Cindy White
The Something for Everyone Show: Poker Face is Back
Can’t agree on what to watch together? Consider putting on your Poker Face. Peacock’s acclaimed mystery-of-the-week series created by Rian Johnson (best known for Star Wars: The Last Jedi and, most relevant here, the Glass Onion films) and starring Natasha Lyonne, is finally back for another season after two long years. That’s great news for
It’s not HBO, it’s The Pitt: How streamers are embracing old TV network models
“It’s not TV, it’s HBO.” Remember that old tagline? For nearly all of its history, broadcast television has been fighting against the perception that it’s subordinate to film as a storytelling medium. Television was just media for the masses, as opposed to the more erudite aficionados of cinema (who, by the way, poured into theaters
Cha Cha Real Smooth
Cha Cha Real Smooth is a sweet, intimate antidote to all the noisy summer blockbusters out there. Filmmaker Cooper Raiff proves he’s someone to keep a close eye on.
The Bear S1
The Bear is a fast-tempo character study set behind the scenes of a family-run Chicago restaurant. It invites you in to pull up a chair and watch the drama unfold, but never lets you get too comfortable.
Derry Girls
Like the community and era they represent, the Derry Girls bring a feisty resilience to their teenage troubles, and in spite of the larger Troubles surrounding them, they’re unafraid to speak their minds and stand up for themselves.
The Mandalorian Refresher
If the notoriously fractious Star Wars fandom can agree that The Mandalorian is a worthy torchbearer as the franchise heads into an uncertain future, it’s got to be worth checking out.
The Umbrella Academy
The Umbrella Academy is a wildly imaginative take on the superhero genre, but it works mainly because of the strong characters and dysfunctional family at its core.
Cindy White
Jane Goodall: The Hope
An upbeat, awe-inspiring look at the life of the legendary scientist and the young people she’s galvanized to make a positive impact on the world.
What to Watch on Disney+
Not everyone can be an early adopter, especially when it comes to streaming platforms. Maybe you were waiting for a particular movie or show to premiere. Maybe you just got a subscription for Christmas. If you don’t know where to start, The Watercooler is here to help. We’re running down our must-watch shows and films
Giving Voice
A timely documentary full of hope, joy, happy endings…and a gut-wrenching John Legend song. It will inspire kids who could use some encouragement to realize they, too, could share their voice.
Wonder Woman 1984
At its best when it explores the motivations behind the humanity of its characters, Wonder Woman 1984 is also funny, nostalgic and heartwarming — with terrific special effects.
Take a Vicarious Vacation: Binge Watches That Will Transport You
Any other year, we’d be wheels up by now, escaping the pressures and routines of daily life with that long-awaited holiday break trip. This year? Our best bet is a transporting TV series or movie that can take us away…and drop us into an exotic, far away world. We tapped the Watercooler’s recommendation engine and
Best of 2020: The Algo-Driven Holiday Movies
Does it feel like 2020’s holiday movies were created by an algorithm? That’s because they were. We got our hands on the holiday movie generator and here’s the slate it spit out.
The Favorite Shows of 2020…and Gift Ideas for Fans
We’ve rounded up some of our favorite Watercooler recommendations of the year and paired them with gift ideas that ought to please any fan.
Promising Young Woman
The surprise Oscar winner for Best Original Screenplay, Promising Young Woman challenges assumptions as it upends our expectations.
The Great British Baking Show: Holidays
Whether you’re looking for decorating or recipe ideas, or just want to bask in the joy of the creative process, these holiday specials absolutely hit the spot.
What to Watch with your Roommates
It’s difficult to share your home with someone you don’t share anything else with. But one of the easiest inroads to friendship is television, and one of the joys of living with others is introducing them to the shows you love, and vice versa. Watching Carrie meet Big for the first time with my new-to-the-show
Holiday Movies to Watch with Each Generation
Deciding what to watch with your family over the holidays is akin to playing Mario Kart. You can be in first place, cruising along when BAM! One of those pesky red shells hit you and now you’re in last place. One minute, you’re sitting down for dinner and everything’s running smoothly, then someone turns on
Transport Me: Holiday Movies from Around the World
If you and your family are getting tired of the same old Christmas stories year after year, why not dig a little deeper and try these picks from around the world?
What to Watch (and Skip) with Thanksgiving Guests
What to watch – and what to skip – if you’re spending Thanksgiving with kids, teenagers, older generations, or all of them under one roof? Your 2022 Watercooler Guide to holiday movies.
Universal Language
An absurdist dramedy about the clash of two worlds, Universal Language entertains as much as it motivates. Beyond the madness lies an urgent plea for unity, an appeal that resonates with people hoping for a better, more harmonious future.
Industry S1
Industry is a series fueled by greed, drugs, sex, and money, and provides all of these ingredients in Federal Reserve-sized quantities. There’s never a dull moment.
Minx
The streaming series about the intersection between feminism and smut could endear even the most skeptical. And what it might lack in delicacy, it certainly makes up for in swagger.
The Sympathizer
Told through the perspective of a conflicted hero with contradicting loyalties, The Sympathizer is an ambitious examination of a spy who can’t help but sympathize — hence, the title of the series — with the enemy. It might make you rethink everything you were taught about the Vietnam War too.
Robert Redford’s Impact: Four Films to Watch
He was “one of the lions,” as Meryl Streep put it, an American touchstone who changed filmmaking and opened the gates for new generations of storytellers, becoming a central force in independent cinema. To understand the impact his films have had – on previous generations, on our culture, on so many other films – we’ve