, 32% audience
Jess’s Rating: B+
I’m typically the first one to agree with an average Rotten Tomatoes rating, and I am skeptical of fictionalized true-crime stories, so I went into this with very low expectations. But after watching the 3 episodes that are out so far, I’m shocked that there are so many negative reviews. This show is fast-paced, compelling, and has a stand-out cast.
In The Thing About Pam, Renée Zellweger plays Pam Hupp, a frumpy small-town busybody who masquerades as a charming (and slightly annoying) neighbor, but is actually a cold blooded murderer. The strange but true story of how Pam murdered her best friend Betsy in 2011 and initially got away with it has been the subject of 5 Dateline episodes and a hit podcast, and now comes to us as a 6-episode TV series. A fun and unique element of the show is that the famed Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison narrates throughout.
It seems that critics want to argue that The Thing about Pam pokes fun at a real life horror, rather than treating it with deference. But from what I can tell, the true story is pretty wacky and the real-life Pam was a very colorful character. The show doesn’t poke fun at any of the victims, and if anything, it does an excellent job of painting the villains of the real story as exactly that. It’s not a satire of the true-crime genre, it’s just a unique telling of a true crime, and I think we were overdue for a fresh take in that arena.
— Jess
Length: 42-min runtime, 3 episodes out so far with new episodes on Tuesdays
Watch on: NBC / Peacock / Hulu
Where we highlight shows that have long-since ended or been canceled, that are well-worth digging back up.
Broadchurch (2013 - 2017)
Keywords: crime drama, mystery thriller, dark
Watch if you like: Mare of Easttown, Sharp Objects, Twin Peaks
Jenni’s Rating: A+
This British drama walked so Mare of Easttown could run. Actually, it sprinted so all the other small-town mystery procedurals could jog along after it trying to catch up.
Broadchurch begins with the discovery of an 11-year old boy’s body at the base of cliffs overlooking a beach. The series follows the resulting investigation, suspicion, and community fallout in the small, close-knit town where he lived.
This series is immediately captivating — unfolding slowly in a deliberate and tension-building way. The first season is by far the best, but all three are *chef’s kiss*. The writing, along with an absolutely knockout cast (including Olivia Colman, David Tennant, Arthur Darvill) and exquisite cinematography make this one of the best crime dramas I’ve ever seen. It’s the kind of TV show I would gladly watch over again, start-to-finish, just to introduce it to a friend.
— Jenni
Length: 1-hour runtime, 3 seasons / 24 episodes total
Watch on: Amazon Prime
📺 Want to share an opinion about a TV show that we reviewed? Reply to this email! You may see your thoughts in an upcoming edition of Double Take.
Your shows, returned:
Starstruck, Season 2: Released March 24 on HBO Max
Atlanta, Season 3: Premieres March 24 on FX
Bridgerton, Season 2: Released March 25 on Netflix
Upcoming new releases:
Pachinko: Released March 25 on Apple TV+
The Girl from Plainville: Released March 29 on Hulu
Moon Knight: Premieres March 30 on Disney+
Julia: Released March 31 on HBO Max