📺 Release Report: March 2022
Welcome to a special edition of Double Take. Usually we curate our reviews to persuade you to watch something that we loved (or not watch something we hated), but the Release Report is an unfiltered look into our opinions on every new show & season you may have heard about recently. Or, at least as many as we could watch.
But before you catch up on the latest in TV, cast your vote in this week’s head-to-head. Which guilty pleasure show is superior: Bridgerton or Emily in Paris?
— Jenni Cullen and Jess Spoll
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Our thoughts on some brand new shows we watched, and where you can watch them.
Pachinko
Keywords: Korean, drama, historical epic
Watch if you like: This is Us, Ramy, Promised Land
Jenni’s Rating: A
Based on the novel by Min Jin Lee, Pachinko is the story about one Korean family across multiple generations. The show’s first few episodes shift between time periods and continents, setting up the story of our heroine, Sunja, and her life-changing displacement during Japan’s occupation of Korea.
This beautifully shot drama does have subtitles — they only take a few minutes to get used to, and it’s absolutely worth it. I was quickly sucked in by the story and dynamics of the different eras, and the Big Little Lies style intro sequence sealed the deal. After just one episode, I truly cared about individual characters and relationships and couldn’t wait to watch the next.
Pachinko so far promises to fulfill the brief set by its origin novel and suck us viewers into an epic saga of love and loss, war and peace — and all the elements of life’s uncertainty.
— Jenni
Length: 1-hr runtime, 3 episodes out so far with new episodes on Fridays
Watch on: Apple TV+
Welcome to Flatch
Keywords: comedy, mockumentary, small town
Watch if you like: The Office, Schitt’s Creek, Letterkenny
Jess’s Rating: B
Like The Office, Welcome to Flatch is another mockumentary-style series based on a British comedy (This Country). Our tour guides in the small town of Flatch are Kelly and Shrub, two cousins and best friends, and the show centers around their immature adventures throughout the town. The citizens of Flatch are quirky (read: extremely odd) but the show puts an endearing spin on their mundane day-to-day ups and downs.
This wasn’t an immediate win for me, but there’s hope for it. Try to remember how you felt when you watched the first season of The Office or Parks and Rec. Those shows weren’t great right off the bat; they needed time to develop over the first couple of seasons until you felt invested in the characters and there were some running jokes to laugh at. I have hope that this one can grow into something that we’ll love just as much as those classics.
— Jess
Length: 30-min runtime, 7 episodes out so far
Watch on: Fox / Hulu
Minx
Keywords: 70s, feminism, dramedy, CW: nudity
Watch if you like: The Deuce, Mrs. America, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Jess’s Rating: A-
Minx is about an ambitious early-feminist named Joyce who has lofty dreams of starting a woman’s magazine that subverts patriarchal expectations of womanhood. Unfortunately, it’s the 70s, so she needs a man’s money to back her dream. Enter a successful (surprisingly not-sleazy) porn publisher played by Jake Johnson (Nick from New Girl), who is the only one willing to give her a shot. Joyce has to decide if she will sacrifice her ideals in order to be published — namely, her feminist arguments will have to be sandwiched between photos of naked men.
The story centers around Joyce’s continued fight for feminism, even as she makes compromises in the name of success. Minx is basically a workplace comedy, but there is a lot of depth to it as the show tackles double standards in a witty and contemporary way, even though it’s set in the 70s. Only 4 episodes in and I’d already recommend this to everyone — just beware there is plenty of nudity.
— Jess
Length: 30-min runtime, 4 episodes out so far with new episodes on Thursday
Watch on: HBO Max
These popular shows came back with new episodes. Here’s what we thought, how they compared to previous seasons, and where you can watch them.
Bridgerton - Season 2
Keywords: soapy, romance, period drama
Watch: ~1-hr runtime, full 2nd season (8 episodes) available now on Netflix
Jenni’s Rating: C+
Enjoyed season one’s steamy romance between Daphne and the Duke? The latest installment, featuring the eldest Bridgerton brother, Anthony, is much more PG. And low-key a little boring?
The ‘enemies to lovers’ trope is a fan-favorite for a reason, but uneven pacing of the main duo’s tension and chemistry left me disappointed. Instead of a “slow burn” the main storyline feels just plain slow, and consequently the romance is less compelling. I wanted 2005 Pride and Prejudice levels of yearning stares and hand flexing, but instead got something cheaper and much less convincing.
Silver lining: the supporting characters and their side plots are far more interesting, and I found myself looking forward to the future seasons they planted the seeds for.
— Jenni
Atlanta - Season 3
Keywords: dark comedy, drama, surreal humor
Watch: 30-min runtime, 2 episodes out so far, new ones on Hulu every Thursday
Jenni’s Rating: A-
With its first episode back from a 4-year hiatus barely featuring any of the main characters, this third season of Atlanta promises to be just as surprising and original as the last.
The premiere has decidedly “disturbia” vibes — dipping further into a Jordan Peele-esque horror genre than I’ve seen the series go. But episode 2 returns us to a familiar crew of characters and the show’s anchor of subtle, off-beat comedy.
One moment, I was watching through my fingers afraid of a jump scare, the next, I was grimacing, then laughing out loud. Atlanta continues to be a comedy that centers race, refuses to be confined to any one genre, and leaves us with more questions than answers. I’m excited for the episodes to come.
— Jenni
Riverdale - Season 6
Keywords: drama, soapy, suspense
Watch: 45-min runtime, 7 episodes out so far, new ones on The CW every Sunday
Jess’s Rating: C+
I’ve stuck with this show through a LOT of whack storylines. And a lot of bad writing. If you’ve given up on it, I don’t blame you! But if you appreciate how unpredictable Riverdale can be, then its latest season is still for you.
From one episode to the next, the genre is subject to change — horror, sci-fi, musical, comedy, mystery, we’ve seen it all. This season may be the strangest yet as it jumps head first into the supernatural. Don’t expect the grounded-ness of Season 1 (or even 4), in fact, you’ll really have to suspend your disbelief for this one. I wouldn’t say this season is good but I am enjoying how it keeps me on my toes.
— Jess
Your shows, returned:
Better Call Saul, Season 5: Released April 4 on Netflix*
The Hardy Boys, Season 2: Premieres April 6 on Hulu
*This season has previously aired on network television and is now being released to a streaming service
Upcoming new releases:
Julia: Released March 31 on HBO Max
The Outlaws: Released April 1 on Amazon Prime
Slow Horses: Premieres April 1 on Apple TV+
The Informant: Premieres April 1 on HBO Max
The Thaw: Premieres April 1 on HBO Max
Tomorrow: Released April 1 on Netflix
The Last Bus: Released April 1 on Netflix
The Marked Heart: Released April 6 on Netflix
Tokyo Vice: Premieres April 7 on HBO Max