📺 Lazy-hazy-crazy days
A series finale + 8 new and returning TV shows to watch this week
Welcome back, how’s your air? Hazy skies brought on by wildfire smoke are driving a lot of us indoors this week. If you need to know what new shows are out there to distract you from everything, you’ve come to the right place.
And although there are plenty of new series and season premieres to tell you about, we’re still not done talking about all of the finales from the last few weeks. Thoughts on Maisel’s last episode are below and our (controversial?!) Ted Lasso finale thoughts are all in the newest episode of the Double Take podcast: Spotify / Apple.
In today’s edition:
Weekly Watchlist
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - Series Finale (Prime Video)
The Crowded Room (Apple TV+)
Class of ‘09 (Hulu)
City on Fire (Apple TV +)
— Jenni Cullen and Jess Spoll
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We keep an eye on all of the new streaming content that is set to premiere. Here’s a list of new shows and movies to watch this week.
Never Have I Ever (Season 4) — Devi and her friends return for the final season.
Watch on Netflix: June 8 (all 10 episodes)Based on a True Story (Season 1) — A comedy-thriller starring Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina that pokes fun at America’s obsession with true crime.
Watch on Peacock: June 8 (all 8 episodes)The Crowded Room (Season 1) — Executive produced by and starring Tom Holland, this limited series follows a troubled young man who is implicated at the scene of a shooting.
Watch on Apple TV+: June 9 (3 of 10 episodes, then weekly)The Lake (Season 2) — This family comedy starring Julia Stiles and Jordan Gavaris returns for a second season.
Watch on Prime Video: June 9 (all 8 episodes)The Wonder Years (Season 2) — The re-imagining of the beloved ‘80s series is back for a second season.
Watch on ABC/Hulu: June 14 (2 episodes, then weekly)
A popular and beloved show has come to an end. Here’s what we thought about its final bow.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - Series Finale
Keywords: comedy, period drama, witty
Watch if you like: Gilmore Girls, Minx, Hacks
Jenni’s Rating: B+
This Emmy-winning comedy-drama created by Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls) follows an Upper West Side woman’s journey from doting 1950s housewife to standup comedian. The series finale aired May 26th.
🚨 MILD SPOILERS FOR THE FINALE AHEAD 🚨
It’s a lonely road to the top and we’ve always known deep down that Midge might end up with great success but no one to share it with — no parents, no partner, estranged kids — all alone. But that’s not entirely true, is it? Midge and Susie’s friendship was always the core and emotional anchor of Maisel, and the series finale, especially in its final scenes, paid perfect homage to their bond. They fought for each other, supported each other, and in the end took comfort in each other. Just two old friends, laughing on the phone.
This episode was by no means perfect, but The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel finale did everything it needed to. It was sweet and nostalgic, provided emotional closure where necessary, and left me simultaneously wanting more episodes and also very glad there would be none. It was absolutely the correct final note for the season, and for the series.
Finale Length: 75-min
Overall show length: 60-min runtime, 5 seasons / 43 episodes
Watch on: Prime Video
Our thoughts on brand new streaming content, and where you can watch.
The Crowded Room
Keywords: drama, mental illness, limited series
Watch if you like: Girl Interrupted, The Sinner, Under the Banner of Heaven
Jess’s Rating: C
Executive produced by and starring Tom Holland, The Crowded Room is centered around a disturbed young man who is arrested after a shooting in Rockefeller Center. Amanda Seyfried co-stars as an investigator looking into the incident. Apple TV+ is billing this as a psychological thriller, and I think that’s a mistake. If you’re expecting a murder mystery or a tense crime drama, you will certainly be disappointed.
My opinion of a series has never yo-yoed as hard as it did while watching The Crowded Room, and that makes it incredibly hard to rate. Bizarrely and maddeningly, the series plants its central premise as a mid-point twist, even though the show is based on a fairly well-known book, and you’d know what the twist was if you even looked up the name of the book. It follows that, as someone who knows the book, I was bored and disengaged during the first five episodes. By attempting to fabricate a mystery around what really happened and why, the series robs itself of any forward momentum or intrigue in the first half.
