Dr. Juli Fraga
Never Have I Ever
A fresh coming-of-age dramedy, Never Have I Ever depicts how the death of a loved one can impact teens’ mental health, as well as a parent’s wellbeing. Families enduring similar struggles will find relatability and reassurance to know they’re not alone.
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.
Dead to Me (S3)
A form of cinematherapy, Dead to Me’s final season brings a big plot twist, one that can be emotionally provoking as well as a cathartic and entertaining conversation starter.
In Treatment (2021)
A timely reboot that depicts the vital relationship between a therapist and patient, and the meaningful role it plays in fostering growth and change.
Maiden
A lesson in surviving childhood trauma, channeling energy into a worthy cause, and fighting to win — even when the majority says victory is impossible.
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
At first glance a true crime story, the film is actually a look at how poverty, loneliness and imposter syndrome can seduce someone into creating a false reality.
Inside Out
With so many of us facing unfamiliar, anxiety-ridden situations today, Inside Out can serve as a useful prompt for the entire family to acknowledge our emotional experiences — sparking insight and helping us cope with change.
Workin’ Moms
When you can’t make it out of the house to attend a support group for new moms, this can be a great substitute. By showing the human side of motherhood, the series helps normalize maternal ambivalence, “mommy guilt,” and the pressure many women feel to be “perfect” moms.
Serendipity
A lesson in authenticity, the power of friendship, and acting on your gut feeling, even when the odds are against you.
Old Enough!
Though the idea of sending a three-year-old to the supermarket by themselves might seem terrifying, the Japanese documentary series Old Enough! is hardly a white-knuckle experience. It’s a sweet and watchable show showcasing the kids’ natural charisma.
Rutherford Falls
Rutherford Falls is a clever and sweet satire similar to Michael Schur’s other half-hour comedies. Like Parks and Recreation and The Good Place, it’s surprisingly deep and deserves just as much attention.
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 10 Best Episodes of Love, Death + Robots
Netflix’s animated anthology Love, Death + Robots includes so many worthwhile episodes, but these 10 are a great place to start.
We are Lady Parts
This is a funny, endearing, fresh show that demonstrates what proper representation looks like.
Why I’m Watching Ms. Marvel and You Should Too
Ms. Marvel delivers the representation Muslims finally deserve. And you don’t have to be Muslim to appreciate it.
Fire Island
Fire Island is one of the best gay films released in recent memory. It’s funny, it’s romantic, and it is beautifully written, acted, and directed. It may not win Oscars–comedies rarely do; gay films more rarely still–but it is an instant classic that critics and audiences will be citing for years.
Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel is a fun and joyful teen superhero series that plays close to the comics and other cinematic influences, but ultimately follows its own path.
Everything You Need to Know Before Jurassic World: Domination
With Jurassic World: Dominion hitting theaters soon, we’ve got to wonder why no one ever learns the lessons of the previous films.
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.
What Franklin Can Teach Us About Diplomacy
As conflicts rage on across the world and the need for diplomacy rises, the new Apple TV+ series Franklin — about America’s first diplomat — offers lessons for our times, as a former speechwriter for the US Ambassador to the UN explains.
Rising Star: Our Interview with Dune & The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare‘s Babs Olusanmokun
He is best known for his recent breakout sci-fi roles – from the fierce fighter Doctor M’Benga in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to Jamis – the Freman and best friend to the protagonist Paul – in Dune Parts One and Two. But Babs Olusanmokun has been acting for two decades. A Nigerian-American who speaks
From Aristocrat to Waiter in a Grand Hotel: A Gentleman in Moscow
It’s 1920s Moscow, four years after the start of the Russian Revolution. The aristocracy has been put on trial, staring down their inevitable doom. Count Alexander Rostov, a Russian aristocrat, is sentenced by a Bolshevik tribunal for “social parasitism” — the crime of living off of the efforts of others. His fate is surely death,
The Big Door Prize
A fresh, lighthearted comedy that doubles as a philosophical sci-fi mystery, The Big Door Prize’s biggest question is that regardless of how much we have, are we ever truly satisfied? And that’s a poignant query in our consumer-driven, must-document-every-moment-on-social-media world.
The Classic Film Education in Colin Farrell’s Sugar
If you solely go by the trailer, Colin Farrell’s new Apple TV series might seem like a familiar L.A. noir: A private detective named John Sugar gets hired by a legendary Hollywood producer to investigate the disappearance of his granddaughter, and soon finds himself unraveling a wicked web of family secrets. Apple TV+ A genre
You’re the Worst
Through the eyes of two cynics who seem doomed to be alone, You’re the Worst embraces the complexity of modern relationships and the many emotional layers they surface. It’s also an accurate and empathetic portrait of what it’s like to live with clinical depression.
The stars of Manhunt on the history we did not learn
It’s a story that none of us learned in history classes, and it unfolds as a taut, complex conspiracy thriller — one that raises all new questions. Set in 1865, Manhunt focuses on the aftermath of one of America’s most tragic events: the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. With all of the biopics, TV shows, and
Mary & George
A clever, dark and salacious historical drama that brings a much overlooked chapter of European history to vivid life. Mary & George is a richly drawn, rough and raunchy story about the quest for power – and survival – in 16th century England.