Go ahead. You can clap.
Happy almost Passover and Easter to all who celebrate! Hope you’ve all got a long weekend waiting for you and your favorite new TV show.
P.S. if you got Double Take twice last week, apologies, there was a glitch in the system.
In today’s edition:
Oscar Isaac in Egypt
Hallmark realism
Groundhog day but dark
A glowing report card
— Jenni Cullen and Jess Spoll
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Where we each choose a recent-ish show to review and feature.
If you have an endless appetite for Marvel, try… Moon Knight
Keywords: Marvel, supernatural, violence, ancient Egypt
Watch if you like: Legion, Mr. Robot, WandaVision
Jess’s Rating: B-
One thing that I appreciate about Moon Knight is that you don’t have to remember all of the details of what happened in the last 20 Marvel movies. Unlike their last batch of shows, this isn’t a character we’ve seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) yet, and it’s not clear if this story will even fit into the MCU’s new phase or remain a standalone offering.
Moon Knight follows a museum gift shop employee, Steven (played by Oscar Isaac), who loses long periods of time — he wakes up in strange places and doesn’t remember how he got there. You quickly learn that he shares his body with a man known as Marc, a mercenary who is a conduit for an Egyptian god.
Unlike Marvel’s typical fare, Moon Knight has fewer quips and more overt violence. Yet it feels a bit campy, too, like an homage to movies such as Indiana Jones and The Mummy. While I’ve enjoyed the show so far, it definitely doesn’t have the same addictive quality as WandaVision and Loki did for me. If you’re not invested in watching everything that Marvel puts out, then this might not be for you.
Length: ~45-min runtime, 3 episodes out so far with new ones on Wednesdays
Watch on: Disney+
If you’ve ever wondered how Michael Cera would fare as a romantic lead, try… Life & Beth
Keywords: Comedy-drama, blunt, introspective
Watch if you like: Trainwreck, Shrill, Single Drunk Female
Jenni’s Rating: B-
Beth (Amy Schumer) is plodding along on a mediocre but outwardly successful path, complete with a big city job and unexceptional boyfriend. From the opening scene, we can tell she’s not particularly fulfilled. When a sudden loss causes her to rethink everything, reset her life, and return home to connect with old friends, she begins to discover what (and who) actually makes her happy. It’s a bit Hallmark in premise, but with Schumer at the helm, decidedly less saccharine.
Though I’ve been known to enjoy hokey Hallmark-style romance/self-discovery plots, I found Life & Beth rather uneven and slow to start. The comedy has some depth — and is at times serious and reflective in similar ways to Schumer’s 2015 movie Trainwreck — but it took me four or five episodes to settle into the tone and actually feel invested in any of the relationships. Michael Cera is a standout in his role as a very endearing and blunt farmer. His weird but satisfying chemistry with Schumer is the main reason I stuck around at all.
Length: 30-min runtime, 1 season / 10 episodes
Watch on: Hulu
Where we highlight a show that’s premiering soon that we think looks like it will be worth a watch.
Russian Doll - Season 2
Keywords: groundhog’s day, existentialism, sci-fi
Watch if you like: The OA, Fleabag, Black Mirror
Availability: Season 1 available now, Season 2 available April 20 (Netflix)
Russian Doll was one of the best new shows of 2019 — it was original and funny with a mystery that made you want to binge the whole season in one sitting.
If you haven’t seen it yet, the spoiler-free synopsis of Season 1 is that we follow software engineer Nadia (played by Natasha Lyonne of OITNB) who is run over by a car and killed on her 36th birthday. When she wakes up the next morning, she realizes she’s reliving her birthday over again — and again, and again, and again. The core idea wasn’t new (see: Groundhog Day, Happy Death Day, Edge of Tomorrow, and so on) but the outcome felt fresh. The season moves quickly and never gets boring, with clues to the mystery of the time loop given along the way.
Russian Doll S1 was odd, dark, and existential, and I’m sure that S2 will be more of the same. It remains to be seen how they will deliver something new after such a contained first season.
If you haven’t already seen it, go watch it before the new season comes out! It’ll be hard to top the original, but I have high hopes for this next installment.
— Jess
We reviewed a show in its early days on air. Now that a full season is out, would we still recommend it?
Abbott Elementary - Season 1
Keywords: workplace comedy, mockumentary, heartwarming
Watch: Full Season 1 (14 episodes) available on Hulu or abc.com
Jenni’s Updated Rating: A+
The Season 1 finale of Abbott Elementary aired this past Tuesday, and while I’m sad to see it end, it’s already been renewed for Season 2. (Nice.)
So what’s the verdict — did Abbott Elementary deliver on its early promise of sitcom greatness? Yes, absolutely. Like Ted Lasso, and Schitt’s Creek, this show’s sincerity and character development are the main pillars winning over so many different types of TV fans. Unlike The Office, this is a workplace comedy where the people really care about their work, and whose work really matters. It treats an often misunderstood community (underserved school faculty and students) fairly and with, well, understanding — highlighting the true absurdity of shepherding young minds in a world where the adults barely know what’s going on most days.
Now that the season is complete, I’m even more likely to urge anyone who hasn’t watched yet to put it on their list. It’s the epitome of delightful TV to watch when you want to feel good.
— Jenni
Your shows, returned:
90 Day Fiancé, Season 9: Premieres April 17 on TLC
Better Call Saul, Season 6: Premieres April 18 on AMC/AMC+
Russian Doll, Season 2: Available April 20 on Netflix
The Flight Attendant, Season 2: Premieres April 21 on HBO Max
Upcoming new releases:
The Garcias: Premieres April 14 on HBO Max
The Kardashians: Premieres April 14 on Hulu
Killing It: Available April 14 on Peacock
Anatomy of a Scandal: Available April 15 on Netflix
Outer Range: Premieres April 15 on Amazon Prime
Roar: Available April 15 on Apple TV+
Swimming with Sharks: Available April 15 on the Roku Channel
The First Lady: Premieres April 17 on Showtime
So Dumb It’s Criminal: Hosted by Snoop Dogg: Premieres April 20 on Peacock
Conversations With a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes: Available April 20 on Netflix