Episode 6, though, is a beautifully told story with utterly captivating performances by both Holland and Seyfried, and the final 3 episodes are equally well executed. The subject matter is heavy and sensitive, and they treat it with the care and grace that it requires. The final episodes are both stunning and haunting, and I was moved to tears. Wholeheartedly, I wish that this had been a 5 episode series, and that there was no attempt to turn this into a mystery/thriller. It’s an important story about mental illness that’s crafted and acted with excellence, and it deserves to be seen. Sadly, it’s hard to recommend a series when you have to slog through the first five hours of it.
— Jess
Length: ~45-min runtime, Limited Series / 10 episodes
Watch on: Apple TV+
Class of ‘09
Keywords: drama, sci-fi, limited series
Watch if you like: Person of Interest, Quantico, Homeland
Jess’s Rating: C-
Class of ‘09 is a new limited series from FX that follows a class of FBI trainees over the span of 25 years. The story is told non-linearly, jumping between 3 timelines that depict the class’s training period, their early careers as agents, and their future selves as they deal with the ramifications of an AI-controlled justice system.
The core of this thriller is a Black Mirror-esque question: what would society look like if our justice system was entirely controlled by AI? It’s a relevant question in our present world, with ChatGPT’s proliferation and AI usage in seemingly every corner of society. The question that remains, then, is how does a show about this oft-discussed topic make itself original and appealing to today’s audience? Unfortunately, Class of ‘09 hasn’t quite cracked that one.
While the futuristic aspects feel lackluster, it is compelling to watch the characters’ motivations and interpersonal relationships morph over time. For example, two of the agents, Tayo (Brian Tyree Henry) and Poet (Kate Mara) are friends when they meet at the academy in 2009; in 2034, they are on opposing sides of a political battle. But we don’t get enough of this — the series keeps the characters at an arm’s length in favor of intellectualizing about the dangers of artificial intelligence. Having seen 6 of the 8 episodes, I’m left with the feeling that I’ve seen this before, and what seemed high-concept and edgy at first now feels shallow and uninspired.
— Jess
Length: 40-min runtime, 1 season / 8 episodes (6 available now with new episodes each Wednesday)
Watch on: Hulu
City on Fire
Keywords: crime, drama, mystery
Watch if you like: 13 Reasons Why, Cruel Summer, Sharp Objects
Jenni’s Rating: D+
In this crime drama based on Garth Risk Hallberg’s 2015 novel of the same name, an NYU student is found shot in Central Park. The following investigation begins to unravel a mysterious connection between a series of city-wide fires, the underground music scene, and a wealthy family buckling under the strain their secrets.
Adapted by producers of Gossip Girl and The OC, this new limited series takes place in 2003 rather than the book’s original setting of 1977. Why? I don’t really know. And honestly, I don’t care. This series really isn’t for me: the frenetic attempted fusion of corporate drama, cultish energy, the punk rock scene, and crime investigation just isn’t what I’m after in a series right now. And it certainly doesn’t help that most of the characters are unlikeable and flat.
If you’re looking to experience a lot of self-indulgent people crossing paths in a slowly unraveling mystery, City on Fire may be your cup of tea. Me? I’m going call it after four hours of boredom and skip the rest.
— Jenni
Length: 45-min runtime, 1 season / 6 of 8 episodes out, new on Fridays
Watch on: Apple TV+
Your shows, returned:
Never Have I Ever, Season 4: Premieres June 8 on Netflix
Human Resources, Season 2: Premieres June 9 on Netflix
The Lake, Season 2: Premieres June 9 on Prime Video
The Wonder Years, Season 2: Premieres June 14 on ABC/June 15 on Hulu
Temptation Island, Season 5: Premieres June 14 on USA
Black Mirror, Season 6: Premieres June 15 on Netflix
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Season 2: Premieres June 15 on Paramount+
Project Runway, Season 20: Premieres June 15 on Bravo
Upcoming new releases:
Based on a True Story: Premieres June 8 on Peacock
The Crowded Room: Premieres June 9 on Apple TV+
Amy Schumer: Emergency Contact: Premieres June 13 on Netflix
The Full Monty: Premieres June 14 on Hulu
Love how much time you guys save me 🙏🏼