📺 What to watch this week, plus 'White House Plumbers', and 'Silo'

2 reviews & 5 upcoming shows

Happy May the Fourth. As many of you probably are aware, the Writers Guild of America went on strike late Monday night for the first time in 15 years. We at Double Take are in solidarity with the strikers — without them, the shows we love wouldn’t exist.

In today’s edition:
Weekly Watchlist
White House Plumbers (HBO Max)
Silo (Apple TV+)

— 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.

Photo: Netflix (Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story)

1. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (Season 1) — This Bridgerton prequel spin-off will focus on young Queen Charlotte’s rise to prominence and power.

   Watch on Netflix: May 4 (all 6 episodes)

2. Bupkis (Season 1) — Pete Davidson plays a heightened version of himself in the semi-autobiographical series also starring Edie Falco and Joe Pesci.

   Watch on Peacock: May 4 (all 8 episodes)

3. The Other Two (Season 3) — The Justin Bieber knock-off and his underachieving siblings are back for a new season of comedic dysfunction.

   Watch on HBO Max: May 4 (2 of 10 episodes, then weekly)

4. Silo (Season 1) — Adapted from the sci-fi trilogy by Hugh Howey, this mystery drama is set in a dystopian future in which humans live deep underground in a silo to escape the toxic outside world.

   Watch on Apple TV+: May 5 (2 of 10 episodes, then weekly)

5. Class of ‘09 (Limited Series) — Starring Kate Mara and Brian Tyree Henry, this suspense thriller follows a class of FBI agents who grapple with change as the criminal justice system transforms over the span of 3 decades.

   Watch on Hulu: May 10 (2 of 8 episodes, then weekly)

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Our thoughts on brand new streaming content, and where you can watch.

White House Plumbers

Photo: HBO Max

Keywords: political drama, limited series, historical satire
Watch if you like: Veep, House of Cards, Gaslit
Jenni’s Rating: D+

This five-part series starring Justin Theroux and Woody Harrelson about the men behind the Watergate break-in is a bit of a mixed bag. The show benefits from a creative team full of Veep veterans — Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck, and David Mandel — as well as Succession executive producer Frank Rich. But while this group, along with the show’s premise, should be set up for a home run, the first episode left me bored, unconvinced, and a little weary.

The annoying thing is, I like the package of White House Plumbers. Its well-crafted 70s aesthetic pairs well with an excellent soundtrack and a notable dose of Veep-style cynicism and zaniness. The supporting cast is a who’s who of heavy hitters: Lena Headey, Judy Greer, Domhnall Gleeson, Ike Barenholtz, to name a few. I’m just not loving what’s inside the package.

At times, the show delivers a tongue-in cheek reenactment of two bumbling, self-important men’s ineptitude, at others, it showcases serious marital drama and the unraveling of a family. Perhaps it’s this mismatch of satire and gravity that’s putting me off; perhaps it’s the adjacent lack of any clear or captivating point of view. While it’s possible that the following episodes will help the mismatched pieces of this series fit better together, I don’t have much interest in watching another hour to find out.

— Jenni

Length: 60-min runtime; 1 of 5 episodes available now, new episode each Monday
Watch on: HBO Max

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Silo

Photo: Apple TV+

Keywords: sci-fi, mystery, dystopia
Watch if you like: Severance, Westworld, The Maze Runner
Jess’s Rating: A-

Adapted from a series of novels by Hugh Howey, this dystopian drama is set in a future in which the outside world is uninhabitable. The 10,000 remaining humans live deep in an underground silo, with only a stationary external camera connecting them to the outside world. The history of what came before, or why the silo was built, has been lost to the silo’s inhabitants. For those that question the past, there are dangerous consequences.

The pilot episode of Silo is one of the best that I’ve ever seen. It hooks you with its core mystery and introduces you to this world without exposition dumping, and the lead performances by David Oyelowo and Rashida Jones are exceptionally moving. If there’s one major issue with this season, it’s that momentum is lost after the pilot, and it takes a couple of episodes to build back up. Stick through it, because after the third episode, it’s full speed ahead.

The dystopian sci-fi genre is well-trodden, and there may not be anything particularly groundbreaking here. But Silo is tightly paced and well executed, and unlike other sci-fi dramas, it actually answers many of the questions that arise throughout the season. At the expense of my fresh air intake, the episode-ending cliffhangers kept me glued to my screen for about 8 episodes straight. While the series doesn’t quite reach Severance levels of excellence, the world-building is exceptional, and the mystery unravels in a satisfying and compelling way.

— Jess

Length: 60-min runtime, 1 season / 10 episodes, 2 episodes premiere on May 5 and then weekly
Watch on: Apple TV+

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Your shows, returned:

• The Other Two, Season 3: May 4 on HBO Max

• Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi, Season 2: May 5 on Hulu

• VICE, Season 4: May 7 on Showtime

• The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Season 15: May 7 on Bravo

Upcoming new releases:

• Bupkis: May 4 on Peacock

• Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story: May 4 on Netflix

• Silo: May 5 on Apple TV+

• Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard: May 7 on Bravo

• Jeopardy! Masters: May 8 on ABC

• Hannah Gadsby: Something Special: May 8 on Netflix

• Dancing Queens: May 9 on Bravo

• Class of ‘09: May 10 on Hulu