SEASON’S STREAMINGS
A Bingeaholic’s Guide To What To Watch Now
Other than “Have you been tested?”, the most frequently asked question in these COVID-infused times may just be, “What are you streaming?” Besides the news, which has more drama than any scripted program, this week’s top choice is The Queen’s Gambit. The stylish series about an orphaned, tranquilizer-addicted, teenage chess prodigy has been the top-rated show on Netflix for three weeks running. Obviously, the main character played by doe-eyed Anya Taylor-Joy, isn’t the only one who’s hooked. With apt attention paid to 1960s period detail, the series has well-defined characters, understated but devastating performances, incredible production values and most interesting of all, it takes us into a world most of us know very little about. Who would have imagined that the stodgy world of professional chess could be so exciting and addictive?
Another queen, namely Olivia Colman as Elizabeth II in the just-released fourth season of The Crown may unseat The Queen’s Gambit as Netflix’s most-watched show. At the center of the new season are two well-known figures, Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson in what is surely an Emmy-winning performance) and Princess Diana (Emma Corrin whose measured portrayal may finally shatter the victimized princess’ archetype).
A new series that’s getting a lot of mentions on Zoom calls is HBO’s The Undoing. Starring Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant and Donald Sutherland, the series, about infidelity and murder among New York City’s haves and have-nots, is dark, taut, intelligent and will make you yearn for the glory that was pre-pandemic New York.
With Broadway theatres darkened, Hamilton on Disney+ is the next best thing to being there, in house seats no less. The original cast of Lin Manuel Miranda’s 11 Tony Award-winning hit was captured on film during a three-day shoot in June 2016. The resulting production proves that Hamilton is that rare pop culture phenomena that not only lives up to its hype, but exceeds it. An added bonus to watching it at home is the ability to close caption the film so that you won’t miss a word of the intricate hip-hop-inspired lyrics.
Laundering money for a drug cartel has its risks. Just ask Marty and Wendy Byrde (Jason Bateman and Laura Linney) who move their family from Chicago to Missouri’s Ozarks in order to placate a drug kingpin. One of Netflix’s most popular dramas, Ozark, is rumored to have recently started production on its fourth (and final) season.
The Norwegian town of Fortitude isn’t just the most northerly in the world, it’s the most peaceful. That is until the calm is destroyed by a brutal murder. As if the melting permafrost wasn’t disturbing enough. Stanley Tucci and Michael Gambon star in this psychological thriller.
Perfectly suited to our near-authoritarian times, The Handmaid’s Tale, is the series that put Hulu on the map. In the totalitarian society of Gilead, women are property of the state and those that are still fertile are forced into sexual slavery to bear other people’s children. As the fruitful Offred , Elizabeth Moss dons the bonnet and tries to find the daughter that was taken from her.
Staying safe at home does have its benefits: you can catch up on some of the great series you may have missed. Shows like last year’s Fosse Verdon (Hulu), which chronicles the careers and the rocky relationship between choreographer Bob Fosse (Sam Rockwell) and his wife, muse and leading lady, Gwen Verdon (Michelle Williams in an Emmy Award-winning performance).
A dreamteam of starpower makes any of these series worth revisiting: HBO’s Big Little Lies with Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz and Laura Dern as mothers whose perfect lives aren’t so perfect. Not to be confused with Little Fires Everywhere, which also stars Ms. Witherspoon, this time alongside Kerry Washington. The story of two mothers whose lives intertwine, the Hulu series is based on Celeste Ng’s bestselling book.
Tina Fey, Anne Hathaway, Dev Patel and Catherine Keener lead a cast of talented actors in Amazon’s Modern Love. The limited series presents eight true-life stories about the ups and downs of love that are based on essays that ran in The New York Times.
Although not based on a true-life story, you’re sure to recognize some familiar characters in HBO’s Succession. A roman a clef about an aging media magnate (played by Brian Cox) who, along with his four children, controls one of the biggest media and entertainment conglomerates in the world.
If the headlines don’t give you your fill of politics and international intrigue, you need to watch some of these great series. Begin with Homeland. Claire Danes won two Emmys for her portrayal of bipolar CIA agent Carrie Matheson in Showtime’s rivetingly addictive remake of the Israeli series, Prisoners of War. If Ms. Dane’s character had a Russian counterpart it would be Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russel in her Emmy-winning role) who, along with her husband Phillip (Matthew Rhys) are KGB agents living in suburbia as The Americans.
