📺 Life's short, talk fast
a cozy murder mystery, a satirical comedy, and a fantasy series
One week into September! The northeast may be in an extreme heat wave, but we’re more than ready for pumpkin spice, oversized sweaters, and Gilmore Girls. If you’re not yet on the rewatching GG train, then check out our thoughts on the return of some newer shows below.
In today’s edition:
Only Murders in the Building - Season 3 (Hulu)
Wheel of Time - Season 2 (Prime Video)
Killing It - Season 2 (Peacock)
— Jess Spoll and Jenni Cullen
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This newsletter was written during the WGA and SAG strikes, without the work of the actors and writers, the shows we review wouldn’t exist.
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.
Welcome to Wrexham (Season 2) — The acclaimed docuseries following Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s football club returns.
Watch on FX/Hulu: September 12 / 13 (2 of 18 episodes, then weekly)The Morning Show (Season 3) — The Witherspoon/Aniston/Carell drama is back, this time with Jon Hamm. How does Apple justify the cost of this show?
Watch on Apple TV+: September 13 (2 of 10 episodes, then weekly)The Changeling (Season 1) — This horror-fantasy series follows a man (LaKeith Stanfield) whose wife goes missing after the birth of their first child.
Watch on Apple TV+: September 8 (3 of 8 episodes, then weekly)The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (Season 1) — This spin-off series is set after the conclusion of The Walking Dead, following the title character’s journey through France, the origin of the zombie virus.
Watch on AMC/AMC+: September 10 (1 of 6 episodes, then weekly)The Other Black Girl (Season 1) — This comedy-drama-mystery-thriller series focuses on the only Black woman working at a New York publishing house who uncovers sinister secrets after another Black woman is hired.
Watch on Hulu: September 13 (all 10 episodes)
These popular shows came back with new episodes. Here’s what we thought and where you can watch them.
Only Murders in the Building - Season 3
Keywords: quirky, comedy, murder mystery
Watch if you like: The Afterparty, Knives Out, Psych
Jess’s Rating: B+
We’re over halfway through the new season of Only Murders in the Building, but you still have time to catch up before the finale airs on October 3. If you’re new to the show, it follows a 20-something woman (Selena Gomez) and two septuagenarians (Martin Short and Steve Martin) who live in a historic, classy building in Manhattan named The Arconia. Unfortunately for its upscale residents, two bodies are found in the building between the events of the first two seasons. This brings the aforementioned trio together as they team up to produce a true crime podcast in which they investigate the murders. In this new season, a famous actor (played by Paul Rudd) winds up dead on the set of a Broadway show, and the team is once again on the case.
My major complaint about Only Murders in the Building is that it is a FALL show and I do not like that it premieres in the summer. Cozy murder mysteries are perfect autumnal fare! Glibness aside, this series has become a dependable entry in my yearly lineup. It’s cute without being too corny (although Jenni might disagree), it’s funny in a way that makes you smile even if it doesn’t make you laugh aloud, and it leans into the murder mystery angle enough to maintain suspense.
The core of the show has always been the unusual and age-spanning friendship between Charles (Martin), Oliver (Short), and Mabel (Gomez), but this season adds a few scene-stealing guest stars. Most notable is Meryl Streep, who portrays a struggling actress who finally gets her break when she’s cast in Oliver’s Broadway comeback. Streep breathes new life into this season, adding complexity that the show was missing in its previous entry. Only Murders might always struggle to regain the charm of the first season, as things start to feel re-tread, but it remains a wholesome, enjoyable watch.
—Jess
Length: 30-min runtime, 3 seasons / 26 episodes (4 still to be aired in S3)
Watch on: Hulu
The Wheel of Time - Season 2
Keywords: fantasy, quest, ensemble cast, visually compelling
Similar to: Shadow and Bone, His Dark Materials, Game of Thrones
Jenni’s Rating: C+
Wheel of Time, the epic fantasy adapted from Robert Jordan’s 14-volume (!) book series, came back last week to begin its second season.
The first installment was uneven and rather slow, and so far the new episodes are…also slow. But less uneven! This season has more of a Game of Thrones feel to it, with the major characters spread out and pursuing their own side quests, causing the narrative to flit frequently from storyline to storyline. This has both benefits and drawbacks, as we get more focused character development, but also time spent on plot arcs that will likely resonate better with some viewers than others. I, for one, am a sucker for stories about magic academies and powerful women coming into their own, so I am loving Egwene and Nynaeve's training journey with the Aes Sedai; however, I do find myself zoning out and scrolling on my phone whenever Perrin is on screen having his fuzzy wolfish visions.
As someone who has never read these books, I definitely could have used a bit more of a refresher on character motivations and where we left off than the Prime-sanctioned “previously on” that was provided. This season so far is intermittently compelling, but often boring, and I can’t help but think that it’s partially because I don’t have the world’s lore more firmly cemented in my head.
That being said, this complex universe is incredibly beautiful to watch and I’m enjoying how much darker and more character-driven this season is than the last. I hope the next few episodes pick up and pull me in a little further, but I’ll probably continue watching no matter what, because I like having a fantasy world in my TV rotation, and right now, this is it.
—Jenni
Length: 50-min runtime, 2 seasons / 11 episodes (5 still to be aired in S2)
Watch on: Prime Video
Killing It - Season 2
Keywords: satire, comedy, hijinks
Watch if you like: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Righteous Gemstones, Superstore
Jess’s Rating: B+
I wouldn’t blame you for not knowing anything about Killing It, the comedy from the creators of Brooklyn Nine-Nine starring Craig Robinson. It premiered in early 2022, in a time when very few people (relatively) were subscribed to Peacock. Between seasons 1 and 2, Peacock’s paid subscriber base increased by 60%, so for those new people in that statistic, it’s time to watch Killing It.
The satirical comedy follows Craig Foster (Robinson), a down-on-his luck father who struggles to make ends meet. In the first season, he strives to raise capital in order to open a saw palmetto berry farm — his “get rich quick” idea — so he competes in a python hunting competition that awards $20k to whomever can slay the most snakes. This follow-up season ditches the reptiles in lieu of new challenges, pitting Craig against alligator-owning criminals, psychopathic billionaires, and giant slugs with meningitis, all in the name of “making it” in America.
While I enjoyed the first season of Killing It, it was fairly generic and hadn’t found its footing. This second season is a massive improvement, fixing nearly all of the issues of its predecessor. With the snakes gone — and the “shock” humor and slapstick comedy that accompanied them — the laugh-out-loud funny one-liners and razor sharp wit have a chance to shine. Much like The Righteous Gemstones, the storylines often veer into absurdity (one particularly ridiculous plot involves a group of Pitbull impersonators), but the satire remains pointed throughout. This series is on a clear upward trajectory, and I’m excited to see what Season 3 will bring.
—Jess
Length: 30-min runtime, 2 seasons / 18 episodes
Watch on: Peacock
Your shows, returned:
Top Boy, Season 3: Premiers September 7 on Netflix
Virgin River, Season 5 Part 1: Premieres September 7 on Netflix
The Masked Singer, Season 10: Premieres September 10 on Fox
Welcome to Wrexham, Season 2: Premieres September 12 on FX/the next day on Hulu
The Morning Show, Season 3: Premieres September 13 on Apple TV+
Upcoming new releases:
The Changeling: Premieres September 8 on Apple TV+
Selling the OC: Premieres September 8 on Netflix
Dreaming Whilst Black: Premieres September 10 on Showtime
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon: Premieres September 10 on AMC/AMC+
The Swarm: Premieres September 12 on The CW
The Other Black Girl: Premieres September 13 on Hulu
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