📺 Play for that money, boys
Hi. Twitter is abuzz with gossip today that HBO Max is expected to scale back their original programming in advance of a merger with Discovery+’s streaming service. It’s not entirely clear what this will look like yet, or how true it is, but they’ve already canceled Gordita Chronicles, so that’s upsetting.
In today’s edition:
Paper Girls
Ramy
Keep Breathing
Treme
— Jess Spoll and Jenni Cullen
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Where we each choose a recent-ish show to review and feature.
If you like time travel and coming-of-age stories, try… Paper Girls
Keywords: sci-fi, time travel, coming-of-age
Watch if you like: Orphan Black, Manifest, Stranger Things
Jess’s Rating: C+
Paper Girls has the right ingredients for an excellent show with its award-winning source material (it’s adapted from an award-winning comic book series) and a talented and diverse cast of young women as the lead characters. As much as I wanted to love it, it fell flat for me.
The story centers around four 12-year-old girls who come from different walks of life and get roped into a war between two opposing factions of time travelers. As a sci-fi lover, I found the premise intriguing. But I was surprised to find that the show focuses primarily on the girls’ stories and interpersonal relationships, and the sci-fi elements of the show take a back seat. It’s essentially a coming-of-age story with a dash of time travel.
My favorite moments of the show were the exchanges between the girls, and towards the end I found myself dreading when they would be interrupted with a sub-par action sequence. Paper Girls has a heartwarming center but it’s cloaked in a hackneyed adventure tale, and it ends up being dissatisfying. I am holding out a little hope that they find a better balance in future seasons.
Length: ~40-min runtime, 1 season / 8 episodes
Watch on: Amazon Prime
If you liked the vibe of Master of None, try… Ramy
Keywords: thoughtful, comedy-drama, lighthearted
Watch if you like: Master of None, Atlanta, Louie
Jenni’s Rating: A-
Ramy is an understated comedy about a 20-something first-generation Egyptian-American on a journey of self-discovery (and spirituality) in New Jersey, of all places.
The eponymous main character (based on the stand-up comedian and show’s creator, Ramy Youssef) is smart and earnest, but a little lost and a lot self-absorbed. He hasn’t figured out just how traditional of a Muslim he wants to be and doesn’t fit in with the entirely Americanized crowd either. Even as the details of the show are pinprick specific to the creator’s perspective, his portrayal of indecision, uncertainty, and passivity in the face of consequences is so deeply relatable.
The best parallels I can draw on to sell you this show are probably Master of None and early seasons of Atlanta. While sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, Ramy more so leans on thoughtful, situational comedy that builds on itself in an extremely satisfying way. Lucky for us, it’s been renewed for season 3, most likely premiering in November 2022. Go catch up before the fall!
Length: 30-min runtime, 2 seasons / 10 episodes
Watch on: Hulu
Where we feature a show that you may have been tempted to check out, but we’re here to tell you…it might not be worth it. 🤷♀️
Keep Breathing
Keywords: plane crash, survival drama, solo emotional journey
Watch if you like: 127 Hours, The Shallows, Castaway
Jess’s Rating: D
Netflix’s new limited series, Keep Breathing, shot to #1 on the streaming service’s TV chart soon after its premiere. Despite that popularity, reactions to the show were mixed. Using my TikTok audience as my source (highly credible, right?), it seemed like roughly half of the viewers loved the show while the other half found it to be boring. I spent 3 hours to watch it for myself, and now I’m in the latter camp.
On the surface, Keep Breathing is a survival story about a woman (Melissa Barrera) who is headed to a remote Canadian town when her small plane crashes in the wilderness. As a fan of the plane-crash-survivor genre (see my reviews of Yellowjackets, The Wilds), and a fan of Barrera’s from Scream, I had high hopes for this series. But the show is much less about the woman’s fight for survival, and much more about her fighting her personal demons and overcoming past trauma. To tell that story, the show uses A LOT of flashbacks. So many flashbacks.
I have to place credit where credit is due and hand it to Barrera — without much of a plot and very little dialogue, she delivers an intensely moving and nuanced performance. Unfortunately the show lacks suspense and feels overly padded; this could have been a decent 90-minute movie instead.
— Jess
Length: 30-min runtime, limited series / 6 episodes
Watch on: Netflix
Where we highlight shows that have long-since ended or been canceled, that are well-worth digging back up.
Treme (2010-2013)
Keywords: Jazz, American drama, slice of life
Watch if you like: The Wire, The Eddy, Nashville
Jenni’s Rating: A
If you ever wished there were a show with the authenticity of The Wire, but a little less of its intensity, I present to you: Treme.
This David Simon series is not set in Baltimore and is not about cops, if you can believe it. Instead, it’s a slice-of-life style love letter to jazz and the city of New Orleans. Set just three months post Hurricane Katrina, the fictional (but very realistic!) drama follows a range of New Orleans residents — including local musicians, artists, and chefs — as they try to rebuild their lives after the floods. Beneath the hopeful journeys of the characters flows an undercurrent of the real political history of the city after Katrina, including the effects of federal neglect and entrenched corruption. What a combo.
Treme is not a show to binge, but one to savor. The acting in this show is impeccable, the music is excellent, and it places such a lovely emphasis on art and the warmth that community can provide in the face of hardships. Its episodes are long and the series can feel a bit slow to start, but soon you’ll be falling in love with the characters and the city and you won’t want it to end.
— Jenni
Length: 1-hr runtime, 4 seasons / 36 episodes
Watch on: HBO Max
Your shows, returned:
The Outlaws, Season 2: Premieres August 5 on Amazon Prime
Locke & Key, Season 3: Released August 10 on Netflix
Indian Matchmaking, Season 2: Released August 10 on Netflix
Upcoming new releases:
The Sandman: Released August 5 on Netflix