Sacha Baron Cohen gives a surprising, jaw-dropping performance as an Israeli spy who goes undercover in Syria in Netflix’s The Spy. After watching this series, you’ll never look at Borat the same way again. Netflix’s Fauda is also about an Israeli spy, albeit this time about an agent who comes out of retirement to hunt a Palestinian fighter he thought he had killed. If that’s not enough, Game of Thrones’ Richard Madden stars as a war veteran assigned to protect a British politician in Bodyguard.
Back in the States, Cate Blanchett stars as Phyllis Schlafly, who was dubbed “the sweetheart of the silent majority” in Mrs. America, Hulu’s series about the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. If after all that and four years of the Trump administration you’re feeling nostalgic for a President who represented America with grace, empathy and knowledge, you may want to binge watch all seven seasons of The West Wing. Created by Aaron Sorkin, the series stars Martin Sheen as President Josiah Bartlet and a supporting cast that includes Rob Lowe and Allison Janey.
Stressful times like ours may have you yearning for something lighter. If so, you may want to binge watch Chappelle’s Show and the hilariously irreverent Schitt’s Creek, which broke a record this year as the only comedy to win nine Emmys in one season. Both series are on Netflix. Bill Hader, star of HBO’s Barry also took home an Emmy for his performance as a small-time hitman who takes a shot at acting.
Long before Kamala Harris dreamed of being Vice President, Julia Louis-Dreyfus was winning Emmys (seven to be exact) for her role as Vice President Selina Meyer on Veep. You can enjoy all seven seasons on HBO. Amazon describes Fleabag as “a hilarious and poignant window into the mind of a dry-witted, sexual, angry, grief-ridden woman”. I have one word for it and its writer/star, Phoebe Waller-Bridge — wonderful. Can a one-week stand turn into everlasting love? You’ll have to watch Amazon’s mirthful Catastrophe to find out. This roundup would not be complete without mentioning the phenomenally popular The Marvelous Mrs. Mazel even though I don’t like it. Sorry, I just think that a show about a comedienne should be funny. Where can I stream episodes of The Joan Rivers Show?
Since the original Dragnet series debuted in 1951, crime and punishment have always provided a great backdrop for television dramas. Bingeaholics agree, when it comes to doing time during the lockdown, nothing beats two oldies but goodies: Oz and Orange Is the New Black. And if you want to get inside the criminal mind, Dexter, Peaky Blinders, Boardwalk Empire and The Wire are must-streams. HBO’s tense and haunting limited series, The Night Of, shows you how quickly things can go from good to bad when a young man’s perfect night out becomes a nightmare when he is arrested for murder.
And then there’s The Sopranos, which Vanity Fair called “One of the masterpieces of American popular culture.” For six seasons, James Gandolfini personified the conflicted mob boss Tony Soprano who veers from cold-hearted murder to confessional sessions with his psychotherapist. An unforgettable supporting cast led by Edie Falco makes this series one of HBO’s crowning achievements.
The category is…alternative lifestyles. For those whose curiosity is peeked, I suggest diving into the deep end and starting with Pose. This groundbreaking series, the first to have five characters portrayed by transgender actors, is based in the underground world of New York’s LGBTQ ball culture. Featuring Tony award-winner Billy Porter as Pray Tell, the ball scene’s fiercest emcee, you can catch Seasons 1 & 2 on Netflix and tune-in to FX for Season 3. Those who are trans-curious, but want to dip their toe in the shallow end, may think about streaming Amazon’s Transparent. Jeffrey Tambor stars as Mort Pfefferman whose dysfunctional family begins to spin out of control when Mort changes his name to Maura and announces that he’s trans. If Maura’s sensible shoes don’t float your boat, you can pledge allegiance to the drag and throw some shade at the contestants on Ru Paul’s Drag Race, all twelve seasons of it.
With just a press of the remote, you can go from sequins to waistcoats and enjoy Amazon’s A Very English Scandal. Based on a shocking true story and set in the 1960s when homosexuality was still illegal in Britian, the three-part series tells the tale of Parliament member Jeremey Thorpe (Hugh Grant) who was accused of killing his ex-lover who threatened to expose their relationship. And let’s not forget two groundbreaking LGBTQ series, Showtime’s Queer as Folk and The L Word.
If there was ever a show that was made for binge watching it’s HBO’s Game of Thrones. In the show’s mythical Westeros, the one who controls the Iron Throne holds great power. Beyond the great wall that protects them, a forgotten evil has returned and brother turns against brother to gain control. The epic eight-season series, was an instant classic that will stand the test of time.
If you still want more, don’t forget The Office, Six Feet Under, Breaking Bad, Outlander, Sex and the City, Mad Men, Chernobyl, Deadwood and Band of Brothers.
There, that should get us through the holidays. While we continue to hunker down and pray for a speedy end to the pandemic, let’s pray for good health and many more fabulous series to stream.
