June Roundup, '21
There's a pretty even stack this month, with a bunch of shit I missed as well. So, let's just dive on in, shall we?
Watch This Shit:
David Choe invites celebrities into his childhood home to interview and paint them. It's kind of painfully beautiful.
The Mysterious Benedict Society
Disney found a book series that mashed up a bunch of other successful [books-turned-]shows, so naturally they've turned it into this series, a.k.a. Lemony Snicket's Magical Umbrella Academy. But it goes even farther than that. There's some Willy Wonka mixed in there, also some Legion, a skosh of Harriet the Spy, and even a bit of Dispatches from Elsewhere. Being little pieces of so many things, you'd think the final product would be a big mess, but it's good. Really good. I'm mad I like it, but damnit, I fuckin' do. Watch it with your kids. Or alone will do just fine if you're a big kid. (Which, let's be real, we all are. Don't act like you wouldn't chuckle at some '90s cartoons if you watched them today. Ya' big baby, you.)
The tragic true crime tale of a French woman, murdered in County Cork in 1996, and her convicted murderer who's currently walking free. (Spoiler alert: Irish police are garbage too.)
Jessie had a very drunk New Year's Eve and wound up having sex with a movie star without knowing it (the him being a movie star, not the having sex [although her asking if he wants to have sex while having sex makes that somewhat unclear]). Rose Matafeo's obnoxiously funny and the show is super cute (except for the move star maybe having a girlfriend, #twist) so definitely watch it.
Netflix's Behind the Music.
Weekend Getaway with Michelle Buteau
Michelle Buteau's coming for Phoebe Robinson's gig. But I love the both of them, so she should go right ahead.
Meh:
It can be quite a bit cringe, but worth it if you like the celebrity contestant (Hi, Nicole Byer) trying to get a date with three mystery folks.
Epstein's Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell
A three-episode deep dive into Epstein's still very much alive and very punishable partner-in-heinous-crime.
Annie Murphy's put on her housewife hat and Boston accent in this very odd half-multi-cam/half-very sad single-cam dark comedy. When her husband's around, her life is on a sound stage with a laugh track. But when he's not around and she's just trying to get her depressing life on track, she's in the real world with the rest of us losers. It's weird, but... weird is good, right?
Stephen King's The Hours. It's potentially too trippy and all over the place, but still worth the watch for the acting alone.
It's pretty much your standard TV reunion fare, and is therefor hit or miss depending on if you care about who's reuniting (I'm looking at you, OG Queer Eye guys featuring the forever-snack that is Kyan Douglas) or not (I'm looking at you, All My Children).
Honorable Mentions:
Hulu takes up-close and personal looks at the fight for trans students who dare to exist and enjoy sports. The same day this documentary premiered, Florida Dumbfuck Ron DeSantis signed an anti-trans athlete bill into law because 'Murica. So, the fight is obviously ongoing and unfortunately very needed.
An important look at those fighting for queer liberation in Nigeria.
The Shit I Missed:
The entire time I was watching this, I kept thinking about 2016's BrainDead. That and Web Therapy. Both of which, by the way, I loved. Come to find out that I have reason to be proud of my little TV-obsessed brain because BrainDead and this new series are both created by Michelle and Robert King. Neither of them had anything to do with Web Therapy, but they clearly drew inspiration from it for this Covid-centric dramedy which turns the Coronavirus into a zombie apocalypse during America's second quarantine.
Anyway, the nuts and bolts are: Audra McDonald doctoring from home (downstairs) and Taylor Schilling femdomming from home (upstairs). Plus the aforementioned zombies. It's a trip.
Ugh. I don't want to like this one (because fuck Fox), but it does fill the ridiculous-baking-show void while we're all waiting for more Nailed It. Basically, Joel McHale sarcasms at people while they try to figure out what was just baked in a kitchen based solely on the mess left behind.
Tiny little Australian horror morsels. This series of shorts premiered at the tale end of May and just snuck right by me. Judging by the first episode (in which a woman haunts herself to death?), it may not make a single lick of sense, but there's so little to invest in, the payoff will probably be worth it. (Plus I'm a big, fat, huge lover of quality found footage, so the more of that: the better).
A punk rock band of the all-female, all-Muslim, all-badass variety. Originally premiering overseas in May, Peacock picked up this gem for premiere in the states this month.