📺 TV to Fall Back On
'The Buccaneers', 'All the Light We Cannot See', and 'Fellow Travelers', plus 7 new and returning shows to watch
The strike is over! SAG-AFTRA announced late last night that they reached a tentative deal with the studios (AMPTP) in a unanimous vote, ending the historic 118 day strike. As of this morning, the strike is officially over, and actors can return to work. The statement said that the contract includes unprecedented provisions to protect members from the threat of AI, a top priority of the union. We are thrilled that the actors achieved a fair deal, and look forward to seeing all the work that can now resume!
In today’s edition:
Weekly Watchlist
The Buccaneers (Apple TV+)
Fellow Travelers (Showtime)
All the Light We Cannot See (Netflix)
— Jess Spoll and Jenni Cullen
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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.
Rap Sh!t (Season 2) — Delayed from its August premiere, Issa Rae’s comedy about two estranged friends who form a hip-hop group returns.
Watch on Max: November 9 (2 of 8 episodes, then weekly)Colin From Accounts (Season 1) — This Australian hit comedy series about two single people who are brought together by a car accident is coming to America.
Watch on Paramount+: November 9 (2 of 8 episodes, then weekly)For All Mankind (Season 4) — This alternate history series is back for a 4th season with a time jump bringing the show into the 2000s.
Watch on Apple TV+: November 10 (1 of 10 episodes, then weekly)The Curse (Season 1) — Co-created by Nathan Fielder (The Rehearsal) and Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems) and starring Emma Stone, this dark comedy explores how an alleged curse disturbs the relationship of a newly married couple who co-host their own HGTV show.
Watch on Showtime: November 10 (1 of 10 episodes, then weekly)A Murder at the End of the World (Miniseries) — From The OA creators Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij comes this mystery-thriller series about an amateur sleuth who finds herself entangled in a deadly web of secrets.
Watch on Hulu: November 14 (2 of 7 episodes, then weekly)The Crown (Season 6, Part 1) — The final season of this period drama will follow Princess Diana’s final years.
Watch on Netflix: November 16 (4 of 10 episodes, Part 2 on December 14)Julia (Season 2) — The critically acclaimed series about the remarkable rise of the iconic Julia Child returns.
Watch on Max: November 16 (3 of 8 episodes, then weekly)
Our thoughts on brand new streaming content, and where you can watch.
The Buccaneers
Keywords: period drama, soapy, irreverent
Watch if you like: Reign, Bridgerton, Dickinson, Sanditon
Jenni’s Rating: B-
Based on an unfinished novel by Edith Wharton, The Buccaneers follows five daughters of America’s new rich who leave New York City in the 1870s to take on London society. Some are hoping to secure a husband and a title, others are just hoping to make a splash. The result is an Anglo-American culture clash complete with love triangles, self-realization, and life-changing revelations.
Anyone who listens to the Double Take podcast knows how excited I was for this series. The trailers made The Buccaneers look like Little Women meets a better-executed Bridgerton, complete with a pop-rock girl anthem soundtrack. Going in with high expectations is always a risk, though, and I will say the first episode had me worried. Forced giggling, stilted chemistry, awkward eagerness, and haphazard plot construction in the first half hour cast a less-than-promising pall on the rest of the show. Fortunately, both the story and actors seem to find and settle better into their groove once in London and during the next two episodes.
Though the friends each experience their own romantic escapades, the anchor and true love story of The Buccaneers will likely be the bond between the five girls. The show’s focus on the complexities of female friendship along with modern — yet not anachronistic — storylines renders the series more skeptical and sharp than expected. After three episodes, I’m admittedly hooked. There may still be a few hiccups here and there with plot or pacing, but the convincing chemistry that is building among the cast will keep me coming back for more.
