📺 What to watch: 'Heartstopper', 'Good Omens', and more
a cute British rom-com, a legal drama, queer coming-of-age story, and a fantasy comedy
It’s Thursday again. Very exciting news for anyone in the booktok community: the movie adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s incredibly endearing romance novel Red, White & Royal Blue comes out tomorrow on Prime Video! And in case you missed it earlier this week, you can now watch the first two episodes of Only Murders in the Building Season 3 on Hulu.
In today’s edition:
The Flatshare (Freevee)
The Lincoln Lawyer - Season 2 (Netflix)
Good Omens - Season 2 (Prime Video)
Heartstopper - Season 2 (Netflix)
— Jess Spoll and Jenni Cullen
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This newsletter was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, most of the shows being reviewed here wouldn't exist.
Our thoughts on brand new streaming content, and where you can watch.
The Flatshare
Keywords: comedy drama, limited series, rom-com
Watch if you like: Emily in Paris, Crashing, Four Weddings and a Funeral (miniseries)
Jenni’s Rating: C+
Based on Beth O’Leary’s novel of the same name, this British miniseries follows journalist Tiffany (Jessica Brown Findlay) and night nurse Leon (Anthony Welsh) who agree to “timeshare” a one-bedroom apartment in order to save money. Leon gets the place from 8am to 8pm, and Tiffany owns the other 12 hours of the day. One other untraditional aspect of their agreement? They’ve never met.
Though it’s been available in the UK for months, Flatshare was dropped on Amazon’s free streaming platform, Freevee, just last week. Having read but remembered none of the book, I went in expecting a relatively airy romantic comedy with some light dramatic flare, and that is precisely what I got. Brown Findlay and Welsh do a commendable job at making their caricatures of characters feel a little more down-to-earth than their book counterparts, but certain plot points and the main “villain” of the story are too cartoony for me to claim that the series feels at all grounded in reality.
This show sucked me in with its “will they won’t they” (and when will they meet??) premise and kept me engaged with surprisingly endearing and heart-twisting side plots. Is it a little empty and frivolous at times? Do they downplay some important emotional abuse and mental health moments that could’ve used more weight? Yes, and yes, but the producers went for light and fun and I guess I won’t begrudge them that. I binged all six episodes in the span of two days and it was a good time.
— Jenni
Length: 45-min runtime, 1 season / 6 episodes
Watch on: Freevee (US) / Paramount+ (UK)
These popular shows came back with new episodes. Here’s what we thought and where you can watch them.
Heartstopper - Season 2
Keywords: LGBTQ+, rom-com, teens
Watch if you like: Love Simon, Atypical, Sex Education
Jess’s Rating: A
There are many series that fall under the genre of coming-of-age meets rom-com, but none as irresistibly charming as Heartstopper. The show is about teens navigating life and love, and centers around a developing relationship between two 16-year-old boys, Charlie and Nick. In its second season, the show expands on the other characters in the couple’s circle, depicting a variety of LGBTQ+ identities and romances.
This adaptation of a graphic novel premiered last year on Netflix and was a smash hit, appealing to audiences of all ages, and it’s no surprise why. Watching Heartstopper is like being wrapped in a warm, cozy hug. The music is buoyant, the energy is high, the conflicts are resolved quickly, and everyone is free to be who they are. Many previous movies and shows depicting queer storylines focus on the coming-out part, and while that’s important and poignant, it’s not the whole story. This second season goes beyond the initial coming-out arc and depicts what happens after — how “coming out” is actually a never-ending process.
While Charlie and Nick are still at the center of the season, other queer characters get their time in the spotlight too, with the highlight being the will-they-won’t-they romance between Elle, a trans character, and Tao, her longtime BFF. In contrast to Nick’s coming-out arc, Elle’s storyline is unrelated to her being trans, she simply is. This series does an incredible job of spotlighting the unique struggles of being queer while still being a teen show with all its normal drama.
