Liam Mathews

Liam Mathews is the Watercooler's Senior Editor. He's written for Esquire, Gold Derby, TV Guide, and Fast Company, among other outlets. Previously, he was a Reviews and Recommendations Editor at TV Guide. Follow him on Twitter: @liamaathews.
Featured Image

Sexy Beasts

You know how Belle fell for that Beast, who was really just a Furry hiding a hot stud of a prince? That’s essentially the premise of this dating show, which may or may not be a parody of The Bachelor. Shop for your next date or your next pet and have a jolly good howl.

Featured Image

Halloween Kills

Halloween Kills is a worthy entry in the Halloween franchise. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s an above-average slasher movie that will get you in the spooky season mood.

Featured Image

What You Need to Know About Impeachment: American Crime Story

Each season of FX’s American Crime Story franchise, executive producer Ryan Murphy and his team of collaborators dramatize a true crime that dominated headlines in the ‘90s. It’s renowned for finding fresh, compelling angles that re-evaluate well-known stories while providing juicy parts for ambitious actors. The first season, The People v. O.J. Simpson, came out

Read More »
Featured Image

The Voyeurs

A fun, sexy revival of a lost genre with a modern twist. If you like movies that make you feel a little bit dirty for enjoying them, The Voyeurs will float your boat.

Featured Image

After the Dystopian Drama See, Get Inspired by the Blind Magician Documentary Dealt

Welcome to What to Watch After, where you’ll find recommendations inspired by your favorite dark shows and movies that the algorithm couldn’t come up with, and only a thinking human brain would suggest.  Instead of more disturbing dystopian serial killer horror, the Watercooler’s after-watch picks work as “palate cleansers” to help clear your head so

Read More »
Featured Image

If You Loved The White Lotus, Here Are Six Shows to Watch Next

A biting satire series from creator Mike White (Enlightened, School of Rock), White Lotus covers one eventful week at an exclusive Hawaiian luxury resort, where conflict brews between the spoiled rich guests — who are all going through personal crises that money might not be able to fix — and the stressed-out workers who have

Read More »
Featured Image

The North Water

A dark and intense historical saga, The North Water is not for everyone, but it’s a must-watch for fans of nautical period pieces and truly cinematic television.

Featured Image

Reservation Dogs

Reservation Dogs is a fresh comedy series from a community that’s never made a show like this before. It’s one of the best new comedies of the year so far.

Featured Image

She’s Gotta Have It

Free-spirited artist Nola Darling (DeWanda Wise) juggles three lovers while trying to stay true to herself in this sexy comedy-drama series that brings a timely update to Spike Lee’s 1986 film. A hidden gem that ran from 2017-2019, it’s waiting to be rediscovered on Netflix. 

Liam Mathews

Liam Mathews is the Watercooler's Senior Editor. He's written for Esquire, Gold Derby, TV Guide, and Fast Company, among other outlets. Previously, he was a Reviews and Recommendations Editor at TV Guide. Follow him on Twitter: @liamaathews.
Featured Image

Shrinking‘s Christa Miller on Season 2, Dating Advice & Her Watchlist

She’s been a familiar face in living rooms since she broke out as Kate on the hit 90s sitcom The Drew Carey Show, followed by her role as the jaded Jordan Sullivan in Scrubs. More recently she was part of the Cougar Town trio with Courtney Cox and Busy Phillips. And if you’ve been watching

Read More »
Featured Image

A Haunting in Venice

A thematic departure from the previous Poirot movies, A Haunting in Venice drops you into a Gothic post-war Italy and keeps you guessing in a film that non-horror fans can embrace.

Featured Image

Defying Gravity: Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

Christopher Reeve will forever be remembered as the face of the Man of Steel, yes, despite the many well-known actors who have donned the big blue cape in his wake. But in this stirring, intimate documentary premiering only in theaters, the lesser known story of one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons is revealed, and it’s

Read More »
Featured Image

Irresistible

A post-election escape watch from Jon Stewart, the 2020 political satire works as an entertaining crash course on local campaign organizing while doubling as an expose on the dysfunctions of the “election economy.”

Featured Image

The Curse

As strange as it is funny and as thoughtful as it is surprising, The Curse is as unique a viewing experience as they come. I was first drawn in by the sharp satire and stayed for the company of its richly envisioned characters. 

Featured Image

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.

Featured Image

A Career Reinvention Watchlist

As layoffs continue in the wake of a year of ominous headlines about the bots who are replacing us, a recent EY report found that over 70% of employees are reeling from AI anxiety. That actually sounds low. The idea of having to concoct a new livelihood – one that won’t be taken over by

Read More »
Featured Image

A Watercooler Guide to Emma Stone’s Kinds of Kindness

With so many franchises, sequels and prequels arriving in theaters, we get accustomed to seeing familiar worlds and their predictable three-act structures. Then a three-hour theatrical release comes along that defies any simple explanation, and you have no idea what you’re getting into. Kinds of Kindness is that kind of film. With a top-notch cast

Read More »
2 what-you-need-to-know-about-impeachment-american-crime-story
Featured Image

The Most Relevant Oscar Contenders of 2025

The most relevant Oscar movies of 2025 shed light on timely issues and help us process our current moment, from Wicked’s take on fascist leaders to The Brutalist and Anora’s sentiments on the American Dream.

Featured Image

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat

With all of the power and percussion of a Louis Armstrong horns ensemble, Soundtrack to a Coup D’Etat is a visceral must-watch that sheds fresh light on an era through an inventive new documentary format.

Featured Image

Escape Watch: The Best Historical Drama for Right Now

An immersive must-watch embraced by critics, the new Shōgun brings a new perspective on the epic historical drama about the battle between East and West in 17th century Japan.

Featured Image

Oscar Contender: How JFK inspired Dune‘s creator

With a Best Picture Oscar nomination and a haul of over $400 million at the global box office, Dune: Part Two continues to draw all new audiences into the science fiction epic based on the landmark 1965 novel.  And the film’s mythic world and timely themes have raised some fresh questions: How did the author

Read More »
Featured Image

Suddenly Timely Takes: Lessons from The Diplomat

In the midst of all the hype about a dating show (Love is Blind), a complex political drama that requires undivided attention rose to the top of the Netflix chart in 2023.  At its core, The Diplomat is a series about bureaucratic machinations, yet the show ups the ante with fast-paced action, office romance, high

Read More »
Featured Image

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

Read More »
Scroll to Top