JR Atkinson
What to Watch Next? April Highlights
From the hotly anticipated to the sneaker hit, and a hotly anticipated hit about sneakers (forgive me), this weekend is filled to the brim with worthy premieres. The Affleck/Damon duo is back, musical theater lovers are well-fed with Schmigadoon’s return, and a deserving band gets a deserving tribute. Let us help you sort out your weekend
What’s New to Watch?
As we recover from the Oscars, it’s a ripe time to re-up on some fresh content. This weekend is jam-packed with new series premieres, and if you’re not too busy with Ted Lasso’s return, we’ve got four new shows ranging from raunchy animation to sobering thinkpiece to vie for your attention this weekend. Agent Elvis
A Ted Lasso Catch-Up Guide
If your family group chat hasn’t already buzzed you about it, Ted Lasso is back on AppleTV+ tomorrow for its third and likely last season. Jason Sudeikis’s title character became an unlikely pandemic-era hero: a character with boundless goodness and optimism, far from our brooding Walter Whites and Don Drapers, or even cringe-comedy icons like
Where to Stream the Oscar Nominated Films
The Oscars are fast approaching, and if you’re anything like us, you have more fun watching when you’re invested and have a favorite to root for. So, we’ve collected a list of ways to watch all the award heavy hitters in case you have some catching up to do. We’ve also linked guides and recommendations
Oscar’s Weekend Watercooler Guide
Hard to believe it’s been an entire year, but the Academy Awards are finally back, so set your (sprung ahead) clocks for 8pm ET / 5pm PT Sunday nights — or as early as 1pm ET if you want to catch red carpet coverage. To get get up to speed on the contenders, see our
I May Destroy You
An addictive, provocative, Emmy-nominated limited series that challenges how we think and feel about our own relationships – romantic, platonic, and professional. Creator and star Michaela Coel captivates.
JR Atkinson
Barbarian
The rare horror movie to earn high praise from critics and non-horror fans, Barbarian is for viewers who want to be surprised with a flip on their expectations. It’s imaginative, shocking, and relevant.
Stepmom
A classic that addresses tough topics like blending families and how to cope with grief, Stepmom can also serve as a kind of road map for how to broach tough topics like a terminal illness.
The Leads of HBO’s “The Head” Explain What’s in Their Own
As an international show first released in 2020, The Head has flown under many radars, but the critically praised psychological thriller just returned for a gripping second season Antarctica Thriller From Hbo, and the Watercooler’s Felipe Patterson talked to the two leads to better understand the series and their characters. The Story: A team of
The Inspection
A psychological drama about feeling alienated that captivates the lost loner in all of us, The Inspection also examines how men are “toughened up” by society. You’ll be hearing more about star Jeremy Pope.
The US-UK Divide: Understanding Reactions to Harry & Meghan
The Harry & Meghan Netflix series has opened a new rift between Americans and their British friends (and foes). To understand why, US & UK journalist Sklyar Baker-Jordan sheds light on the history, class, and cultural divides that explain both sides.
Smiley
A charming, escapist Spanish rom-com series that pivots around two gay men, Smiley takes a playful and practical look at all of the complexities surrounding gay and straight modern relationships.
Devotion
A gripping biopic about the Navy’s first Black fighter pilot – Jesse Brown – and the inspiring friendship that transcended racism and the conflicts of the Korean War. Starring Jonathan Majors and Glenn Powell.
Best New K-Dramas to Watch on Netflix
In 2021, international mega-hit Squid Game introduced the power of South Korean storytelling to a broader worldwide audience. K-drama fans have historically streamed content on services like Viki or hoped their favorite TvN or JBTC series would be picked up by Netflix. Then streamer invested $500 million in South Korean movies and series to produce
The Fabelmans
At its heart a story about the relationships that make us who we are, this is a must-see and top Oscar contender, Spielberg’s own version of Back to the Future, minus the DeLorean, for his own time-traveling to life in the 1950s.
A Watercooler Guide to The Phoenician Scheme: Wes Anderson’s Oil-Baron Fever Dream
Wes Anderson films are easy to spot, but not always easy to describe. Watching them feels like stepping inside a handcrafted diorama of history: symmetrical, stylized, and slightly sentimental. From the wry narration and sharp color palettes to his signature whip pans and deadpan dialogue, Anderson crafts cinematic worlds where emotions are bottled then uncorked
A Need-to-Know Guide to And Just Like That…
It’s been a two year wait, but Carrie Bradshaw and her tribe of fabulous fifty-somethings are finally back with their third season. You’d be forgiven if you lost track of the Sex and the City sequel and its storylines. But with summer’s planes, trains, and automobiles and rained-in weekends, And Just Like That might be
Bring Her Back
A psychological horror film with standout performances, Bring Her Back isn’t just about summoning the dead, it’s about confronting the parts of ourselves we lose in the process. The Philippou brothers have crafted a film that dares to ask whether the true horror lies in what we’re willing to do in the name of love.
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
Boyhood
Boyhood captures the importance of moments in time as people grow up and contests the idea that any singular moment is defining to your childhood. It’s a film filled with the full breadth of the emotions of childhood, conveying each one delicately to leave you reflecting on its many pensive conversations.
Why Andor is Luring in Non-Star Wars Fans
An edgier Star Wars prequel with a timely story about rebellion, Andor skips some of the more familiar elements of the franchise — from lightsabers to Jedi to the Force — in favor of a more grounded story with parallels in both history and our current moment. While it sets up the legendary world of