If there’s anything to criticize, it’s that the series is almost too saccharine. The main characters are so pure, kind, and morally right, while the antagonists are two-dimensional bullies. While this season does dive into some darker topics, the teens handle them with preternatural grace and maturity. Characters can be upset, but not for long; everything seems to work out for them. In a world where being queer is difficult, though, it’s nice to briefly exist in a universe where it’s easy.
—Jess
Length: 30-min runtime, 2 seasons / 16 episodes
Watch on: Netflix
Good Omens - Season 2
Keywords: whimsical, comedy, Neil Gaiman
Watch if you like: Doctor Who, The Good Place, The Sandman
Jenni’s Rating: B+
You may recall that a few weeks ago, I reviewed Season 1 of this fantasy comedy series about heaven and hell and all the gray areas in between. As a quick refresher, the first six episodes pleasantly surprised me. Though the side plots took up a little too much space, I loved the show’s whimsy and charm, and most importantly, loved the chemistry between the main duo — David Tennant and Michael Sheen. I am happy to report that Season 2 retains all that I loved and tightens up its storytelling. In short, it’s even better.
The second installment begins with the now retired angel Aziraphale (Sheen) and demon Crowley (Tennant) living their best lives on Earth. However, when a naked archangel (Jon Hamm) arrives on their doorstep, unable to remember how he got there or who he is, the two friends are forced to reckon with the realms of heaven and hell once more and chaos ensues.
This season hits all the notes you could wish for in the classic “British comedy fantasy based on a farcical concept” genre. It’s got mystery, goofs and gaffs, a fun soundtrack, and plenty of romantic tension, of course. While Good Omens is not an anthology series, I think you could pretty easily skip the first season and start with this one, the only caveat being that it will make you want to watch the next. The final episode of Season 2 is an emotional rollercoaster that ends in a major cliffhanger.
—Jenni
Length: 50-min runtime, 2 seasons / 12 episodes
Watch on: Prime Video
The Lincoln Lawyer - Season 2
Keywords: legal drama, murder mystery, adaptation
Watch if you like: How to Get Away with Murder, The Good Wife, Suits
Jess’s Rating: C+
A quick recap for those who weren’t around for or don’t remember my review of the first season: this Lincoln Lawyer series on Netflix is an adaptation of the book series of the same name, written by Michael Connelly. The first season is based on the 2nd novel in the series, The Brass Verdict, and the second season is based on the 4th, The Fifth Witness.
With the mystery from the first season neatly wrapped up, this follow-up season unravels a new whodunnit. Haller (the so-called “Lincoln Lawyer”, because he does his legal work from his Lincoln Navigator) is hired to defend a local restaurant owner who is suspected of murdering a wealthy real estate mogul.
In the first season, the murder mystery was far more intriguing than the legal proceedings, but in this season, the opposite is true. The defendant is two-dimensional and it never seems to matter if she’s guilty or not, but the trial is a delight to watch. Major props to Yaya DaCosta, former America’s Next Top Model runner-up now actress, for carrying those scenes as the prosecutor.
The issues of the previous season are still present — the dialogue is laughably clunky at times, the female characters are flat and clichéd, and it’s basically a copy of every legal drama that came before it. But sometimes the network-style legal drama is an escape, and I did watch this whole season, so I guess that says something.
—Jess
Length: 45-min runtime, 2 seasons / 20 episodes
Watch on: Netflix
Your shows, returned:
Rap Sh!t, Season 2: Premieres August 10 on Max
Billions, Season 7: Premieres August 11 on Paramount+ with Showtime
Solar Opposites, Season 4: Premieres August 14 on Hulu
Killing It, Season 2: Premieres August 17 on Peacock
The Upshaws, Season 4: Premieres August 17 on Netflix
Upcoming new releases:
Painkiller: Premieres August 10 on Netflix
Heart of Stone (movie): Premieres August 11 on Netflix
Red, White & Royal Blue (movie): Premieres August 11 on Prime Video
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It's hysterical to me that Billions is still going. I feel like this show has been on since I was 9.