— Jenni
Length: 50-min runtime, 1 season / 3 of 8 episodes available, new on Wednesdays
Watch on: Apple TV+
Fellow Travelers
Keywords: historical drama, political thriller, romance
Watch if you like: Mad Men, The Imitation Game, Homeland
Jenni’s Rating: C+
Let me first say that my rating for this limited series is based more on my personal enjoyment of the two available episodes than on the show’s overall quality. Fellow Travelers balances a healthy mix of romance, history, and politics, and while romantic and historical dramas typically speak to me, I only really get into 10% of the political thrillers that cross my path. So for me, this show was a gamble that didn’t quite pan out. For others, it might hit the jackpot.
Based on Thomas Mallon’s novel of the same name, Fellow Travelers follows the paths of fictional political staffers Hawkins Fuller (Matt Bomer) and Tim Laughlin (Jonathan Bailey). The pair meet and fall in love during the 1950s at the height of the Red and the Lavender Scares, i.e. the U.S. government’s war on communism and homosexuality within their ranks, respectively.
This historical context provides a theoretically fascinating and novel backdrop for a TV series, but something about the pacing left me a little bored. Bailey and Bomer are undisputedly fantastic in their roles and their scenes together are electric. Just as strong and compelling are the supporting cast, but they sometimes feel like an afterthought in the writing. I found myself wishing certain characters had been given more space and time to shine, and hopefully over the next 5 episodes, they will.
Something I perhaps shouldn’t have been as surprised by — seeing as it’s a Showtime original — was how sex-forward this series is. We’re talking HBO-levels of X-rated scenes, very few holds barred. So if you’ve been dreaming of a Game of Thrones meets 50s suits and coiffed hair situation, look no further.
When I take a few steps back, I can see how winning the pieces of this series should be, but something about the whole just doesn’t hold my attention. I am tagging Fellow Travelers as a show to come back to when I have more time and am looking for a more serious, artsy production.
— Jenni
Length: 60-min runtime, 1 season / 2 of 7 episodes available, a new one each Sunday
Watch on: Showtime
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. 🤷♀️
All the Light We Cannot See
Keywords: World War II, book adaptation, drama
Jess’s Rating: D+
I had been nervous upon learning that All The Light We Cannot See, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Anthony Doerr was going to be adapted by Netflix. Not necessarily because I’m a die-hard fan of the book, but because it was likely going to be hard to adapt, and because I don’t trust Netflix to do a good job with, well, anything. It turns out that my fear was justified, as this 4-part miniseries is as dull as it is shallow, and it plays out more like a Hallmark movie than a prestige wartime drama.
All The Light We Cannot See follows the parallel stories of a blind French girl named Marie-Laure (played by newcomer Aria Mia Loberti), and Werner Pfennig (Dark’s Louis Hoffman), a young German soldier with an affinity for radios. Although they grow up in different countries and are on opposite sides of a war, an invisible string ties them together throughout their childhoods and into their adulthood.
Going into the series, my expectations were low. The best aspect of the book is its prose; the story itself is rather simple and very emotionally manipulative, but it’s beautifully written. So it follows that an adaption would be difficult to pull off. And still, this miniseries is even worse than would be expected. Loberti and Hoffman as the leads do a commendable job with the meager script, but there are some comically abysmal performances surrounding them. Mark Ruffalo as Marie-Laure’s father is at his career worst (sorry Mark!!) sounding like a robot donning a truly terrible French accent. One of the other supporting characters is a Nazi soldier that might as well be wearing a blinking sign that says “I AM THE EVIL VILLAIN.” His portrayal plays out like a cartoonish impersonation of Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds.
Performances and directing aside, the chronology of the show is arguably the most problematic piece. Characters’ backstories are given after we’ve already seen the cause of their trauma, siphoning all tension or suspense from the plot. It’s a study in what not to do when it comes to “show, don’t tell.” If you’re looking for a moving wartime drama, take Jenni’s advice and watch A Small Light instead.
— Jess
Length: 60-min runtime, Limited Series / 4 episodes
Watch on: Netflix
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Hello! I heard on the podcast that you're looking for ideas on future podcasts. I didn't know where to send my idea, so here it is! I thought it would be fun to read quick synopses of upcoming tv shows and both give your thoughts on if it could be good based on plot, actors, creators, etc. This could also be connected back later after it premieres to see how accurate your guesses were!